About 130 Persell Middle School eighth grade students took to the streets of Jamestown to learn about muckraking.

For the project Muckraking in Jamestown, Persell students walked around the city taking pictures of items they felt needed to be improved. This project duplicated the work of Jacob Riis, who publicized his photos in ”How The Other Half Lives.” Riis documented squalid living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s. It served as a basis for future muckraking journalism by exposing the slums to New York City’s upper and middle classes.

Teachers Jayme Genco, Jason Kathman, Jeff Kresge and Allyson Smith led the lesson. One day during the fall, the students walked into downtown Jamestown, with one group looking around the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena, another walking between Jamestown High School and Harrison Street and the third group examining west of the high school.

During the day, the students took hundreds of photographs to document local issues and to see how ”the other half lives.” After the field trip downtown, the students spent the next three to four weeks writing about the photos and developing a website – jamestownmuckraking.wordpress.com – where the photos can be viewed. The photos include graffiti, condemned houses, broken sidewalks and litter. One graffiti item discussed was the word ”cheeze” posted on signs, walls and even lamp posts downtown. The students discovered the word cheeze is a way of communicating a type of highly dangerous recreational drug.

Corin Derby, Persell student, said in conclusion the students learned that Jamestown is a great city, with good people who need to put extra care into their community.

”As a community, we need to do our part,” she said.

Kresge said the students have taking responsibility in understanding they can be a part of the solution in improving the community’s ills as easily as they can be a part of the problem.

”The students realize we are all in this together,” he said.

Sam Teresi, Jamestown mayor, said the students discovered the same problems city officials work on trying to correct everyday. He said the main way to get city officials involved in finding a solution is by doing what the students did by taking photos of the blight and writing down addresses.

”You are seeing the same problems we do,” he said.

Gregory Rabb, Jamestown City Council president, said the students did a great job of bringing awareness to some of the issues in the city.

”We know there are problems out there … and we are working to make a better future,” he said.