Thornell Road Elementary students from Mrs. Stevens-Oliver's 2022-2023 class won an award for first place in the elementary school division in the 2023 New York State Student Research Awards. Their entry, a book titled Six Miles on the Erie Canal, details the lives of Erie Canal workers buried in the Pittsford Cemetery.

Students toured the cemetery last fall with Pittsford Deputy Historian Vicki Masters Profitt. They utilized historic resources and documents such as newspaper articles and documents from the local historical society to tell the story of the individuals who helped create the Erie Canal and the larger historical context of the Erie Canal in New York State and the nation.

The judges noted in their award letter that they “appreciated the creativity and interdisciplinary nature of the project. The level of research and analysis exceeded expectations.”

The students celebrated with a book dedication ceremony on October 27, with their families, the Board of Education, Superintendent Pero, Town Supervisor Smith, Town Historian Masters Profitt and members of the Pittsford American Legion. Six Miles on the Erie Canal is available at the Thornell Road Library. A portion of the prize money was donated to the Pluta Cancer Center Foundation in memory of a student’s father and all family members who battled cancer.

This statewide annual competition promotes and recognizes excellence in student research by encouraging students to explore historical records repositories and is open to all New York State students in grades fourth to 12^th with awards in elementary, middle, and high school divisions.

Thornell Road Elementary also earned first place for the New York State Archives Student Research Awards in the elementary school division in 2022 for Thornell Road School, Fifty Years, 1971-2021.

Learn more and read the full press release Thornell Road Fourth Graders Selected for Elementary Award Category.