This year, rather than walk across Division Street to the neighboring cemetery to tell their annual spring Cemetery Stories, Northfield High School students are moving their oral history lesson to Valley Grove Cemetery in Nerstrand.
Instead, Cemetery Stories will take place on Friday, May 17 at Valley Grove Cemetery, 9999 155th Street East (County Road 30) in Nerstrand. The non-walking tour is scheduled for 5 p.m. with the walking tours following at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m.
The reason for the venue change was simple: the students wanted fresh material about the deceased people they were profiling.
After visiting the Northfield Historical Society and diving into archives, records, newspaper clippings and published obituaries, the five ninth graders elected to choose historical figures who were buried in Nerstrand and had deep Rice County roots, rather than simply focus on Northfield’s deceased citizens.
Their three student leaders, senior Aya Myint, junior Anna Forbord, and senior Alannah Clarey, went along with the change in venue wholeheartedly.
“Our students are energetic and motivated,” said Myint. “They are able to pick their own people to focus on.”
Forbord said the student leaders are usually there to help them more with their writing than their historical research.
When ninth grader Eleanor Groll began researching Erik J. Floren, a Norwegian immigrant, she said her focus shifted slightly to include the life of the farmer’s daughter. thought it might be more interesting to look at the farmer through his daughter’s perspective.
Groll is one of five students involved in this year’s SCOPE program Cemetery Stories, which asks Northfield High School students to research and teach the history of early Northfield citizens through graveside presentations.
Annie Demas researched Hans Rinde, who fought in the Civil War and survived Union General Sherman’s march on Atlanta. She said she obtained a lot of her information from a newspaper obituary that she was then able to turn into a story.
Maya Sjogren and Rylie Schock worked together to uncover the stories of Alma and Albert Hamre, a married couple with a large family who survived tuberculosis and miscarriages. They learned that the Hamre family had an early association with the Faribault School for the Blind, now the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf and the Blind.
Ben Heinritz delved into the life of Osmund Wiig Osmundson, who was born in Nerstrand, Norway and after a success finding gold in California, went on to found Nerstrand Township and St. Olaf College.
Heinritz said he was enjoying the assignment both because he was able to learn more about history, but also to improve his writing skills.
One aspect of Cemetery Stories that hasn’t changed over the semesters is that to create an interesting narrative, a student must do enough research using archival materials and use enough creative writing liberties to craft a compelling graveside story.
“Our students are very good writers,” said student leader Alannah Clarey.
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