The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America

“My Place” is a project designed for fourth through sixth grade students and helps promote patriotism through a creative outlet.  The project illustrates their place in their home, neighborhood, school, community, state, nation and world.  All of these places must be represented in the completed project. This year (2010-2011) was very successful with eight entries. The first place was a tie with the award going to two entries:

Colquitt County Gifted Center  – $250 AWARD (tied for first place) submitted by the Moultrie Town Committee

Recycling garden project

JUDGES COMMENTS: The fifth graders in the Colquitt County Gifted Center’s program are currently in the third year of an ongoing project.  The intent of the program is to raise the awareness of the students about how their actions impact their school, their community and the larger world.  They are learning about composting, organic gardening, recycling and conservation through hands on activities.  They planted a garden to help replace the dwindling habitat of both migrating Monarch butterflies and local honeybees and recycled bricks from an old school gym.  This is a wonderful program that will make a lasting impression on the students, the school and the community.

Since My Place Projects are based on a single year, the Colquitt County Gifted Project was only judged on the 2010-2011 year.  This past year the students designed pavers using mosaics tiles.  The pavers are to be sold to the community to help raise money for the ongoing expenses associated with their project.

The students worked to educate their community about recycling and conservation through public service announcements.  They were able to see firsthand how their actions impacted themselves, their school, their community and the world beyond.  It was evident that these students feel a deep love of their country through their desire to make their own school and community and the bigger world a better place.

These students not only learned ways to change their small area, but their community, state, nation and world and used what they learned to make those changes a reality.

Pierce County Elementary, Blackshear, GA.,  $250 AWARD (tied for first place) Submitted by the Waycross Town Committee

Tier of Boxes

JUDGES COMMENTS: These students created a tier of boxes.  The top box is in the shape of a house and decorated with figures made out of local red clay.  The next box represented their community.  The students used many of the historic buildings of Pierce County.  The next box represented the state of Georgia and was decorated using black charcoal burned from a willow tree.  The next largest box represented the United States and was decorated in red, white and blue showing images from around the country.  The bottom box was a collage of images from around the world.

This project received very high marks for staying within the My Place guidelines.  It very clearly demonstrated the students place in their community and in the larger world.

The other entries and their awards are:

• St. Joseph’s Catholic School – $200 AWARD Submitted by the Macon Town Committee

FUTURE LEADERS COLLAGE

JUDGES COMMENTS: These students created a huge collage using individual drawings depicting problems they will encounter as “Future Leaders” in their community and the larger world.  The smaller drawings were placed behind large cut out letters spelling out future leaders.  The students showed an awareness that they will someday be leaders of their community and of the problems they will face.  This project was very appealing visually.   The students worked together to create the cutouts of the letters.  Excellent representation of the students place in their school, community, nation and the world and the problems they will face.

• Memorial Drive Elementary, 5^th grade Waycross, $100 AWARD Submitted by the Waycross Town Committee

SERIES OF MOBILES

JUDGES COMMENTS: This project was a series of mobiles that showed the students in their homes, their school, their community and the world.  A large number of students were involved.  Older students planned the project and younger students drew pictures for the mobiles.  The final assembled project showed vividly how the students felt about their place in their homes, their school, the state, the country, and the world. There was not as much sense that the students worked together and it was very difficult to see the drawings in the photo show.  Overall, it was very good.

Four Honorable Mention Awards $50 each

• Hull-Sanford Elementary School, Hull, Madison County, GA Submitted by the Athens Town Committee

VIDEO

JUDGES COMMENTS: These students created a documentary on the history of their community, the state, the nation and beyond in which some of the students dressed as the Rev. Hull, who their city is named for and figures from the American Revolutionary War.  The project gave a good sense of the patriotism and love the students have for their community and country.  It was meaningful that they connected the project to historic figures.   The video was very moving to watch.

• C.T. Walker Elementary, submitted by the Augusta Town Committee Augusta, GA

JUDGES COMMENTS: In this project students learned about the style of architecture of the neglected houses in the historic neighborhood around their school.  Experts spoke to the students about the houses and the history of their school and area.  Students painted pictures of the houses.  These pictures were later displayed at a local history museum.  The students also wrote letters as though to the owners of the neglected houses asking them to renovate or sell the houses so that the neighborhood could be revitalized.  This project involved a number so students and gave those students a sense of their place in their community and the fact that they could influence events in their area.  The project demonstrated a good sense of the students place in their community but not necessarily their place in the larger world.  It was nice that the project reached an audience outside their school.

• Brown Elementary, Smyrna, GA., submitted by the Marietta Town Committee 4th grade art class

ACCORDION BOOK

JUDGES COMMENTS: This art class etched metal plates to illustrate the poem The Land We Love by Rodger Robicheau.  The students showed that they had a good grasp of what it means to live in America, but there was not much sense that it showed their place in a larger world.  The book they created is a beautiful work of art.

• Sumter County Elementary, Americus, submitted by the Americus Town Committee Art classes, Grades 4-6

FISH

JUDGES COMMENTS: In keeping with the theme of their school, these students created four fish.  The fish were decorated to represent parts of their community.  While it was a very creative idea, it did not seem to involve a large number of students.  In addition, the final project did not show the students’ sense of their place in the community and beyond.

To access the guidelines, click My Place guidelines