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Scenes from WilliamsBubb: At left, a fifth grader from Bubb Elementary looks out on the WilliamsBubb scene from the deck of the Ranger, a 40-foot-long ship facade. At top right, Ben Comey and Francisco Lopes watch William Lieu take instructions from soldier Brandon Castro on how to shoot a canon. Over at the Wig Shop, Miracle Jefferson gets lathered for a close “shave” by Lyana Lopez.
Kids get taste of colonial life at Bubb Elementary School By Emily Hamilton
“J
oin the navy!” shout two boys clad in cavalier shirts and tri-cornered hats. They stand at the entrance to WilliamsBubb, a corner of Mountain View’s Bubb Elementary School that for the day has been transformed. Just for today, it’s 1775 in Colonial Williamsburg. Laughter, fake British accents and an instrumental rendition of “Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here” can be heard halfway across the campus. Girls wearing mob-caps rush through the town gate and find themselves
on the Castro Street of the 18th century. One can purchase a horseshoe for five schillings from the blacksmith or get a shave for one schilling at the Wig Shop. Students hammer away at the cabinet maker’s shop before heading to the general store to pick up supplies. Two rows of girls and boys, all with smiling faces, stand facing each other as they perform period dances at the center of WilliamsBubb. “They’re really excited to do this every year,” said Adria Flores, one of the fifth grade teachers who organizes the
event. “It’s such a great way to get them interested in the history.” The fifth grade class recreates WilliamsBubb each year as part of their study of colonial America. The kids research the professions of the era and choose which role they want to play. There are bakers, soldiers, even apothecaries who “leech” their patients — with black licorice leeches — to “get all the bad blood out,” one student said. They can also cure a sore throat with hyssop and honey. Students also write colonial diaries from the perspective of a person from the time. One such historical figure, poet and
former slave Phyllis Wheatley, sat at the tea shop doing needlepoint as she told her story. “I was a slave, but I was freed from my master,” the student playing Wheatley said. “People said I should be free because I’m a very good poet.” Flores said this hands-on approach helps students understand the curriculum. “They see there’s a reason to learn about the colonial history,” she said. “They really get into the mindset of the people of the time period.” WilliamsBubb has been taking place annually for about 30 years, Flores said, and each year
MV Whisman turns down Race to the Top funds FEDERAL REFORM PROGRAM WOULD COST TOO MUCH, OFFICIALS SAY By Martin Sanchez
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fficials for the Mountain View Whisman school district decided that they’d rather sit out the Race to the Top. On May 20, the school board decided to not participate in California’s Race to the Top, the state-run extension of a federal education reform program that would have netted the district an estimated $200,000. Race to the Top is a U.S. Department of Education pro-
“Given the dire financial times, we didn’t want to move forward on a project that would cost us more money to implement than we would receive.” CRAIG GOLDMAN, MV WHISMAN CFO
gram that funds state efforts to reform educational standards, improve teacher training and retention programs, and create
strategies for tracking student achievement. The district worried that the funds it would receive — its own
estimates place the amount at roughly $200,000 of California’s $7 million in available funding — would not cover the cost of the program’s required changes, said Craig Goldman, the district’s chief financial officer. “Given the dire financial times, we didn’t want to move forward on a project that would cost us more money to implement than we would receive,” Goldman said. This is the second time that California has taken part in a
it keeps growing. About five years ago, a teacher built a set that looks like a 40-foot ship and it was added to the display. Costumes and sets are brought out each May for the event, which relies heavily on parent volunteers for set up and supervision. The fifth graders all say they’re having fun at WilliamsBubb. With the shooting of Redcoats, marching in regiments and enjoying root beer at the tavern, how could they not be? But not everyone is certain they would want to live in colonial America. “If we did, then we wouldn’t have electronics,” one girl said. “That would be the downside.” V
Race to the Top program. Unlike this year’s program, that first phase allowed school districts to opt out after signing up. This increased obligation also figured into the district’s decision to not sign up, Goldman said. The administrative decision was announced at the May 20 school board meeting. At the meeting, some school board members expressed dissatisfaction about not being given copies of the program outline document before a decision was required. The California Department of Education released the program requirements on May 17 and districts had until May 21 to sign up. V
MAY 28, 2010 ■ MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE ■
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