Loose Leaf Notes

– The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on October 16, 2014 

Springhouse Community School (SHCS) students were featured at the October 4^th Floyd Radio Show, along with The Buckstankle Boys, writer Mara Robbins, musician Chris Owen and Radio Show hosts Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle.  To a sold out show, eight students performed “A Farmer’s Story,” a multi-media presentation based on an oral history interview with local farmer Howard Dickerson.

Working in collaboration with the Radio Show hosts and a representative of the New River Land Trust, students traveled to Dickerson’s farm in September to interview him.  They learned that the farm has been in the Dickerson’s family for centuries and was recently placed under a conservation easement with New River Land Trust.

Under the guidance of project advisors and community mentors, students transcribed the interview, wrote a script, created a pictorial story scroll and constructed a crankie, a wooden instrument for scrolling drawings and screening shadow puppetry.

A Farmer’s Story was presented on the Floyd Country Store stage as a narrative and was accompanied by crankie art and shadow puppetry.  It touched on Dickerson’s childhood, working on the farm, his college days, his travels and his service in Vietnam.

Dickerson’s story about his own childhood mentor, a family friend who worked on the family farm, was incorporated into the story. “When I was hauling hay at nine years old, Cleve told me that I took the place of a man.”

 “When you are out in the field working by yourself, you do things to pass the time.  One of the things I do is I write songs,” the narrative quoted Dickerson before the student performance of Dickerson’s song “I’m Ready for Spring.”  When you see my cattle grazing on grass … Old Man Winter’s time has passed … Oh, springtime … I’m ready for spring …

“Howard’s not sure what the future of the farm holds,” the narrative concluded. “He just knows that it will always be a farm.”

Following the performance, SHCS advisor Joe Klein addressed the applauding crowd.  “We want to thank Howard for sharing his story with us, and for his lifetime of caring and tending the land.”

Klein also thanked the New River Land Trust “for their good work preserving the land in our community” and the project mentors and advisors for their meaningful input. “What a great way to learn local history,” Klein said, referring to the SHCS’s project-based learning model and the results it produces.  – Colleen Redman

Photos: 1. SHCS students prepare for their Radio Show performance. 2.  Two students perform an original ad for livestock feed with a humorous disclaimer. The feed the ad was inspired by Dickerson’s years of making and selling feed. Also pictured on stage are host Elizabeth LaPrelle (center) and writer Mara Robbins. 3. Adrian Green (left), singing I’m Ready for Spring,” was accompanied by Ryan Leedom on guitar.  4. More from the crankie show. 5. Clip of the crankie narrative. 6. Howard Dickerson and his wife Hilda (center) posed with SHCS students, advisors and mentors at the close of the show.   7.  Video clip of the song.  8, 9 and 10 were taken during the making of the crankie and scroll at the Springhouse Community School at the Floyd EcoVillage.

Read about September’s Floyd Radio Show  HERE.