History Comes Alive For Berkeley Heights Students

The following press release was written and submitted by Milla Trigos.

History came alive on March 28 for Mountain Park School students and teachers in Berkeley Heights.

Patrick Garner, a Broadway actor and author of children's history books, presented two entertaining and educational assemblies. The second and third graders learned all about "American Tall Tales," legends about figures such as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, Annie Christmas and Bess Coll. Garner's motto is "to entertain, instruct and inspire," and he did just that by explaining the origins of these stories in American folklore.

Garner had the entire audience participate in the action, and selected four students to play the main roles as well. In the second assembly, Garner had fourth and fifth grade students act out the Lewis and Clark expedition to discover the territories of the Louisiana Purchase and to find passage to the Pacific Ocean. Blending storytelling, geography, history and slapstick humor, Garner captivated his entire audience. The students enjoyed seeing their friends playing the roles of Lewis, Clark and Sacajawea and learned that American history has many fascinating aspects.