St. Thomas the Apostle students interview Forest Park Carousel Manager Daeshawn Grimes for their video on Woodhaven’s history. Photo Courtesy of WRBA.
After spending months preparing a film documenting the long and rich history of Woodhaven – including interviewing everyone from the owners of the one of the oldest bars in the country, the 180-year-old Neir’s Tavern, to area civic leaders – St. Thomas the Apostle students are about to make their red-carpet debut.
Made by students in seventh and eighth grades at St. Thomas, the film, “Woodhaven: Diverse Backgrounds United in One History,” will premier on Monday, June 10 at 6 p.m. at the Cinemart Movie Theater on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills. There, students will get a chance to showcase a project that Ed Wendell, president of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association and the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society and St. Thomas teacher Patty Eggers first thought of doing in order to connect younger community members with a history many of the pupils did not know existed.
“Patty and I knew each other through the block association, and she and I has spoken about this about a year ago,” Wendell said. “I thought our historical society needed to start getting involved with the children and promote our history with the youngest of our residents.”
Because St. Thomas has an extensive video program – the school’s own YouTube channel boasts countless videos of student plays and concerts to excursions to the borough’s cultural icons, such as the Queens Museum of Art – Eggers and Wendell quickly realized it would be a perfect fit for students to make a video history of their neighborhood.
To inspire the students, the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society donated 20 copies of “The Story of Woodhaven and Ozone Park” by Vincent Seyfried, which they used as a springboard to write and produce their own storyboards. As part of the project, the pupils have interviewed a variety of different people in the community, including Paul Rudolph, the proprietor of the 114-year-old Walker’s Funeral Home, as well as Alex Ewen and Loy Gordon, owners of Neir’s Tavern – a 180-year-old venue where Mae West performed and where the classic Martin Scorsese film, “Goodfellas” was filmed.
Students also filmed a field trip to Forest Park, where they interviewed Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) at the Forest Park Bandshell.
“I knew they were going to be putting together a video, but when the teacher showed me the work they’ve done so far, I said, ‘this is a spectacular effort,’” Wendell said. “I wondered how I could take it to a different level, and I got in touch with the theater. We’re going to buy a red carpet; it’s going to be special.”
During the premiere, each student involved will walk the red carpet and receive an award for their film. Inside the theater, there will be a slide show of old photos of Woodhaven, Wendell said.
Ultimately, Wendell said he hopes this film is the first of a long series of collaborative efforts between the historical society and area schools.
“I’d like to get to the point where we are working with each of the schools in our community on projects each year,” Wendell said. “For example, a mural painting and I’d love to see kids design a coloring book about Woodhaven history.”
To help with the project’s price tag, the historical society is asking community members to lend a hand financially. Individuals interested in helping defray some of the project’s monetary costs can find a link to donate at projectwoodhaven.com/2013/May/woodhaven-sta-project.html.
By Anna Gustafson
