Phase III: Conducting Interviews with Community Leaders
Students at Rio Lindo Elementary, Rio Real Elementary, and Rio Plaza Elementary Schools are now entering the final phase of the History Harvest project. They recently had the opportunity to hear presentations from important community leaders to learn more about the history and culture of the Oxnard community, and the rich history and traditions of the Mixtec culture and Mexico. Specifically, the students heard presentations from Mr. Joe Mendoza, Director of Special Populations Educational Support for the Ventura County Office of Education, Mr. Arcenio Lopez, Executive Director of Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), and Mr. Javier Gomez, founder and Artistic Director of Teatro Inlakech, the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center.
The students will be utilizing the skills and strategies they have developed as researchers over the course of the school year during this next phase of the project. The second grade students will be analyzing artifacts left by the different community members, and then designing interview protocol’s based on each student’s interest, to learn more about these artifacts as well as the history and culture they represent from the different community leaders. The fourth and fifth grade students will choose one of the community leaders to interview, and then design interview protocols that will frame the research they want to uncover to learn more about the history and culture of Mexico, the Mixtec community, and Oxnard.
