Guests from past come to School No. 12

Students at School No. 12 are throwing a surprise birthday party and the Rochester community is invited. The celebration is all for a man who's turning 190 years old: Frederick Douglass. And where better to throw the party than at the school, which is the historical home site for the abolitionist.

“He was a trailblazer,” said Michelle Garcia-Daniels, the parent liason. “He was very smart and one of the best speech writers ever!"

She organized the birthday party in the form of a play, so kids and the community could learn more about the man who fought to allow black Americans to take part in the Civil War and to end slavery.

“It will teach them a lot about what went on in the time of 1870s,” said Chyna Stephens, a 4th grader who plays the part of the “Time Machine Operator.”

“I hope they learn more about Frederick Douglass' history and relationships with other people play in the play," said Danielle Williams, a 5th grader playing the part of Anna Douglass.

Some of the other people in the play include Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Sojourner Truth and Rochester-native Susan B. Anthony.

“This way the kids get to learn about the personalities, not just text book info about the person,” Garcia-Daniels said.

About 40 elementary students have a part in the play. They have not only been learning about Douglass and other abolitionists, but slavery, the Civil War and civil rights since play rehearsals began in November. Daniels says the kids have become more enthusiastic each week.

“They had me running almost to the museum to get shackles, so that they could see how heavy they were,” Garcia-Daniels said. 

But she says the biggest surprise about the surprise party for Frederick Douglass -- how the students have learned their voices, no matter how small, can make a difference.

“People should know about the history,” Williams said, “so they can know what people had to go through to get equal rights.”