On a recent Friday a group of students from El Portal Middle School’s mentor-tutor program, Give Every Child a Chance (GECAC), visited the Escalon Historical Museum on Main Street and its caboose in Main Street Park. The group also included the Program Director Unaiza Furqan and Academic Manager Shawndra Kuffel.

The museum visitors were split into three groups for the tours. The docents leading the kids were museum curator Dorothy Miller, charter member Vickie Mello, and relatively new Historical Society member Cynthia Colagrossi, in charge at the caboose. Prior to the onsite visit Sally Hale had made a power point presentation at the school, using photos she had taken inside the museum, highlighting what the students would see on their trip. On the walk to the museum the historic Jones mansion was pointed out as well as the 100-year-old Escalon Hardware and Lumber site. Class leaders had provided the students with vocabulary sheets and Hale had prepared a scavenger hunt using artifacts displayed at the museum in a booklet that also included word search and crossword puzzles. All feedback was positive from those who participated. At the end of the tour, each student was given a bookmark containing information about the museum and a souvenir Escalon pencil.