By Mike Chen
Tribune
Staff
The students fidgeted in their seats as they reviewed what they had
researched over the past few weeks. The teacher quizzed them
about the thoroughness of their knowledge and they answered back with
raised hands and shouts of "Oh, oh, oh," as everyone volunteered to add
his or her input.
But, there were many unanswered questions since no one had the complete
story and what they were missing was what they were awaiting to come
through the door of Room 21 at Sierra Vista Elementary.
At around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, five members of the Chong family
walked through the door and the students gazed at them in awe as though
they had just stepped out of the century old pages of records and
microfilm they had just been reading.
__________
For the past two weeks, the class of sixth grade teacher Bill Coate has
been doing pioneering research using modern resources to track the
forgotten legacy of Madera's Chinese population from the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Little is known about the experiences of the Chinese in Madera
(See History, page A8)
|
Sierra Vista sixth-grade teacher Bill Coate tells Ron Chong
information his class has found about Chong's family history in Madera.
|
Ron Chong listens to Sierra Vista students to find out what
they have discovered
about
his family history. Counterclockwise from right are, Arianna
Mendoza, Isabel Morales, Lorraine Garibay, Mario Perez and Rosaltzel
Mendoza. |
|
