MOUNT VERNON — While the study of history may be considered tedious by some people, the students in James Luckmiller’s third-grade class are about to embark on a scavenger hunt which will take them through the annals of Knox County’s past.
“History Thief,” the fictional 12-chapter story relating their adventures, will begin Monday in the Mount Vernon News on the Newspaper In Education GEAR Page. Each week, readers will be able to follow the adventures of the third-graders from the point of view of narrator Jacob Anthony, who used to think history was boring. Readers will also be able to pit their detective skills against those of the story characters and use their knowledge of Knox County ghost towns, past business establishments and old newspaper stories to discover the location of an artifact supposedly stolen from the public library.
Although the story is fictional, the historical places and people mentioned in the story are not, and readers will be challenged to follow clues which lead all over the county.
“Since this is Knox County’s bicentennial year,” said Michelle Hartman, NIE coordinator, “the goal of the story is to get the whole community interested in the bicentennial and to especially involve the children in learning more about Knox County.”
Hartman authored “The History Thief,” and the illustrations were done by News graphic designer Ian Moss.
The GEAR Page will also feature weekly short articles celebrating the county’s bicentennial. Titled “Happy Birthday Knox County,” the articles will tell about historical points of interest and events of the past which helped Knox County become what it is today.
