Vesterheim's Pioneer Immersion Program display runs this week

(Left to right): Franklin Lesmeister, Grant Huber, volunteer Karen Guttebo, Ming Kester and Bryar Duwe

An exhibition of pioneer projects and journals that area fourth-grade students created while participating in Vesterheim's Pioneer Immersion Program will open on Monday at the museum.

The exhibition will be in the third-floor galleries of the museum's Main Building and will be open for viewing daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. through Saturday of this week.  There also will be an Open House from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Thursday, with free admission and refreshments. Opening greetings will be at 5:30 p.m.

Each spring, Vesterheim becomes a classroom for fourth-grade students. In March and April, students and their teachers from Decorah, North Winneshiek, and St. Benedict schools make five visits to the museum, immersing themselves in the history and culture of nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century immigrants.

This program uses the Norwegian-American experience as a jumping-off point for exploring the experiences of other immigrant groups during the time period.  Students use artifacts, archival materials, and hands-on activities to gain a better understanding of what it meant for immigrants to journey from their homelands and establish new lives in America.

The students participating in the exhibition are from the Decorah Community Schools and North Winneshiek School. The Pioneer Immersion Program is sponsored this year by the 2014 Deck the Tables event.