Creating a memorial.

Creating a memorial. Eighth-grade English teacher Laurie Capponi looks forward to the end of the year for more than the obvious reason--it's when her annual Memory Matters project begins. The project, which has become a rite of passage rite of passagen.A ritual or ceremony signifying an event in a person's life indicative of a transition from one stage to another, as from adolescence to adulthood. for students at Wellwood Middle School Wellwood Middle School is a New York public middle school on South Manlius Street in the Village of Fayetteville. The school serves grades 5-8 in the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District, and enrolls approximately 700 students. in Fayetteville, N.Y., "is the last thing they do before moving from middle to high school," says Capponi. "If they rise to the occasion, they can do high school-quality work." The month-long unit starts with a lesson on symbolism SymbolismIn art, a loosely organized movement that flourished in the 1880s and '90s and was closely related to the Symbolist movement in literature. In reaction against both Realism and Impressionism, Symbolist painters stressed art's subjective, symbolic, and decorative . Students study memorials and go on field trips to see real-life examples. Then they select a person or event to memorialize me��mo��ri��al��ize?tr.v. me��mo��ri��al��ized, me��mo��ri��al��iz��ing, me��mo��ri��al��iz��es1. To provide a memorial for; commemorate.2. To present a memorial to; petition. and write a five-page research paper. Next, they create a tangible memorial. The last step is presenting their work through a formal speech. Capponi says the students enjoy building the memorials and take it quite seriously. After the project ends, the memorials are displayed in the library, where younger students ogle o��gle?v. o��gled, o��gling, o��glesv.tr.1. To stare at.2. To stare at impertinently, flirtatiously, or amorously.v.intr. them in anticipation of their turn. Some of the people students have chosen include 9/11 victims, Dr. Seuss Noun 1. Dr. Seuss - United States writer of children's books (1904-1991)Geisel, Theodor Seuss Geisel and Martha Graham. "They try to do dead musicians because they think they're cool, but I won't let them do Kurt Cobain, Tupac Shakur or anyone who's gone down in a self-destructive phase," says Capponi. Although they're forced to do a lot of work when they'd prefer to slack off, students are pleased with their results. "The really bright kids are surprised at how hard they had to work to do well," she says. "And the less academic kids are proud to get through it. It's a real lesson on that level." www.fmschools.org/wellwood.cfm