Project by: Grace Burns (11th Grade)
Project Advisor: Ann Carroll
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Pat Higgiston
TRIMESTER 3 UPDATES:
Description of the Project: My new goal is to create a class, alongside Ann, about Elizabeth Irwin and the school’s history. I’m hoping to have a list of resources and a general course outline by the end of the year!
Final Reflection on Learning:
my poster!
I have listed my official EI timeline below, along with the “master document.” I am so proud of how far I have come and how I have personally evolved with this project. I have learned skills such as flexibility, time management, organization, as well as learning how to research efficiently and with purpose. Through the opportunity of this LREI Honors Project, I am so grateful for the time to spend this year focusing on and learning more about Elizabeth Irwin as a woman and activist. I am going into my Senior year in Greenwich Village and look forward to watching this course and research that inspired it to come to life.
Final Product :
Update on Progress from Weeks 1-3 :
I started this trimester with a completely different look at my honors project. As I mentioned in my last trimester two update, I had changed the idea for the Final Product of this year-long study. The new project description is listed above, and I continue to make strides towards that goal every week. I have begun the master document for the class, starting with a list of people that were associated with Irwin and Anthony at the time.
Update on Progress from Weeks 4-6 :
The course description went live! Here it is:
The Village: 100 years of Little Red, Elisabeth Irwin & Progressive NY with Ann Carroll 
“We wear her initials on our shirts, we celebrate her with ice cream each March, we see her words etched in glass every time we walk in the building- but who was Elisabeth Irwin, really? What makes this school, and its approach to education unique and historically relevant? And how does the history of Little Red entwine with the history of the West Village, and New York? This class takes us into the Sixth Avenue archives to engage in a hands-on approach to learning and research. We go through boxes of photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, and artifacts to catalog, organize, document, and share our discoveries throughout the 100th anniversary year. This is the first time a course like this has been offered – so if you don’t mind getting dusty, love the neighborhood, and are up to the challenges of historical detective work – this is the elective for you!”
I am forever grateful to Ann for allowing me to take this Honors Project to the next level and I am so excited to see my research come to life in the fall!
Update on Progress from Weeks 7-9 :
In the final weeks of this project, I completed a detailed timeline of Elizabeth Irwin’s life and a master document to highlight all the significant people and places of Elizabeth Irwin’s life. My timeline is the only document that maps out the trajectory of her life and is represented in one place.
TRIMESTER 2 UPDATES:
Description of the Project: My goal is to create a short documentary (that includes interviews as well as tell the story myself) focusing on the second-wave feminists, but more specifically, Elisabeth Irwin and the circle of intense feminists, queer, rule breakers she hung out with. The completed documentary will be available and accessible to anyone in the community and maybe could be a part of the school’s anniversary. (im not sure what platform that is yet!)
Update on Progress :
After many discussions of moving in a different direction with Ann during our weekly meetings, we started to take additional steps in reimagining the outcome of this project. Both Ann and I were constantly in awe over Elizabeth Irwin and Kathrine Anthony’s life, friends, and ultimately, their world. Ann’s idea to take a class about Elizabeth Irwin and her Greenwich Village was inspired by my research and progress in my honors project over the last two trimesters. We began talking about the possibilities of this class and continuing to sift through her archives.
Trimester 1 Update:
Update on Progress from Weeks 1-3: Jstor has been super helpful in finding rare but personal information about Irwin’s life outside of LREI. I have found a lot of information about Kathrine Anthony, (her partner), her involvement in the feminist movement, and their decision to adopt kids!
Update on Progress from Weeks 4-6: I was lucky enough to get access to some of the Elizabeth Irwin archives that the school already has through Yukie Ohta. Here are some of my favorites:
Update on Progress from Weeks 7-9 (include any photos or video if relevant):
I’ve been reading a lot of Irwins published articles as well as the Overview and Historiography of Progressive Education and the Progressive Education Movement to gain as much information as I can to formulate a clear timeline of her life and accomplishments. I have been working on a timeline full of her life, established by photos and articles written by Irwin herself and other sources. Here are a few pages from the Overview and Historiography of Progressive Education and the Progressive Education Movement: ( IT SAYS THE IMAGE IS TO BIG TO INSERT BUT IM WORKING ON IT!)
