Please welcome Elizabeth Gabalski to the Fenton History Center staff. Liz, as she prefers, is the Education Coordinator. She hails from Frewsburg and loves local history. Executive Director Joni Blackman said, “Liz’s experiences as a substitute classroom teacher, education studies at SUNY Fredonia, teaching music at the Infinity program and tutoring at Striders, will serve her well as she restarts the museum education programming here at the Fenton. I am excited to see where we are this time next year.”
Ms. Gabalski’s first task is to open communication with the local school districts and homeschool groups to determine how the Fenton can help them reach their local history curriculum goals. She says, “I genuinely believe that our local history holds the power to inspire the difference-makers of tomorrow. I very much look forward to collaborating with area schools and educators to create engaging experiences that will connect our students, community members, and visitors to the mansion’s many meaningful artifacts and stories in ways that will resonate with them long after their tours with us have ended.”
For many years, the Fenton taught the Local Lore program. It was a combination of classroom visits by the Fenton museum teachers and Fenton Mansion visits by the students for tours about what they learned in the classroom. That program dropped off sharply in the 2010s. Ms. Blackman stated, “The Local Lore program had a significant and lasting impact. We frequently have visitors share which Jamestown resident they portrayed in Local Lore program and how much they appreciate the Fenton Mansion. They remember their local history because of the work done by past museum educators. I know Liz will have the same impact on our area’s children and adults.”
