The Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives has been a strong partner in our work since 2015. A beloved field trip destination for our school partners, CSSMA also offers our students hands-on research opportunities directly relate to their “school story” work. Students leave the archive knowing why archival work is important to society and why primary sources are necessary for accurate research.
Charles Sumner School
During the end of the 2025-2026 school year, a select group of Bunker Hill Elementary students worked a focus project called The Story of the Charles Sumner School. Guided by Ms. Chrissy Macken, PTO president at Bunker Hill, students researched the creation of the Charles Sumner School, the school’s namesake and architect, and how the historic building was saved from demolition and transformed into the archives it is today. As one of the first public schools for Black students, the Charles Sumner School story is rich with the history of Washington, DC. This research will create the introduction to a larger, traveling exhibit that will depict the school stories from all 12 of our past school partners.
