Sophomores at Milford High School in Anna Lorenz’s class learned recently that there may be more to their families than what they see at holiday dinners. A recent project assigned by Lorenz gave students a chance to get to know their families better, and learn what it’s like to be a historian.

“I’m really into my own family history and I learned how to do a photo story, and thought that I wanted the kids to learn more about their past,” said Lorenz. “I wanted them to go through the process of being a historian. Throughout the project, they had to tie their history into big events in history. So many of their questions had to relate to what their parents, grandparents or great grandparents remembered about the Great Depression, or war. They had to get a feel for the time period. Many of the students tied that into their stories.”

The results, a short video slide show, narrated by the student, that put into perspective just where they came from. Each addressed family history, including marriages and births, jobs, hobbies and war service. Some led to pre-immigration ancestors, and some to surprising and heartbreaking circumstances.