Photo Scavenger Hunt: Knowing Where You Learn and Teach

In order to better understand the community that I am learning in and will be teaching in, I participated in a Photo Scavenger Hunt. Given a list of questions to answer to learn about the CF area and community, I researched and drove around to learn about this small yet abundant town. These are a few things that I learned:

v  (2) Progresso Latino is a non-profit organization that has been serving the Latino Community of CF since 1977.

v  (8) There is a post office right down the street from the high school.

v  (19) The Adams Memorial Library is also a street away from the school. It also functions as a tiny museum. The library offers clubs for students to join, such as an anime club or knitting, offers events such as International Games Day and story time for children under the age of 5, and informs the community, primarily students and parents, of educational opportunities, such as tutoring, child outreach programs and financial aid assistance for college. The library also accommodates a wide diversity of guests by providing books on tape, books and signs in Spanish, and large print books for those with visual impairments. The library is also housing a food drive for the Rhode Island Food Bank.

v  (12) There are a few public parks and playgrounds throughout the town. I personally visited Jenks Park, which is one of several commemorative landmarks of the founders and history of CF.

v  (24) In the history of professional baseball, three players have come from CF: Max Surkont – 1945, Charley Bassett – 1884, and Jim Siwy – 1982.

v  (4) There are many educational and learning facilities in CF, despite is small size. There is 1 early learning, 3 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high school in the public school system (as indicated on cfschools). There is also the Feinstein Elementary, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Academy (private), Segue Institute for Learning (charter), and the Cowden and Central Street Schools. There is also The Learning Community and The Children’s Workshop that also provide academic atmospheres for students.

v  (26) Caroline Cogswell was a great contributor to the town of CF. Her generous contribution of $50,000 led to the construction of Cogswell Tower in 1904, which is a four-sided clock tower located in Jenks Park.

v  (18) The majority of the population is Catholic. There are a several religious centers in town, including the St. Ephraim’s Syriac Orthodox Church and the Universal Church.

v  (29) In 1934, the Saylesville Textile Massacre occurred in CF between labor workers and the National Guard. A monument stands in the Moshassuck Cemetery. The Rhode Island Labor History Society recently hosted a ceremony to remember this event, honoring its 75^th anniversary.

v  (30) CF has a place called TR Music and Voice Lessons. Having been very involved in music throughout my public education, I was happy to hear that they are supporting the arts in youth. I miss the days of playing my clarinet in the high school band and I wish I had a music store that close to my home.


I have to say, this was an interesting experience for me. I got use use my navigation skills to guide myself through the town. There was a lot of maneuvering to do while driving because people were walking all over the streets and potholes showed up everywhere else. I learned that despite the small size of the city (1.2 sq miles), there are a lot of people and buildings. The city is very densely populated, which explains why there are so many schools in  the district. Having seen the age and condition of a lot of the buildings in town, I am curious to know what type of budget the city gets and what is being done to renovate the community. As a teacher, I have to realize that funds may not always be available to enhance my classroom, or even the school, and I need to recognize the conditions that my students are dealing with at home, such as poverty of household situations. There is a lot more to any town/city than just facts. There is history.