Miller Elementary Puts Newark Earthworks on the Map
brad lepper, education, gov. bob taft, jay hottinger, linda wollard, miller elementary, newark city school system, newark earthworks, prehistoric monument,
Linda Wollard would much rather talk about what her fourth-grade class accomplished last year than the honor she received as the Newark City School System’s Teacher of the Year.
And when a classroom project mushroomed into a cause that went all the way to the governor’s office‚ Wollard’s students and the entire community were the real winners.
It all started with the Newark Earthworks‚ striking 2‚000-year-old prehistoric embankments that sometimes go unnoted in a community that’s grown up in their presence. But the fourth-graders at Miller Elementary School looked at those earthen mounds with fresh eyes – and saw something that deserved to be honored.
Their plan: to ask the state to name their hometown mounds as Ohio’s Official Prehistoric Monument‚ the only such designation in the state.
To the casual observer‚ the Newark Earthworks appear to be Indian mounds. However‚ Brad Lepper‚ an archaeologist with the Ohio Historical Society – which owns the site – says these mounds are unusually large and are listed in the book 70 Wonders of the Ancient World.
The Great Circle‚ for example‚ is about 1‚200 feet in diameter‚ meaning four football fields could fit inside it. The 50-acre Newark Octagon is big enough to enclose a more famous site in the book‚ the Roman Colosseum‚ four times.
“It’s hard to convey the scale of these sites‚” Lepper says. The Great Circle measures 9 feet high and 45 feet wide‚ surrounding a ditch that is 7 feet deep and 35 feet wide. The entrance is even more pronounced‚ with a 16-foot embankment above a 13-foot ditch.
The students absorbed all of this and put together a convincing PowerPoint presentation‚ which they shared with local government officials and took all the way to the statehouse. Wollard wrote a letter in support of the official designation‚ and the kids then lobbied on their own. Among those participating was Savannah Hottinger‚ whose father‚ Jay‚ was a state senator. (Today‚ Jay Hottinger is a state representative.)
Ultimately‚ this hard work – and hands-on lesson in history and government – paid off. Both houses of the state legislature agreed to the designation‚ and the governor signed it into law at a ceremony announcing the Newark Earthworks as Ohio’s Official Prehistoric Monument – an event well attended by the entire school.
“This all happened in the same year‚ which is almost unheard of‚” Wollard says. “We were very fortunate‚ and it was an awesome learning experience for everyone‚ including myself.”
Lepper agrees and calls it “enormously gratifying” from an archaeological perspective. “Once you get the kids excited about it‚ they can carry this achievement with them through the rest of their lives. I think it will give them a sense of ownership and of being stewards of these sites‚ and I really want to encourage that.”
The students also gave a presentation to a committee of the United Nations. As a result‚ Lepper says‚ the Newark Earthworks now are being considered as a World Heritage Site.
Story by Jim Elliott
