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Oyster-Adams Bilingual School

In October 2019, a group of Oyster-Adams Bilingual School (Ward 3) students in grades 2 – 8 began their research journey as they dove into the history of their school’s highly sought after bilingual program.

Using their pre-established after-school club, the Explorer’s Club, Mike Benson and Ana Lopez guided our students as they participated in primary research, handled historic documents and photographs, visited archives and museums, interviewed long-time area residents, participated in neighborhood history walks, and much more! Some of the questions our students considered were Why is our school named Oyster-Adams? Why are we a bilingual school? What is the power of this place within the history of our community and city? Who are the people who went here and what are their accomplishments?

With the onset of COVID-19 and the closure of DC Public School buildings, our project quickly switched to virtual setting in March 2020. With the strong support of our Oyster-Adams teachers, families, and staff, we were able to continue our project and club meetings through Zoom meetings and other digital channels. 

Our students have collected numerous photographs, artifacts, and oral histories to create a bilingual, museum-quality exhibit that will not only excite and engage current Oyster-Adams families, but will also deepen the community’s understanding of the past by honoring the people and stories that came before.