Welcome to the Museum!

The Franklin Historical Society is the complete collection of final projects  from each year of
Mr. Garcia's Advanced Placement U.S. History course. 

The project is designed to give students professional experience in professional historical research, interpretive design, and public interaction.

Students typically  spend three weeks involved in principal research to design their historical narrative, then two weeks creating museum plaques using  laser engraving and 3D printing technology.

Finally, during final's week, the plaques are installed on the Franklin High School campus and a reception is held to the public for parents and members of the community to explore each exhibit and interact with its curator(s).  

• If you have any questions about the public history project or would like materials so you can replicate this project for your school, please contact Mr. Garcia at ggarcia1@pps.net. 

Click the button above for the year of your choice.

Then, use the directories on each page. 

A project typically has two parts: 

• The Exhibit Itself: The glossed up PowerPoint in which every panel adheres to industry copy writing standards (70 Words MAX).

  • These exhibits are usually fabricated in our school's Makerspace area. 

• The Development Paper: The total collection of research in extreme detail including factoids and events that are not included in the museum proper. 

  • These development papers are usually read by museum docents (tour guides) to give them encyclopedic knowledge of the topic for any questions museum patrons might have. 

  • Development papers can be adapted into other published work of historical scholarship including documentary scripts and monographs like Band of Brothers. 

PLEASE NOTE: Due to Comprehensive Distance Learning brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the copywriting component and development paper portions were omitted from the 2020 Museum. The 2021 Museum enforces copywriting skills but the development paper component is optional. 

What makes every year of the Franklin Historical Society so special is that it is entirely student driven. 

Instead of teachers assigning topics, students make a proposal based on three criteria:

1. The topic is class school appropriate. 

2. The topic relates in some way to the American experience. (If it is part of a student's culture at our school it is American.)

3. A student can create a complete historical narrative.
   
   These topics are then placed in one of the following museum wings: 

• The Pop Culture Wing: Anything related to movies, film, books, television, fashion, and art. 

• The Many Sides of Portland:  Showcasing the many communities in the Portland Metro-Area and the State of Oregon. 

• The Hall of Science: Scientific breakthroughs and their applications to our daily life. 

• The Hall of Sports: Legendary athletes, teams, and coaches including games from distant eras. 

• The Hall of Justice: The lives and deeds of people who stood up for the silenced.