home

= = = Howe Middle School Places First in the 2010 KC3 Returning Middle School Division! = =READ PRESS RELEASE HERE!= =2010 KC3 Contest: Student Created Virtual Field Trip= =The Legend of Bass Reeves: The Most Feared Deputy U.S. Marshal in the Indian Country= ==//Created by 8th Grade Students in Mrs. Tammy Parks' Journalism/Multimedia Class in Howe, OK. Visit our website here!// Email Us!== = = //**On February 9 at 8:00 a.m. CST, Howe 8th grade students presented this program to Ms. Carrara Knoetgen's 5th graders in Stamford, NY.**// ===In honor of the 100th anniversary of Bass Reeves death (Jan. 12, 1910), and his importance to American history, Howe Middle School Broadcast Journalism students invite you to attend this special program about "one of the bravest men this country has ever known."===

Born into slavery in 1838, the story of Bass Reeves begins with the many hardships and struggles he faced on the road to freedom and ultimately to his 32 year career as a Deputy U.S. Marshal. As a former slave, Bass was never allowed to learn to read and write, yet he become one of the most successful of the men who rode for Hanging Judge Isaac C. Parker. As a frontier marshal, Reeves made nearly 4,000 arrests of the most dangerous criminals in Western Arkansas and Indian Territory, killing only fourteen men in the line of duty.

The Story of Oklahoma, a recently published school textbook, features Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves in the chapter titled " Eight Notable Oklahomans." The following is an excerpt from this chapter:

//Bass Reeves won a reputation as the "most feared U.S. marshal in the Indian country." . . . Bass Reeves was one of those rugged lawman who brought law and order to the American West, and more particularly to nineteenth-century Oklahoma. He is especially important, but not because of his thirty-two years as a marshal or his feats of bravery. He is important because he represents the way Oklahoma really was - the early multicultural Oklahoma, when the men who "wore the star" were not necessarily white but sometimes were black.//

This student created program will include a character depiction of Bass Reeves by T. Baridi Nkokheli, live readings from the children's book, The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, and a special hands-on activity. Program participants will love the colorful language of the Old West, and the bold and dynamically presented story of the heroic Reeves capturing the bad guys. Bass Reeves is a name they won't soon forget.

The virtual field trip content is aligned to both State and National standards in social studies, history, and geography. Prior to the virtual field trip, participating students will have access to an on-line classroom module specifically designed for this topic. This learning community is developed using Moodle. Students will gain knowledge about the topic through a variety of learning tools, including, forums, glossaries, wikis, chats, and quizzes. In addition to the wide-variety of resources available to both teacher and student in Moodle, a hands-on activity will be mailed to the remote school in advance for participating students to use during our live presentation. Howe Public Schools hopes to create a virtual learning partnership with each school, expanding the interest of legendary African-American historical characters in the student’s own communities and state. The success of this collaboration can inspire the participating school to one day develop a Virtual Field Trip focused on a historical character close to their geographical location.

4/3 Article by The City Wire =U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves meets Morgan Freeman= media type="youtube" key="bsj2T4KCoqE" height="385" width="640"