In 1996-97, "Reading The Museum " supported six demonstration projects. In the last of a series of articles about these initiatives, Lynne Wright, Executive Director, Matsqui Sumas Abbotsford Museum (MSA), Abbotsford, British Columbia, reports on a literacy project in which students worked with local pioneers to record and display their stories.

Gifts of Age

The MSA literacy project was undertaken in partnership with the University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV), local schools and local pioneers. We began in September 1996 with an orientation session to present the project to the English class at UCFV, set goals, confirm the itinerary and prepare invitations for the pioneers we wanted to interview.

The next step was an archives workshop at the museum, to give the participating learners a little knowledge of local history and to familiarize them with any material available on their interviewees. We held a "Meet The Pioneers" reception, which included a tour of Trethewey House, the home of the MSA Museum. Bolstered by this little extra confidence and a great session with Jennifer McVaugh, from the «Reading The Museum" program, we were ready to go. A number of pioneers responded to our invitation and were looking forward to participating, yet initial student interest was lower than expected.

We then looked for another group of learners who might benefit from joining the project. As it happened, Abbotsford planned to host one of the first Charles R. Bronfman Heritage Fairs in 1997. In preparing for the fair, the museum contacted local schools about student participation and conducted seminars on the use of archives, interview techniques and local history. We found students who wanted to do three-dimensional or writing projects. The pioneers agreed to share their stories with students in grades four to nine, thus turning the "Reading The Museum" project into an intergenerational literacy activity. We also

asked students if they were interested in producing a brochure about the story of Trethewey House, for use by ESL students, and in compiling the Pioneers' stories for Publication.

Great things finally started to happen. One of my favourites was the work of Sami Kelly, a grade four student at North Poplar Elementary School. She chose to interview Miss Irene Kelleher, who was born in 1900 and shares a First Nations heritage with Sami. Sami discovered that Miss Kelleher was the first Native woman in British Columbia to be granted a teaching certificate. Her first application to work in Abbotsford was not successful, a rejection Miss Kelleher attributes to her heritage and gender. She persevered, however, and began teaching in a one room school in Usk, B.C. Later, she was hired in Abbotsford and eventually became principal of North Poplar Elementary, Sami's school. Sami shared her story with the school's administration, which decided to dedicate the school's new library in Miss Kelleher's name. The dedication took place in January 1998, with Miss Kelleher in attendance.

The CRB Heritage Fair was a perfect opportunity for our literacy project. When my own health and that of two other staff at the museum jeopardized completion of the project, in walked a troupe of youthful and willing saviours! It was a wonderful experience for everyone -they did a great job and made lots of new friends. Our publication, "Gifts of Age," is now in print and distribution. We used it for ESL students and Japanese exchange tours in the spring and summer of 1997 and look forward to sharing it with others this year.

The "Reading The Museum" project connected us more closely to our community. It helped some of our elders feel part of the community's present and future. It also helped to make some of our newer members feel closer to the community's past and its present and future. The project took longer than expected, but it was worth it.