SHERMAN OAKS : Students Dig Up the Past as Archeologists

Students at Sherman Oaks Elementary School went looking for the past Wednesday morning, and they just dug it.

The youngsters turned into archeologists, uncovering replicas of ancient Egyptian artifacts buried in a small plot of land on school grounds. They then dusted the dirt off their discoveries, carried them carefully back into the classroom, and researched their significance.

The dig was a big event for the sixth-grade students in teacher Shelly Milan’s ancient civilizations course. For months, they’ve been studying Egypt. On Wednesday, they got a chance to experience it.

“Even though it’s in the middle of the school, it gives me a feeling that I’m digging up something, just like in the old days,” said Robert Hutchinson, 12.

Added Kelly Ball, 11: “I feel like I’m important. Some of the most famous people were archeologists.”

Milan started the dig by dividing the class into eight small groups. Each group was responsible for unearthing two or three artifacts from its territory.

Within a few minutes, Hutchinson, excited about playing his hero, Indiana Jones, for the day, announced his group had found one of the buried items.

But it didn’t go that smoothly for all the amateurs.

“It’s nerve-racking,” said Jessica Rosales, 11, as she used a probe to locate hard areas of the ground. The artifacts were buried in boxes. “Is this a bump or not?” Ultimately, though, she and her three partners found a gold coffin containing the famous King Tut.

“There’s an old proverb,” Milan said. “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

He said more sixth-graders will participate in digs today and Friday.