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Lochry Blockhouse Project

REACH grant proposal submitted by Derry Area High/Middle School.

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PSLA Special Education Application

Name of School: Derry Area High/Middle School
Name of School District: Derry Area School District
Name of School District Business Manager: Joseph Koluder
Name of person submitting grant: Robert Reintgen
Title/Position: Service Learning Coordinator Lochry Blockhouse
Title of Project: Lochry Blockhouse Project
# of Students participating: 300
Dates of project: November 2000 - July-August 2002

REACH Grant Proposal

A. Vision Statement
The Lochry Blockhouse is a 1780 log building in Latrobe, Pennsylvania that was used as an armory to store weapons and ammunition during the American Frontier Indian Conflict, French and Indian War, the Dunsmores War (Pennsylvania and Virginia Border Conflict), and the American Revolution. This building has a wonderful history that is well chronicled in Southwestern Pennsylvania and Westmoreland County Histories.

The Greater Latrobe School District, Derry Area School District, Latrobe Historic Society, Derry Area Historic Society, and Latrobe Rotary Club are collaborating on a historical rehabilitation project that will preserve the Lochry Blockhouse and highlight its educational use (site is on the Greater Latrobe School District grounds) with a two-acre outdoor historical theater. Historical reenactments and presentations will take place with a great deal of planning to incorporate students from surrounding districts in the programs (as participants and spectators).

B. Project Design
Community Need:
Our community has a rich historical heritage. By historically rehabilitating the Lochry Blockhouse we will save an important link to our past but also provide an important springboard to other community projects.

Project Design:
A 220-year-old historic building will be saved. The community will be proud of this joint effort. Schools will have a great service learning experience and have access to continued educational use of the finished facilities.

Participant Roles:
Mr. Robert Reintgen (Derry Area Instructor and Local Historic Rehabilitator) will serve as a project coordinator. Teachers and students at the Latrobe, Derry, and Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technological Schools will join other community volunteers as work crews. An oversee committee of local leaders, grant writers, businessmen, educators, etc. will evaluate the project.

Partnerships:
The following will serve as patrons/partners of this project: Greater Latrobe High School District, Derry Area School District, Eastern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center, Latrobe Historical Society, Derry Area Historical Society, Westmoreland County Historical Society, and Latrobe Rotary.

C. School To Work
Students from the masonry and carpentry trades classes at our local vo-tech will be showcasing their skills in the high profile community project.

D. Academic Connection
The Lochry Blockhouse Project is tied to both Latrobe's and Derry's curriculum in the 8th-9th-10th grade American History and American Government classes. Early American History 1760's-1780's projects, papers, discussion, class work, videos, etc. will highlight the importance of this era in our nation's history and also the importance of the Lochry Blockhouse in giving a hands on reminder of this era's role in our understanding American's early history. Our vo-tech students will get actual work experiences in their trade classes.

Reflection will be handled with on site discussions, classroom follow-up presentations, invitations to appear at local historical society meetings, and the creation of a photo/journal log.

The academic outcomes relate to the districts academic standards in historical comprehension, performance based teaching/evaluation and in community activism in our schools mission statement.

SCANS foundation skill areas will be promoted in the following ways: Listening - (on-site directions from foremen to work crews)
Speaking - (student presentations to patron/partner boards)
Decision - (historic rehabilitation decision making)
Responsibility - (sign-up, show-up, be careful, and leave behind a job well done)
Self-esteem - (Project will create ownership of community property)
Social Skills - (intergenerational engagement)

E. Student IEP
All special education students IEP's will be modified with parent notification, permission (sign-off), invitation for parent-student-child interaction on project itself, and hands on learning experiences to compliment traditional learning outcomes.

F. Youth Voice
The coordinator of this project has a solid track record of accomplishing historic rehabilitation projects with 80% of work done by volunteer community labor. Our students will be a lion's share of this labor force. Repeated student volunteers for this service learning project will assume student foreman/student leadership positions,

Proposed Budget

Lochry Blockhouse Service Learning Project Detailed Budget

1. Excavating grounds - prep donated
2. Gutting building $3,000
3. Marking Logs - blueprints Coordination fee
(see below)
4. Disassembling - Moving building $2,000
5. Foundation $2,000
6. Re-erect Building $3,000
7. Roof $5,000
8. Shutters, Doors, Floors $3,000
9. Chinking $6,000
10. Stone Chimney - Fireplace $3,000
11. Pathways $3,000
12. Sign $ 500
13. Coordinators Fee $3,000
14. Professional Labor $5,000
15. Fencing Rusting $4,000
$39,000

An estimated budget of between $30,000 and $40,000 is predicted.