The Humans of Carlton project was largely inspired by various online photo journals such as Humans of New York and Humans of Minneapolis. The idea behind this project was to have students collect stories from community members to share with the entire Carlton community. We wanted to create a way to preserve the history of the humans around us, and this website became the means to do so. The students who wrote these essays are part of a learning model called Project Based Learning, or PBL. PBL allows students to gain real world skills and use their academic knowledge to tackle projects that differ from traditional classroom settings. "Humans of Carlton" is our pilot project and we are incredibly excited to share it with our community!

During this project, students participated in various activities to prepare them for interviewing community members, including: 

• • Explored the concept of photojournalism by looking at iconic images

  • Invited the Carlton County Historical Society to share about the importance of preserving stories through a historical lens

  • Heard from the Pine Knot News about interview etiquette

  • Watched videos that explained the differences between good and bad interviewers

  • Learned and practiced correct email etiquette 

  • Practiced interview etiquette with Carlton High School staff and students in a round of "Mock Interviews"

After preparing for many weeks, students were finally ready to interview members of the Carlton community. "Interview day" was full of excitement; it was incredible to see how well the students performed in these interviews and kept a professional mindset. 

When asked what they would like the community to know about this project, the Carlton Middle School students said that they appreciated the opportunity to get to know some of the adults in their community and to gather their untold stories—those deeper than what they might get from a first glance. They also mentioned that, overall, they liked having the chance to interact with students they might not normally get the chance to talk to—those in different grades or friend groups.  

At the end of this long journey, the students are proud to present the stories of their community. We hope you find as much enjoyment in them as we have!

~ The Carlton Middle School PBL Team