Shearer 001

P-CEP Students Make the Past a Present Day Mission

Even heavy thunderstorms just hours before their scheduled meeting on a hilltop at Plymouth Township’s Shearer Cemetery could not stop the 85 P-CEP students from taking part in this field trip. The students, all members of Darrin Silvester's Michigan History, demonstrated that working toward a hundred points on their grade can be much more than a class 'room' experience.

The goal was continue the preservation of this historic pioneer resting place by spring- cleaning the grounds, adding new plants and flowers and returning several headstones, some which had been removed more than four decades ago. The students also removed some stubborn tree stumps and did other maintenance work to help restore the site. In the process, they learned about the people who lived in this community long before they were born.

The Shearer Cemetery Project is in its fourth year with an overall mission to help students understand the importance of historic preservation so "that what's lost, may not be forgotten." The first year's activities were in part funded by a classroom grant from the P-CCS Educational Excellence Foundation.

In closing the day's efforts, Darrin reminded his students, 'It is important to remember those individuals who came before us, worked hard, and established a community, so you can have the opportunities you do today.'

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[May 14, 2009]