TEENS IN THE NEWS

home for thousands of years until EVE GRACE MACKENZIE HIGGINS MAGUIRE MICHAELA ABIGAIL ANDERSON the early 1600s, when European O’GARA-PRATT t Massachusett COLLEEN KRAUNELIS settlers arrived. CONNOR tribal members Larry Following Michaela’s discovery, Fisher (left) and Ren the teens did more research and Green at the opening of met with city officials, advocating Passanageset Park at to get the tribe the recognition they Broad Meadows Marsh believed it deserved. q Few people in Quincy knew that the “These were the first people tribe had lived on the here, and everyone should know land for thousands that,” Michaela, 14, explains. “Our of years. history doesn’t start with the Euro- peans’ arrival. It goes back much, much further than that.”

An Amazing Discovery It started with a homework assign- ment in 2013, when Michaela was a seventh-grader at Broad Mead- ows Middle School. Her teacher, Ron Adams, asked his students to each research a historical site in

Quincy that they’d like to show tourists. But there was a catch: The Massachusett were the first people of Quincy,“ but no The site could not be related to “ the town’s most famous family. one knew that they lived at the salt marsh. (Quincy, about 10 miles south of The Girls Who , is the birthplace of two U.S. presidents: John Adams and years, and I had never heard that recently been restored. It seemed his son John Quincy Adams.) before,” he explains. like the perfect time to rename it. Found History Looking for ideas, Michaela Michaela felt that the Massa- With the support of local lead- began leafing through some books chusett’s history and its status as ers, the History Girls submitted a How a group of teens rewrote that belonged to her parents. She the original inhabitants of the area proposal to rename the salt marsh their town’s backstory—and our country’s maps couldn’t believe what she found. needed to be recognized. So she to the U.S. Board on Geographic According to one historian, the salt reached out to classmates for help. Names earlier this year. (The board BY BROOKE ROSS marsh adjacent to her school— Five students joined Michaela, approves the names of geographic THE AUDIENCE WAS QUIET under Fisher, whose tribal name means Broad Meadows Marsh, will soon known in 2013 as Broad Meadows and they started collecting records features for the federal govern- the bright blue sky as tall blades of “White Feather,” was performing appear on official U.S. maps. The Salt Marsh—was once called Pas- and giving presentations around ment.) Then they waited. grass rustled in the breeze. an “honor song” to thank the stu- renaming is the culmination of a sanageset Knoll. It had been the the community to spread the word. “The Massachusett were the first Then, in a powerful voice, Larry dents, known as the History Girls. two-year campaign by the students, headquarters of Chickataubut (chik- They also met with Massachusett people of Quincy, but no one knew Fisher, a member of the Massachu- That was the scene in June at which began after one of them uh-taw-but). He was a , or members. While they were doing that they lived at the salt marsh,” sett Native American tribe, began a salt marsh in Quincy, Massa- stumbled upon a part of Quincy chief, of the Massachusett in the all this work, Adams, their teacher, notes Mackenzie Maguire, one of singing a song in his indigenous chusetts. The crowd, made up of history unknown to most residents. early 1600s. (See map, p. 21.) nicknamed them the History Girls. the History Girls. “We wanted to language. His steady chants, ris- lawmakers and tribal leaders, was While doing research for a Michaela verified her findings After a meeting with Quincy make sure their story was told.” ing above the chirping of birds in there to celebrate the salt marsh, school project, Michaela O’Gara- at the local historical society. Then mayor Thomas Koch in 2014, the the distance, were not for the 100 which, thanks to the teens, had just Pratt discovered that a chief of the she let her teacher in on the news. teens came up with the idea of Quincy’s First People people seated in front of him but been renamed in honor of the tribe. Massachusett had once lived with Adams admits he was fascinated— renaming the salt marsh in honor The Massachusett’s story begins for the six eighth-graders stand- The site’s new name, Passanag- his people in the salt marsh—right and embarrassed. “I’ve been of the Massachusett. The land, once thousands of years ago. Before

ing beside him at the podium. eset (pass-uh-nuh-ges-it) Park at next to her school. It was their JACOBS PHOTOGRAPHIC FOR SCHOLASTIC INC. (ALL PHOTOS) teaching in this building for 30 overrun with invasive species, had European settlers arrived, the

18 JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC 19 tribe lived in what today is Massa- Thanks to the History Girls, the salt marsh next to their school received more than just a chusetts, from Salem to PINPOINTING new name. The park also has been designated with a precise address on maps: the point along the Atlantic coast, and inland ✱ THE PAST at which lines of latitude and longitude cross. Read more about latitude and longitude as far as Worcester, explains Ren below. Then answer the questions. Green. She is a Massachusett tribal leader who helped the History Girls 73°W 72°W 71°W 70°W with their research. N

