Wheeler School

The Folklore Fair is an annual interdisciplinary History and English project in which 7th-graders explore their family histories through cherished heirlooms that have been passed down through generations. Each student selects an artifact that tells an important part of their family’s story, and then interviews family members about its significance and conducts research into its historical and cultural context.

Drawing on their research, students write papers, design display boards, and create digital stories that bring these artifacts and the stories behind them to life. At the Folklore Fair, which was held on Friday, they shared their work with classmates, teachers, and visitors.

This year’s heirlooms offered a fascinating glimpse into family histories and cultures from around the world, including a 1920s circus poster, switchboard operator headphones from the 1930s, World War II medals earned by a Boeing B-17 bomber, an Irish harp, a Maasai shield from Kenya, and a model ship connected to an America’s Cup-winning vessel.