On September 26 at 11AM the Silver City Museum will be host a discussion featuring the 2019 SHS National History Day Team talking about their award-winning documentary about the beloved children’s show, Sesame Street.On September 26 at 11AM the Silver City Museum will be hosting a Zoom panel discussion featuring Silver High School teachers Claudie Thompson and Lee Wilson, and their 2019 SHS National History Day Team of Mikaela Johnson, Gabriel Perez, Hailey Cisneros and Christian Kilgore. The discussion will focus around the SHS National History Day program itself and the winning project itself with the students explaining in their own words the process and challenges that go into creating an award-winning documentary about the beloved children’s show Sesame Street, and just what it felt like to bring silver home to Silver.

You can register and watch the event at silvercitymuseum.org or by going directly to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cdSkEfnzTpqUnNXOyioyRw. If you already have Zoom you can use Meeting ID 867 9495 1992.

When local history teachers, Lee Wilson and Claudie Thompson, began forming the Silver High National History Day program 15 years ago, they had no idea that their brainchild would someday become a force to be reckoned with. They formed the program with the idea of giving students a competitive outlet that was based in the humanities and academics rather than sports. Over the years they have formed a National History Day program that has become an epic underdog tale of its own, producing teams that routinely beat out academic powerhouse schools across the country with much more resources for prestigious finalist titles. Last year’s journey took the Silver High National History Day Team even farther than ever before as they seized the 2nd place spot in documentaries with their professional-level production of The Street That Changed Everything.

The Street That Changed Everything traces to history and impact of the iconic PBS television show, Sesame Street. Premiering as television reached its zenith in the popular culture, Sesame Street was one of the first truly educational programs for children, and also addressed difficult themes and broke down social and racial barriers. The creators had a background in children’s television and a mission to help disadvantaged kids in an era where almost no children attended preschool but 95% of households had a TV. In addition to making explicitly educational programming that taught letters and numbers, the show hired a diverse cast and included guest stars such as James Earl Jones reciting the alphabet and Jackie Robinson. The show was banned for 22 days in Mississippi “because it uses a highly integrated cast of children,” before reversing in the face of sharp national criticism. The show went on to feature the first Latino, Native, and deaf actors on children’s television.

The Silver City Museum creates opportunities for residents and visitors to explore, understand, and celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of southwestern New Mexico by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting the region's unique history. It is nationally recognized through its accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.

For more information, please contact the museum at (575) 538-5921 education@silvercitymuseum.org , or visit the museum's website: www.silvercitymuseum.org