Article Reprinted from the Burt County Plaindealer, December 17, 2003

Mural Website make Downtown Project Visible Worldwide

While most students' school work gets seen by their teacher, maybe their parents, three students in a class at Tekamah-Herman High School have been able to take their production to a new dimension.

Quentin Connealy, Dylan Dougherty and Emily Johnson are in Linda Farrens' E Projects class, a new offering this semester.

Their work, an extensive look at the Lewis and Clark mural which Lisa Glup painted on the side of the VFW building, can be seen around the world on the internet.

"We had five student last year as junior who wanted to pursue technology careers and wanted to do more," Farrens said, " but they were at the top level offered here."

So the counselor and school board were approached for the approval of the class. The curriculum was established and software was purchased, Farrens said. The school has an aging digital camera and the students have raised funds to buy more hardware.

"The idea for the site came from the Nebraska Arts Council," said Debby Knittel, who has headed much of the local Lewis and Clark Bicentennial activities.

Farrens said the school was contacted for input.

"They wanted community involvement," she said. " So I volunteered myself, which usually means my students."

The E-Projects class was a perfect fit, young inquisitive minds and a major community event. But that doesn't mean that the page has come together easily.

"We learn as we go," Farrens said. " may be only two or three days ahead of them."

Yet, in just three months, the class had produced seven major webpages and twelve windows.

The main pages include Community Involvement, Goals, Artist Biography, Sponsors, Tekamah's Celebration and Photo Gallery.

The windows, on the Photo Gallery page, take the internet user to pictures and description of the twelve inserts that Glup pained and were placed in the window openings on the VFW building wall.

Connealy, Dougherty, and Johnson haven't just sat at the computer and put the pages together. They researched the subject, interviewed Glup and Knittel, wrote the text and took the pictures that appear on the webpage.

"We sat down before we started and researched with movies and books and relearned what we were taught in elementary classes," Johnson said.

They watched videos, Farrens said, "not what we usually do in these classes."

They also learned more than how to make a webpage. Connealy said that from the research he learned that the Lewis and Clark Expedition likely crossed land his family owns near the Missouri River by Decatur.

The E-Projects team spent about two hours a day on the webpage.

"Every day in class and whenever we were available," Johnson said.

At the end, Dougherty said, "We had to get it done, so we had to come in a lot."

There were celebrations along the way, Farrens said, such as when a portion of a page took a couple of days to complete was uploaded successfully.

"We take a lot of pride in what we do," Farrens said. "There's a lot of teamwork.

The students have documented their work, which, Farrens said, will be useful in the future when they apply for jobs.

Like many current students, these three seniors have worked with computers for most of their school years.

"I was 5 and we had an old computer, with DOS and a black screen," Dougherty said, as if comparing it to the days of stones and chisels.

Their experience which includes work on the school's webpage and for the Tekamah Public Library and the Burt County Museum only adds to their abilities and desires them to do more.

"Dylan pushes us," Johnson said, " and tells us about new stuff."

Farrens said she calls on the three to help other teachers and students.

The Tekamah-Herman computer students are no strangers to success and accomplishment. The team has finished first three of the last four years at the Wayne State College business computer day, Farrens said. The Lewis and Clark site is entered into a regional competition.

The competition organizers "like that this is a community type project, interviewing Debby and Lisa and writing the scripts," Farrens said.

The webpage has an e-mail link to Knittel. She said feedback has been very positive.

"I have received nothing but praise over the mural and the job the students and Mrs. Farrens have done," Knittel said. "The students took such an interest in the project.

"I was amazed by them and, because of them, the mural has a home on the web for everyone to see."

The mural and website will be featured in an issue of Home and Away, AAA Cornhusker Motor Club's magazine, with details of Tekamah's celebration next August for the expedition and the town's 150th birthday.

"How proud Tekamah should be," Knittel said. "We are so lucky to have such talent living in Tekamah."

This site was created by Tekamah-Herman eProjects Class
Instructor: Linda Farrens
Students: Dylan Dougherty, Quentin Connealy, and Emily Johnson

For Questions or Comments please contact project manager Deb Knittel

Home | Community Involvement | Goals | Artist Biography | Sponsors | Tekamah's Celebration | Photo Gallery |