Grant 3rd Graders Love Lakewood Project - The Beck Center

My class did a project on the history of Lakewood. Each student was required to choose one place in Lakewood, write a two-page history paper, and make a model of the place. Many of the places picked were well-known. There was a total of 24 projects. We did this project so that we could each learn a little bit about the different places in Lakewood. These are a few of the projects done in my class: The Doughnut Pantry by Matthew C., Lion & Blue by Cole H., The Sweet Spot by Rhea T., and Cyrano’s Place by Alessio M.

I chose the Beck Center because I am interested in the arts and because the arts are an important part in my family’s and friends’ lives. The history of the Beck Center started in 1931 when a group of eighteen thespians (which means actors) formed a Lakewood theater group called The Guild Of Masquas. It was then named the Lakewood Little Theater. A group of dedicated Lakewood woman formed the Lakewood Little Theater Women's Committee in 1936. Then, the Lakewood Little Theater Men's Advisory Board was started by Lakewood male citizens. In 1974, Kenneth C. Beck donated $300,000 to the Lakewood Little Theater, and in 1976 it was named the Beck Center for the Arts. I interviewed Mr. Jason Weiner, who works at the Beck Center, and he told me that it serves more than 3,000 patrons a week and over 35,000 patrons a year! That proves that the Beck Center for the Arts is a very popular place! The Beck Center offers over 200 award-winning programs, classes, lessons in music, dance, visual arts, outreach, theater, creative arts therapies, and early childhood education. It’s a very interesting and exciting place!

On Friday morning (the morning of presenting our projects) I was excited, happy, and a little bit nervous. I was also wondering if a lot of people would come to my presentation. At the beginning of the day, the morning walkthroughs came in: one kindergarten class, two fifth grade classes, the two other third grade classes, and one fourth grade class. By the way, they were not all there at the same time. In the afternoon, two VIPs came in, one of them from City Hall, and the other from the Old Stone House. I received quite a few compliments. More people came to my station then I had actually expected. Here are some of the compliments I received: “This is very creative!” “Wow, that’s great!” “I love it!” My greatest surprise was when the current president of the Beck Center, Mrs. Einhouse, came. She liked it too and has offered me to display the model at the Beck Center! Overall, I think that it was a very exciting day.