Central Falls Scavenger Hunt

  4. How many schools are in the city?
 As far as I can tell there are 6 public schools in the CF district (1 pre-k, 3 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high). There is also one private school, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, that serves pre-K through 8, and their pre-K program is a spanish/english immersion classroom.

10. Is there a movie theater in town?
 No, and as far as I can tell there has been since very early in the 20th century, all theaters closing around the 1920s. I would guess that residents usually go to Cinema World in Lincoln or one of the providence theaters.

22. The first mayor of Central Falls looking down on its current students. I couldn't find his name but I guess his visage lives on!

 12. This here is a bit of Jenks Park covered in snow. By reading the plaque at the corner of the photo I learned that Jenks is also a bird sanctuary created by CF students. The park is also a historical site; the tower in the background is called "Cogswell Tower" and was erected in 1904. It also was a significant site during King Philip's War. Reading the history and having learned abut King Philip's War in high school, I think I'd like to walk around a bit more sometime soon!

 8. This is the outside of the Dexter St. post office, right by CF High.

14.  The only newspaper I can find that is produced in Central Falls is http://acontecerlatino.com/, a newspaper serving Latino communities. I'm shocked that they don't receive the Valley Breeze in Central Falls (we do in Burrillville) because they would usually be considered part of the Valley.

23. The Irish revolutionary that escaped Australia  and eventually settled in Central Falls was James Wilson (a different James Wilson than the signer of the declaration, who was born in Scotland.) And visited by DeValera, wow! I took an Irish history class while I went to University of Limerick and learned all about the Fenians and their revolutionary plights against the British. It is so cool to see a piece of this fascinating history so close to me!

18. According to some statistics I found, the overwhelming majoritiy of CF residents identify as Roman Catholic. I found 8 Catholic churches, 1 Baptist church, 4 "spirit-filled" churches, and 1 specifically "hispanic" church. As far as I can tell, there are no mosques are synagogues in the city. I think the closest mosque would be perhaps the one on Sayles Hill but I'm not sure about synagogues.

9. Is there a fire station? a police station?  how are fire emergencies handled? What crime statistics are available?

-Yes, there is a fire station. The website for the department says "call 911" for emergencies, so I'd guess that fire emergencies are handled as they usually are. Calls are likely dispatched to the station.
-Yes, there is a police station.
-Statistics for every crime are available for 2012 on the RI state police website. They can also be compared back to 2005.

11. Are there public rec facilities? Are there organized community sports?
-There is Jenks Park, Macomber Stadium, the Higginson Ave Sports Complex, the Higginson Ave basket courts, the Garfield Street Playground, the Wyatt Detention Recreation Facility, River Island Park, Pierce Park, Lewis and Hunt Playground, Illinois St. Playground, Sacred Heart Ave Playground, Crossman Street Playground, and the Saul Tarlow Ballfield.
-There is youth soccer, football, and little league.

(EDIT 2/24)

What did I learn? What am I know questioning?

I learned that even though it is so small, Central Falls has a rich history right within its square mile! This should not surprise me as Rhode Island and the Blackstone Valley in particular play significant roles in American history, but it thrilled me in the very least! I love learning RI history and was so excited to hear about how CF rubbed shoulders with Irish history as well! I guess it's the same as the excitement we feel when we're on a known battleground or recognize a location in a movie and that feeling of "I've been in the same place that history happened! I could be standing on the same spot so and so stood!" and it's quite fun. Now I'm wondering if students of CF known how much exciting stuff has happened in their little city.

What will this mean as I continue my journey from student to teacher?

I think what this activity embodies is the idea that now I won't just passively wait for teachers to feed me information but rather, as the teacher, I will seek out information to feed my students because of my own feelings of what is important and wanting them to know the same.