By Mark Boshnack
Staff Writer
March 28, 2008 04:00 am Sara Ostrander from Jefferson Central School got to step back in time Thursday. The eighth-grader was one of nearly 30 students who learned about the Underground Railroad through an enrichment course held at SUCO's Morris Hall. About 50 students participated in other offerings at Foothills Performing Arts Center as part of the Minds On program by the Rensselaerville Institute. Ostrander was one of those who got to interview Kim Harris, playing the role of Harriet Tubman, one of the most-renowned participants in the effort to bring slaves to freedom in the mid-1800s. Harris, working with her husband, Reggie Harris, led the students through a variety of activities to help students learn about the era. This is the fourth year that the Minds On program has been presented in Oneonta for participating middle school students, said director Linda Borock. About 110 students from six area schools participated in daylong courses that also included fantasy and fiction writing and designing electronic greeting cards. Besides Jefferson, participating schools included Laurens, Schenevus and Sidney on Thursday. On Friday, Andes and Oneonta will participate in the electronics presentation. The Tubman interview gave seven participating students a chance to learn more so they could write a newspaper article on the woman. "How long have you been a conductor on the Underground Railroad," Ostrander asked Harris, who was dressed in calico and carrying a wicker basket as part of her portrayal. Since she could not read or write, Tubman said, she was unsure, but added she was about 25 when she ran for freedom. "I've learned things that I wouldn't have learned in class," Ostrander said. Clara Tanner, a seventh-grader from Schenevus, said "it made it seem more real." Jonathan Powers, a middle school social studies teacher from Laurens, said he brought about 10 students to participate. It provides "a sense of what the Underground Railroad and slavery was about," he said. This is the first year Sidney is participating in the Minds On program, sending about 10 students to the writing session, said middle school English teacher Judy Erbe. "The children I brought love to write and have shown their ability," she said. This included sixth-grader Jonathon Gorshack, who said the instructors helped with ideas. He was in a session designed for writing about a character with superpowers who has to overcome a problem. He said he is looking forward to discussing the experience with his classmates: "I'd tell them it was a lot of fun."
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