Faced with a historic landmark slated for demolition, teachers Becky Crane and Marsha Burke turned the sad event into a learning opportunity for their students at Rainelle Elementary School.

The two educators were invited to write a Project Based Learning plan that other teachers in West Virginia could use as a template for developing similar projects in their classrooms.

A PBL requires an “entry event,” a real-life situation, Crane explained. In Rainelle, that situation was the impending demolition of the old C&O; Railroad depot.

Long disused, the depot had deteriorated to the point that it could not be salvaged, much to the distress of the community. When the owner of the property on which the depot sat told town officials to either move the structure or tear it down, they had little choice but to bring in the wrecking ball.

Before the inevitable occurred, however, Crane and Burke took their 27 fourth-graders and 19 preschoolers on a short field trip to the abandoned depot. In addition to teaching the children more about the depot and its ties to the history of the town, the field trip provided the opportunity for more basic learning, as the fourth-graders “buddied” with the younger children to teach them how to safely cross the road.

The notion of children teaching other children — referred to as “teach/re-teach” in the education community — was employed throughout the project.

Noted local artist Sharon Johnson volunteered to teach the fourth-graders the basics of watercolor painting, a skill they then passed on to the pre-K students.

Crane recalled a poignant moment during the watercolor class.

“While the class was under way, the students heard the large machines across the street from the school beginning to tear down the train depot,” she said. “It was so sad seeing their little faces pressed up against the windows, watching the demolition equipment.”

Johnson’s painting of the old depot provided the children with the inspiration for the culminating venture of the project. The youngsters decided the best way to preserve the shattered remains of the depot would be to craft the wood into a frame to hold the painting.

Johnson’s husband, Gary, a woodworker, took the pieces of wood the children gathered and framed the artwork. He also visited the classroom and gave a tutorial on how to measure the raw materials and the picture and how to put together a frame.

“They (the Johnsons) donated their time, materials and talent to this project,” Burke noted. “They just love kids.”

The framed piece was ultimately presented to the Rainelle Town Council and now hangs in city hall.

Each child also received a copy of Johnson’s original painting.

Art was far from the only arena of study for the students, however. They interviewed relatives and other residents of the town who shared personal recollections about the depot’s early days and the era when the Meadow River Lumber Company was one of the world’s largest hardwood operations. Magazine and newspaper articles came into play as the children researched the lumber company and the birth of the busy railroad that was so necessary to its success.

“The kids really took over the project,” Crane said. “They took it and ran with it.”

— E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com