Want to teach third graders about El Cajon’s rich history in a fun and creative way? Supported by their principal, Colleen Newman, the school community, and ECHS Docent Coordinator (and retired Cajon Valley teacher) Becky Taylor, W.D. Hall Elementary School’s third grade teachers Vicki Jones, Brinna Van Slayke, Joy Tongzon, and Alison Esquivel designed and coordinated their first ever Third Grade El Cajon History Day, which was held on Friday, March 13, 2015.
In recent weeks the third graders have been learning about El Cajon’s history, so they were primed to view an El Cajon’s history slideshow and presentation given by ECHS’s Becky Taylor. Afterward, the students returned to their classrooms, where each teacher had prepared a different activity that reflected part of an El Cajon’s pioneer child’s life. To add to the fun, the teachers, the principal, and most of the students dressed in pioneer costumes. Little girls in dresses and long skirts and boys wearing button shirts and jeans went from classroom to classroom and learned to write with ink and a quill pen, sing a 19th century American folk song, dance a Virginia reel, and decorate a wooden frame that will hold his/her “old-time” photo. Every class spent approximately thirty minutes at each station (classroom). Many parent volunteers helped in the classrooms and manned the “old-time” photos and refreshment areas. The fun continued after lunch when the children played hopscotch, jacks, and other pioneer games. Throughout the day children and adults voiced their eagerness and joy, and the W.D. Hall Elementary third grade teachers are already planning next year’s El Cajon History Day!
The ECHS salutes W.D. Hall School teachers and school community for their ingenuity and enthusiasm and encourages every Cajon Valley elementary school to hold its own El Cajon History Day.

Becky Taylor, Retired CVUSD Teacher