Akron Elementary School fourth graders from left Jocelyn Reyes, Colton Wetzel and Emily Sloan start a potato sack race during Pioneer Day on Friday, May 2, at Prill School north of Athens. Akron students participated in various activities from the past.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

AKRON — Akron Elementary School fourth-graders recently experienced pioneer life.

On Friday, May 2, the students ate hand-churned ice cream, bobbed for apples, pumped water and did other activities people would have completed more than 100 years ago as part of Pioneer Day.

The event was held at the one-room Prill School north of Athens at 7018 E. Fort Wayne Ave., Rochester. Mentone Elementary School fourth-graders previously had their turn there on Friday, April 25.

The event’s been going on for at least 30 years, said Akron fourth grade teacher Chris Rassi. He said he believes former teacher Pam McFarland started it.

Rassi said May 2 began with students making apple butter, writing with quill pens, dipping candles and making rope at Akron Elementary School before they were bused to Prill School.

Fourth-graders Kalla King, left, and Selena Utter do their schoolwork.

While at Prill, kids alternated between hearing lessons in the school and playing games and doing other activities outside. Assisting with the event were Tippecanoe Valley High School juniors in Scott Backus’ history class.

Backus said helping with the event was “a great leadership opportunity for my students.”

“I asked the students to select activities that they would like to do, and with minimal training ahead of time, they did a fantastic job engaging the fourth-grade students and making both Pioneer Days a wonderful learning experience for the elementary students,” he said.

Rassi noted his students “really enjoy learning about pioneers.”

“We start teaching about it in our classrooms a few weeks before Pioneer Day,” he said. “We discuss their lifestyle, how they lived and how they had to travel long distances (and) the importance of learning about our local history and those who came before us. Kids have a hard time believing that schools used to be just one classroom.”

Rassi he hoped his students learned from the event “how lifestyles change over time.”

“We have talked about in our classrooms how even just technology has changed in a few short years,” he said.