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Bewitching class project takes trio of girls to Boston

By ANITA LINDLEY PETTOLA
CORRESPONDENT

N-J Photo/ANITA LINDLEY PETTOLA From left, Juli Brown, Jessica Campbell and Paige Biza work on their presentation on the Salem Witch Trials.

ORMOND BEACH — Three local teenagers were so bewitched by a recent history class project they hopped a jet to Massachusetts to conduct firsthand research.

Fourteen-year-olds Juli Brown, Jessica Campbell and Paige Biza, all of Ormond Beach, flew to the Boston area in mid-December to film a documentary about the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

The eighth-graders are students in Joseph Vetter’s American History class at David C. Hinson Middle School. Their assignment was to enter a group project that would be graded and entered in the school’s Social Studies Fair on Feb. 13.

The county fair is scheduled for March 31 at Mainland High School. State and national competitions could follow.

The three girls chose their final topic and decided to enter in the media division of the competition. This division limits documentary-style entries to 10 minutes and encourages the use of music to further complement the primary subject.

“It’s the ‘Ken Burns effect,’ ” Vetter said, referring to the award-winning documentary producer.

The girls originally were going to use the Lewis and Clark Expedition as their subject “but we wanted to do something different from everyone else’s,” Jessica said.

So they chose the Salem Witch Trials, which occurred in 1692, and started researching the topic on the Internet.

“We read a lot about it but it just wasn’t the same as actually going there,” Juli said.

The three middle-schoolers — escorted by Campbell’s mother, Nancy — hastily arranged a trip to the Boston area.

“It was mind-blowing to actually be there,” Paige said.

The group stayed at a hotel within walking distance of all of Salem’s creepiest sites. They said they were disappointed some of the main attractions were closed for the winter but they managed to capture enough footage for their documentary.

They even produced a blooper reel, which Vetter said he enjoyed almost as much as the finished project.

The girls had a prepared script and took turns narrating the film, interspersed with movie clips, photos and re-enactments they performed themselves.

In one scene, Juli was acting the part of a hanging victim when a large rotted branch she was under broke and landed on her shoulder. She wasn’t seriously hurt but the three had a hard time carrying on without giggling through the scene, Paige said.

“We were very pleased with how it turned out,” Juli said. “We’ve been getting lots of compliments so we are very proud.”

Jessica agreed the trip was a success.

“We had some sound problems at first, which was very frustrating, but we put it all together,” she said. “We worked well as a team.”

“Obviously, they get an A-plus for effort, research and creativity,” Vetter said. “I was overwhelmed by the effort it took to actually travel as a group to such an historic site. I’m excited for any student to get to visit Boston, which just reeks of history.”

The three haven’t all decided which area high schools they will attend but they mentioned subjects such as video-editing, graphic design, engineering and producing or directing as topics of interest. Whatever direction the future takes them, they will always have their memories of their big trip.

Did You Know?
The Salem Witch trial hysteria began when two young girls experienced bizarre behavior, convulsions and seizures.
* By the end of 1692, 24 people had died. Nineteen were hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem Town, but some died in prison.
*Some of the accused were men. Giles Corey at first pleaded not guilty to witchcraft charges, but later refused to stand trial. He was punished by having stone weights placed on his body. He survived the torture for two days before dying.
*Many of those who accused others of witchcraft were between the ages of eight and 30. Many later regretted their part in the trials.
*Bridget Bishop was hanged in Salem on June 10, 1692. It was the first official execution of the Salem Witch Trials.
*Many townspeople, opposing the trials, signed petitions on behalf of accused people they believed to be innocent.
SOURCE: salemweb.com

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