Jefferson students build models for WWI exhibit

Inside the classroom Wednesday morning at Jefferson Junior High, eighth-grade students are busy wiring together sections of a wooden fence. Not too far away, others are busy creating a giant trench, complete with sandbags.

Across the room, others are piecing together model replicas of World War I scenes. A few tables over, students are drawing a scene from an old photo of Naperville's Jefferson Avenue during that time period.

The interactive models the students are creating will be on display when the school hosts a traveling exhibit of photographs by the last remaining World War I veterans in the United States. Jefferson is the second school in the nation to host the collection, which is a replica of Michigan-based photographer David DeJonge's national exhibit on display at the Pentagon.

"It's absolutely astounding and incredible," DeJonge said as he worked with students on their projects. "This is service learning at its best."

The exhibit will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 14 at the school, 1525 N. Loomis St. The entire school and invited guests will preview it the day before. The exhibit is free, but students will be collecting donations for the WWI Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization looking to restore a crumbling D.C. memorial and rededicate it to all U.S. WWI veterans. They are the only 20th century veterans without a national memorial.

"It's sad because so many people gave their lives," student Joe Rickwallder said.

It was a previous project that brought the Jefferson students and the photo exhibit together. Last year teachers Kathy Vierck and Kim Schatz took their eighth graders to the First Division Museum at Cantigny in Wheaton. After a Saturday training session, the group was allowed to take over the museum for two hours to participate in research activities, Vierck said.

When Col. Paul Herbert of First Division heard about DeJonge's traveling photo exhibit for schools, he suggested Jefferson. It is the idea of 108-year-old Frank Buckles, the only living U.S. WWI veteran, to involve students in fundraising process.

"For Mr. Buckles, this is his dream," said DeJonge, who is spokesman for Buckles and his family.

The traveling exhibit was first hosted by a school in Texas.

"We thought, we'll take it another step further," Vierck said.

Members of the eighth grade Pride Team, taught by Vierck, Erika Girard, Deb Harris, Mary Lynn McCoy and Schatz, have spent the past month researching WWI and creating their exhibits. As a service learning project, they are learning while helping others.

"The best part is the kids get to develop the project," Vierck said.

"It's definitely a cool experience," Rickwallder said. "It's cool to find the information of just being handed the stuff."

Rickwallder is creating an interactive computer exhibit that will allow visitors to select a country and get information on that specific country's involvement in the war.

"It hadn't occurred to me this was the only war they used trenches in," he said.

Maggie McQuaid is focusing on the role of the media during the war. She is impressed with the amount and types of work the students are able to do for the project.

"That we actually got to go to museums like Cantigny and Naper Settlement and got them to donate artifacts for us to exhibit," McQuaid said. "I never thought kids like us could get something together that is so important and so big."

Stephen Royal said he never knew a WWI project could be so exciting — and stressful.

"We didn't know it was going to be this big," he said.

He is among the students preparing a medical tent for the exhibit and have researched information on the effects of poison gas and the Spanish flu.

"I never knew this was the first war to have surgeries and use anesthesia," Royal said.

"There was no medicine at the time. No antibiotics or anything," Tim Babik said.

Other exhibits include the "Doughboy Diner" featuring photo displays and offering baked goods for sale. The money will go toward the memorial.

"I was just very surprised that there isn't a World War I memorial," student Cindy Swartz said. "I would just assume they would have a national memorial because it was such a big war."

Swartz is working with a group researching culture and entertainment of the time. Several students are practicing music from the time period they will perform, and the group also plans to show a silent film during the exhibit.

"We found a movie online called "A Shoulder Arms" by Charlie Chaplin," Swartz said. "I thought it was really funny. I thought it would be boring, but it's not."

Jefferson students will continue to raise money throughout the year. Other activities planned include an ice cream social in the spring, movie night for all eighth-grade students, raffle and sale of items such as T-shirts and magnets.

"I hope it will raise money for the veterans," student Ryne Skarr said. "I'm proud to be the second one (in the nation) to get this."

As the exhibit tours the country, students will not only help raise money, they will also fight for legislation for a national memorial, DeJonge said.

"What they do here in Naperville, we're going to try to apply to hundreds of schools across the United States," he said.