Students learn history through word of mouth

Marisa O’Neil

Paul Albus remembers when amenities such as electricity were a luxury

and movies cost only 11 cents.

He shared this tidbit with his granddaughter, 11-year-old Lauren

Buanagan, when she interviewed him for her oral history project at

Mariners Elementary School in Newport Beach. She and other

sixth-graders at the school introduced their subjects at the school’s

annual Oral History Tea on Friday and presented them with their

written reports.

The assembly brought together generations of families in the

school’s multipurpose room to hear the students sing holiday songs

and talk briefly about their family members. Everyone gathered

outside afterward for cookies, cakes and refreshments.

“I did my project about him because I didn’t know much about his

hometown,” Lauren said of her grandfather, who grew up in Wheaton,

Ill. “I learned about what things cost and what utilities they didn’t

have back then.”

Her grandmother, Judy Albus, stood in for her husband, who had to

fly back to Illinois for medical reasons. The two were visiting

Lauren and her family for the holidays, and Judy Albus was happy to

attend the tea.

Twelve-year-old Shawn Shahidi recognized his great uncle, Rogelio

Reyes. Reyes served in the Air Force during the Korean War and earned

a doctorate in linguistics from Harvard.

Kristine Riva, 11, said she chose to write about her grandmother

Rita Slater because “she’s always been there for me.”

“I witnessed her birth,” Slater said. “I saw her even before her

mother saw her. I’ve been meshed with her ever since.”

Peggy Marotta’s grandson, 11-year-old Andrew Wilkey, has been

interviewing her for the past six weeks to get all the information he

needed for his report. But despite all the questioning, Andrew said

he was already “pretty close” with his grandmother so he didn’t have

too many new surprises.

Cade Feitler, 11, did his report about his father’s friend Bill

Long.

“He was in the Navy, his mom was a teacher, he was a dentist,”

Cade started.

“What lesson did he teach you?” his mother prompted.

“Oh yeah,” he said with an embarrassed smile. “He said if you put

your heart and your soul into anything, you can accomplish it.”

* MARISA O’NEIL covers education and may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.