THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 18, 1997 TAG: 9701180534
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 88 lines
Deborah D'Elena had no idea the fervor she'd ignite when she went searching for a gripping story to motivate her seventh graders to read works of literature.
It seems no one can resist learning when it's centered on the sinking of the luxury ocean liner Titanic.
For the last four years, the New Jersey teacher and her colleague, Walter Czepiga, have watched what started as a lesson plan based on the reading of the classic book on the Titanic, ``A Night To Remember,'' turn into an educational phenomenon. The concept has captivated students, their parents and the community where they live, New Egypt, N.J.
``You would not believe how people are fascinated by the Titanic,'' said D'Elena, visiting Norfolk's Nauticus center with Czepiga this week to share their teaching techniques with area educators and show off students' work to the public.
Each school year, at the conclusion of an eight-week interdisciplinary thematic unit on the Titanic, hundreds of people flock to New Egypt Elementary School to see a new, student-made video documentary and other examples of their work.
The school has earned a reputation throughout New Jersey as ``The Titanic School.''
And the teachers have been presented with a number of national education awards for their teaching methods, including honors from Scholastic Inc., which publishes the Weekly Reader, and a Microsoft-sponsored contest for technology and learning.
The two have traveled throughout the East Coast, giving lectures on their methods, and last summer D'Elena gave a presentation onboard a Titanic International cruise that was part of an artifact-retrieval expedition.
``It's an explosive subject,'' said D'Elena. ``It's not a cult like `Star Trek,' but there are definite fans out there. The romance, the heroism, the era, the technology - it makes people stop and take a look.
``Every time they pull something new up, it keeps adding to the story. So there's something new to learn all the time.''
Added Czepiga: ``People could not understand that something like this had come from an elementary school. They were floored.''
When Nauticus officials got wind of the teachers' work, they decided to bring the two to Norfolk to tell Hampton Roads educators about their success using the Titanic as a teaching tool, especially since the national maritime center in downtown Norfolk is exhibiting artifacts from the ill-fated liner.
``They were finds,'' April O'Brien, Nauticus' advertising and promotion manager, said of the New Jersey teachers.
Czepiga, who handles the computer and video technology portion of the curriculum, and D'Elena held in-service programs for about 60 area teachers Thursday and Friday. As part of their presentation, they showed the other teachers how everything from literature and history to mathematics and music can be taught around such a gripping theme.
``You can study science by researching the artifact retrieval, history by looking at the Gilded Age and the competition among the shipping lines at the time,'' D'Elena explained.
``In math, we graph survival statistics, . . . and the music teacher helped us start a bell choir and Titanic chorus.''
The students also write scripts, design costumes and act in a video documentary they produce. Each year, they select a new topic surrounding the Titanic's sinking to research.
Last year, they focused on the children of the Titanic.
For their final presentation, which draws more than 500 people each year, the students transform their gym into a model of the Titanic, complete with dozens of portholes and a live band.
``The kids just love it,'' said D'Elena.
``They get so excited. When you tie it all together, it gives meaning to learning. The kids become immersed in it, . . . and it leads to other research in other areas. It opens up a whole learning experience so they'll become lifelong learners.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/The Virginian-Pilot
Deborah D'Elena, a seventh grade teacher from New Jersey, and Walter
Czepiga, her colleague, show a student-made video on the Titanic to
educators at the Nauticus theater. The school where D'Elena teaches
is known as ``The Titanic School,'' thanks to an innovative
eight-week program that uses the famous ocean liner to teach basic
skills.
Graphic
TO LEARN MORE
This weekend, the two New Jersey educators and several of their
students will be available to discuss their innovative program with
Nauticus visitors. They'll be there from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and
from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at an exhibit of student work displayed
on the third floor.
KEYWORDS: TITANIC