Carl Ballenas and the students of the Aquinas Honor Society proudly display their most recent work, Images of America: Kew Gardens.
For half a decade, the students of the Aquinas Society at the Immaculate Conception School, have been preserving the narrative histories of Jamaica and its environs.
The group co-authored and published three books with renowned historian and Aquinas Honor Society moderator, Carl Ballenas. They include Images of America: Jamaica Estates, Images of America: Jamaica and Images of America: Kew Gardens.
All books were published by Arcadia Publishing, and provide a historical perspective of the Jamaica area dating as far back as the colonial period.
“Working with the students has been a fulfilling and rewarding experience,” said Ballenas.
Ballenas also noted that he and the students hope many Queens-based schools will someday use their publications in classrooms to teach other students about Jamaica’s extensive and rich history.
“Most people our age do not get the chance to do what we are doing,” said Aquinas Society member Anjali Deodat. “This project is a real honor.”
The students of the Aquinas Honor Society, who range from 11 to 15 years old, have also helped to mark historic landmarks in the area, including an historic plaque for Jamaica Estates in 2010, and more recently, a plaque for Pettits Hotel a colonial-era inn where President George Washington once stayed, calling the establishment “a fine and decent house” in his diary.
Carl Ballenas and the students of the Aquinas Honor Society appeared at the Fresh Meadows Barnes & Noble where they gave a presentation on Kew Gardens.
Their new book, Images of America: Kew Gardens is available at
www.amazon.com/Gardens-Images-America-Carl-Ballenas/dp/1467120723/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397229765&sr=8-2&keywords=Kew+Gardens
Source link : https://www.qgazette.com/articles/honor-students-preserve-their-local-history/
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Publish date : 2014-04-09 03:00:00
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