Central Falls Scavenger Hunt

2. What's the name of the oldest non-profit organization serving the Latino community in the city? Progreso Latino, http://www.progresolatino.org/

4. How many schools are in the city? Colleges and universities? 6 schools operated by the Central Falls School District http://www.cfschools.net/schools.html

8. Is there a post office in town? Yes! It is located at 575 Dexter St.

9. Is there a fire station? A police station? How are fire emergencies handled? What crime statistics are available for the community? Central Falls has its own fire and police stations. From what I could research, the fire squad is not a voluntary association. This year they have welcomed their first female fire fighter. According to City-Data.com, Central Falls have "average" crime rates, which are on par with Providence. 46% of crimes per year were thefts. http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Central-Falls-Rhode-Island.html

10. Is there a movie theater in town? Yes, but it closed a long time ago. The building is currently being used as a church. http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/6457

12. Are there parks? Yes, the River Island Campground and Jenks Park.

14. What is the name of the local paper? The Pawtucket Times

19. Visit the Central Falls Library. What events and resources are available? The Adams Memorial Library holds subscriptions to almost 20 different online databases. They have a large selection of Spanish-language materials. They hold book clubs, book sales, homework help, and readings.

22. The first mayor looks down from his perch as students come into school. Charles Moies, 1895

24. There are three professional baseball players from Central Falls. Max Surkont, Charley Basset, and Jim Siwy

26. Becoming wealthy during the Gold Rush of 1849, she remembered her home town and donated $50,000 to build the most recognizable feature of the city. Everyone knows who she is and can see her donation....time after time. Caroline Cogswell/Cogswell Tower



It goes without saying that completing this scavenger hunt would have been a much more appealing venture if the weather was better. The snow made driving around the city really difficult, especially because people were still parking on the street. Driving around the city, I did notice that there were a lot of people just out and about, despite the bad weather. It was vacation week so there was no school. When I went to the library, there were a few kids hanging out on the steps but when I went inside it was practically empty. Admittedly, I felt sort of awkward walking and driving around the city, trying to take pictures. I felt like I stood out like a sore, white thumb. I got a few weird looks from passersby, like, who's this white girl and why is she taking a picture of my post office? I'm sure if I spent more time in the community I wouldn't feel so alien. But hey, feeling like a racial minority is something I rarely experience, so of course it felt slightly uncomfortable. I wouldn't say I felt hostility from the people I encountered, I just think it was very obvious that I was not a local.

I did enjoy researching the town of Central Falls, the most densely populated township in Rhode Island. The most interesting thing I learned about the city is that it served as a place of significance during King Phillip's War, during which 9 colonists were killed and tortured by the Naragansett's in the aftermath of an ambush. There were still a lot of questions that I could not succinctly answer, the most pressing of which to me is why there is such a large Hispanic presence in the city. I know that during the Industrial Revolution many Irish and German immigrants came to the city- do they still have a viable presence?

The biggest thing I will be taking away from this experience is the importance of knowing and understanding the community you serve. Knowing the cultural background of your students is certainly important, but there is also something to be said about literally knowing the physical landscape in which they spend their lives outside of school. For example, forging a strong tie with the public library could be very useful for providing students with an extra pillar in their support system, especially if their's is sort of lacking.