NEWS
Learning about their city
Cohoes
Middle School's Team 5 got to see some of the historic sites in
Cohoes during a recent walking tour.
Although many of the students had lived in Cohoes their entire lives, many of them had not seen the Cohoes Falls before. The falls, which are 75 feet tall and 1,000 feet wide, are located on North Mohawk Street in Cohoes, still provide hydroelectric power. At one time, they also provided power to the many textile mills that were in Cohoes.
Students walked down to the base of the falls at Falls View Park, and listened to the city historian Steve Lackmann talk about their history.
Afterwards, the group walked down North Mohawk Street to see the falls from another location.
One of the former mill buildings is under construction and being converted into apartments. In years past, the students have been able to see remnants of the actual mills.
As background for the trip, the team completed a social studies/ELA project about Cohoes with Ms. Sangiacomo and Mrs. Dion. The seventh and eighth graders read Today's Special: Z.A.P. and Zoe by Athena Lord. After completing the book, which is about two Greek children growing up in Cohoes during the Great Depression, guest speakers Mrs. Barbara MacDonald and Mr. Bernie Ouimet were invited to provide additional history. Students asked questions about the book and our community's history.
