Fifty is nifty for Woodrow Wilson students

Darren Schulte knows a great deal about the state of Michigan.

The way the Woodrow Wilson Elementary School fourth-grader described it to a reporter, you’d almost think he was trying to sell Michigan as a single piece of real estate.

Schulte seemed a bit sad to learn the entire state of Michigan is not, in fact, for sale. However, no one seemed to be sad at the event that led Schulte to research Michigan. Wilson Elementary fourth-graders researched one state for the “Fifty States Fair,” and presented their findings to the fifth and sixth grades and to parents on March 3.

“Each student got to pick a state, and we usually ended up with two or three students working on each state,” said Wilson fourth-grade teacher Scott Enyart. “Each student worked on one project.”

The cardboard-based projects were set up in the Wilson cafeteria and library, similar to the way a science fair would look. Each student was required to stay by their project to answer questions in both the student-visit hour and then in the parent hour.

Students were required to list 10 facts about their state, along with a timeline with a handful of historical events, state symbols and eight elements of the state’s economy. There is also a map of each state in each project, showing major cities and topography.

“We really wanted them to know what land and water features are in each state, too,” Enyart said.

Iowa was not an option to the main group of Wilson fourth-graders. Some of the displays were simple and to the point, while others were more elaborate. Some students had food to sample that told visitors a little about the state’s culture.

One student, Whitney Critchfield, not only featured graphs, charts and artwork in her display on Rhode Island, but also had a model of a lighthouse. She was dressed in full golf gear.

Another student, Malik Allen, seemed very excited to talk about Massachusetts, and Claire Hunt included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in her Georgia exhibit. Nathan Earl said he picked New Mexico because it begins with an N, for Nathan, and he colored in all 16 points of the Zia state-flag symbol.

Enyart seemed pleased with how much students learned about other parts of the U.S.

“This was a really productive fair,” he said.