“We were a large nation of W E 43°N many, many tribes,” Green tells VERMONT NEW HAMPSHIRE S JS. “Many people don’t realize the NEW YORK NORTH POLE 90°N state of Massachusetts got its name Salem 60°N from us.” (The word Massachusett MASSACHUSETTS ATLANTIC Boston OCEAN means “at the large hill,” in refer- Pittsfield 30°N Northampton Quincy ence to the , which Passanageset was slowly forgotten. p The History Girls, with their teachers Worcester 0° and Massachusett members, hold two of CAPE COD EQUATOR is southwest of Boston. See “Native According to Green, one reason the signs they created for the new park. 42°N Names,” below, for more.) Passanageset and other parts of 30°S CONNECTICUT RHODE But then came the pandemic. the Massachusett’s past may have Names had granted their request: ISLAND Barnstable 60°S From 1616 to 1619, a plague killed fallen off historians’ radar has to do The name Passanageset Park at SOUTH POLE 90°S about 90 percent of native people with Chickataubut himself. Unlike Broad Meadows Marsh had been Moswetuset LATITUDE from Maine to Rhode Island, some well-known American Indian approved for use by the federal Hummock is measured in degrees (°) MARTHA'S north (N) and south (S) of including many of the Massachu- chiefs who “went down in history government. It will appear on U.S. VINEYARD NANTUCKET the equator, an imaginary Quincy Bay sett. The illness is believed to have as the good guys, Chickataubut maps with a precise latitude and Quincy line that circles the middle been smallpox, and was most likely was not looking to befriend the longitude later this year. 41°N of the globe at 0°. Lines of Passanageset Broad Meadows latitude increase up to carried by the Europeans. English,” she says. “He was look- In addition, the marsh will soon Knoll Middle School 90°N (at the North Pole) or To save his tribe, Chickataubut ing to defend his territory.” feature four signs that tell the story State capital 90°S (at the South Pole). Passanageset Park at City 0 1 MI moved his people from the marsh to of the Massachusett and the tribe’s Broad Meadows Marsh Massachusett 150°W 180° tribe’s (42° 15’N, 70° 59’W)* 120°W 150°E a disease-free site in Quincy called Mission Accomplished connection to the area. The History headquarters NORTH POLE 0 20 MI Moswetuset (moss-weh-too-set) The Massachusett’s history in the Girls wrote the text for the signs 90°W 120°E 0 30 KM Greenwich, Hummock. Although the chief lived salt marsh is unlikely to be forgot- with help from Green. *Degrees of latitude and longitude are divided into minutes (') and England

seconds ("). JS usually rounds to the nearest degree, but we included N

A there for only a short time—until his ten again. About a month after The History Girls are now in minutes in the new park’s location to give its precise position. I D

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60°W R 90°E

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M death in 1633—Moswetuset became the History Girls submitted their high school, but their work is not

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I R widely regarded as the tribe’s origi- proposal, they received good news. finished. The students are working 30°W P 60°E QUESTIONS 0° 30°E nal headquarters in Quincy, and The U.S. Board on Geographic with Quincy teachers to get more of the Massachusett’s history included 1. Latitude measures distance miles did they travel? LONGITUDE measures distance in in local schools’ curriculum. They north and south of which 4. Which line of longitude degrees east (E) and west are also petitioning archaeologists imaginary line? passes through the History (W) of the prime meridian, About half of the names of America’s 50 states are an imaginary line at 0° that NATIVE based on Native American words. Here are the stories in Colorado for the return of Native 2. Longitude measures Girls’ hometown? passes through Green­ ✱ wich, England. Longitude behind four state names. American artifacts that were dis- distance east and west of 5. Historians believe that the NAMES increases up to 180° as covered in Massachusetts in 1999. which imaginary line? Massachusett once lived as you move east or west. TENNESSEE NORTH DAKOTA & UTAH Still, gaining recognition for 3. When the Massachusett tribe far west as Worcester. What Experts believe that the SOUTH DAKOTA One theory about the the Massachusett’s first home in moved from Passanageset is that city’s latitude and name Tennessee came Both of these states get origin of Utah’s name is Quincy was always the History Knoll to Moswetuset longitude, rounded to the from the Cherokee tongue. their names from the that it stems from the Ute Girls’ main goal. They hope that Hummock, about how many nearest degree? In 1567, explorers found Dakota, a tribe of Sioux tribe, and the word means when people visit the park, they’ll a Native American village people who lived in the “people of the mountains.” named Tanasqui in the region. Historians think Another possibility is that reflect on the area’s history. present-day state. In the that the word Dakota may Utah comes from the “It feels like something has been 1700s, traders came upon mean “friend” or “ally.” Apache word yuttahih, accomplished,” Michaela says. a village called Tanasi. The meaning “those who are YOUR Complete Ron Adams’s assignment: Research a Download our skills sheets and meaning of both words higher up.” “Passanageset is literally on the play the Mapman Game™ at TURN historic site in your town, then create a poster about it. has since been lost. map now.” ◆ JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN™ (MAP AND GLOBES) scholastic.com/js.

20 JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC 21