Hill elementary students write ‘Jennie’s Story,’ tale of school's namesake

HILL — “On July 16th, 1878, Jennie Lind Dickerson was born in Brockton, Massachusetts. It seemed that the moment she was born, a beautiful flower bloomed. Outside the day was warm, but cool fresh air flowed into the house. Her parents and older brother were excited to meet the newest family member. They were awed by her adorable face and tiny body. From the open window, they could hear the nearby factories buzzing and banging. Tall buildings surrounded the house, unlike the small town the family would eventually move to.”

So begins "Jennie’s Story," a historical fiction project by the students of the Jennie D. Blake School. Making use of the facts they had about the teacher for whom the school was named, they found there were gaps: “We don’t know exactly what had happened in her lifetime,” they explained during a book release party on Wednesday. Telling the story required filling in those gaps with inferences from photos and their own imaginations. “We had to make it fun as a children’s book, so we had to come up with fictional things, too.”

The result is an illustrated softcover book published by Give A Salute and dedicated to “all the students, staff and community of the Jennie D. Blake School — past, present and future.” Proceeds from the sale of the book will be shared equally between the school’s student activity fund and the Hill Historical Society.

The resources of the historical society were essential in bringing "Jennie’s Story" to life.

Superintendent Brian Connelly, who said the book project “is probably the most rewarding period of time I’ve had professionally for my entire life,” said it all began shortly after he came to the district in August 2016. “I had been in my office working, and I see this car pull in and these two ladies come marching into the school, and, ‘OK, come on in,’ and Carol and Lucy — I’m not even a week into my new role as principal — and they’re like, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing.’”

He was referring to historical society board members Carol Snow-Asher and Lucy Natkiel, who had been sharing a history of the town with former principal Jay Lewis. “They started ‘Our Story’, which is a story of the history of Hill,” Connelly said. “So it’s part of our curriculum, has been part of our our curriculum, and I said — what can I say? — how can I say no to these two charming ladies?”

Connelly said the relationship between the school and the historical society continued, explaining, “You can’t help but fall in love with the history of Hill because it’s a very unique history, it really, really is.”

Following the floods of the 1930s which were devastating to downstream factories on the Merrimack River, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a flood control dam on the Pemigewasset River in Franklin and informed the Hill selectboard that the impoundment area would leave the village underwater. It was necessary to move the entire village to higher ground.

“When the three of us began talking, it really dawned on me that this is really about place-based learning,” Connelly said. “There’s a lot to learn about Hill, whether it’s nature, whether it’s the buildings, whatever it may be. Hill is limited in that it has a general store, the town hall, it has a church and the school, right? That’s about it. ... Place-based learning is an opportunity for our kids to delve into their backyard.”

The superintendent and the Hill Historical Society have highlighted their unique collaboration at state and national conferences.

“I’m not sure where the idea came up about 'Jennie’s Story,'” Connelly said, “but the seed was planted in this panel.”

The 11 students involved in the project, with the assistance of teachers Megan Kwapiszeski and Alicia Schaefer and artist-in-residence Kimberly Valpey, wrote and illustrated the book.

Snow-Asher, who serves on the Hill School Board in addition to her historical society membership, recalled praising the students for their knowledge of the facts when she saw a draft of the book, but she told them, “Now, fill in what you want.”

She said, when she later read their account of Jennie’s wedding, “it just brought it to life.”

“Before they knew it, the day of their wedding arrived. Jennie wore a beautiful white dress; it was the best one she had. Bert wore striped slacks and a dark jacket. At the sight of Jennie, Bert felt weak. He loved how she looked in her dress. Together they walked toward the celebration in the field.

“When Jennie saw the feast, her heart skipped a beat. There were sandwiches, wine, crackers, cookies and cake.

“‘You did all this?’ she asked Bert.

“‘Anything for you, my love,’ Bert said.

“‘I love you, Bert.’”

“I have seen the process of you working the words, putting all the pieces together,” Snow-Asher told the panel of students. “I have always been proud of Jennie Blake. I am proud to be part of the school board. But I have to tell you tonight, I don’t have the words ... you guys just blow me over.”

She added that, when talking about the project to other historical societies, their reaction was, “That’ll never go anywhere.” However, when she ran into a fifth grade boy in front of the post office, “and he said, ‘I love this stuff,’ I knew that things were off and running, and it’s been an absolute delight to watch what’s happened and to see a little town — you know, we don’t even have a filling station — but we’ve got a community.”

Before moving on to a Q&A period with the students, the school presented a framed illustration to Snow-Asher and the Hill Historical Society for their “inspiration and dedication in creating this book.”

The students deftly handled the audience’s questions about the process of creating the book, demonstrating how well they knew their subject and what they had learned. The students stayed on afterward so each could sign a copy as the books were purchased. Cake and refreshments concluded the event.