When the 7th grade began to learn about the Colonial Era, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and the Revolutionary War, their social studies teacher Marty Foley sought ways to bring these stories off the page.

Students, working in groups, collaborated to write newscasts as though they were living in Colonial Times. Using their textbooks and other resources that Marty provided, the students wrote and recorded the broadcasts, including interviews with well-known figures such as Paul Revere and Samuel Prescott. The next day they shared their recordings with one another.

The following week, former 6th grade GSFS teacher Jack Briggs visited to share his personal connection to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. While reading a book about that historic day, April 19, 1775, Jack stumbled upon a familiar name among those killed: Ebenezer Goldthwait. Jack knew that was his great-grandmother’s maiden name – and believed that it too unique to be a coincidence. He shortly discovered that Ebenezer’s cousin, William Goldthwait, a potter and militiaman who also fought the British on that fateful day, was his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.

As only a skilled teacher can, Jack captivated the class using only his words and a map of the region on the board.

“What I hope my story shows is that when you read about it, that’s somebody’s ancestor. These are real people. You have ancestors that were alive in 1775, too,” Jack told the 7th grade students.

After the students filed outside for recess, Jack explored the campus and noted what has and has not changed since he last taught at Greene Street Friends in 1976. To begin with, the oldest students were in 6th grade and all classes were housed in what is now the Lower School building. He recalls being the first teacher in the classroom on the 3rd floor (which is currently occupied by Erica’s 3rd grade). “Some things look exactly the way they did. The playground is in the same place, but then you turn a corner and are startled by something new. It feels so good to see how the school has grown and how eager the students still are,” he shared.

While Jack has a clear passion for history and story-telling (he is working on a book about his family’s involvement in the Revolutionary War and works at Friends Central teaching 6th grade students story-telling as part of their drama curriculum), his favorite memory from his years at GSFS is a surprise: camping with the 6th grade at French Creek.

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