A Lafayette High School class in St. Joseph, Missouri, is bringing history to life by collecting, cataloging and curating a museum exhibit filled with historic items, books, documents and more donated by St. Joseph Jewish families.

The exhibit will open to the public at the St. Joseph Museums on Sunday, May 3.

Tori Zieger, an archaeologist with the St. Joseph Museums, said Tuesday that the project completed by Lafayette High School history teacher Brooke Rich’s sociology class has been a joy to see take shape.

Initially unsure how the exhibit would come together, she said her expectations were exceeded as items accumulated, far surpassing what was originally anticipated. Students handled the exhibit materials, researching, dating and cataloging each piece.

“The families got really invested,” she said, noting that while some items belong to the museum, most on display — along with seven additional boxes in her office — were donated by local families. “So all of this is a very grassroots created, curated exhibit. We do have a pretty robust Jewish history. They were some of the first families here.”

Zieger said many early businesses, particularly on Sixth Street, were owned by young Jewish entrepreneurs who moved west, invested in commerce and helped develop the local economy.

“I’m really excited that the families were involved, that’s the history we want to tell, that locally connected from the source,” she said.

In addition to working directly with artifacts, students prepared the exhibit space by removing old lettering and painting. Only after completing that work did they begin designing and mapping out placement for each item.

Senior Brendan Hines said the class connected with members of St. Joseph’s Jewish community with help from teacher Mrs. Rich.

“We were able to find a lot of people who were interested in the project,” he said.

Surprised by the depth of Jewish history in St. Joseph, senior Nicholas Arevalo said the exhibit would not have been possible without community involvement.

“We had no clue,” Arevalo said. “We’d never really heard about a synagogue here before.”

Rich told the News-Press she felt called to help share this history. Though not Jewish, she said her husband Alex’s family has Jewish roots in St. Joseph dating back to the 1800s.

“Growing up, I had no idea there were Jewish people in St. Joe,” she said.

Rich said the exhibit aims to show visitors that Jewish residents were active contributors to the city’s growth and community.

Brooke Rich’s history class has collected, catalogued and curated a museum exhibit featuring historic items, books and documents from St. Joseph Jewish families. The exhibit will open to the public at St. Joseph Museums on Sunday, May 3. (Skye Pournazari, News-Press NOW)

“To show that they were part of the community, and believed in the community and wanted to make it better, I think that is something we personally, I, need to hear in our current state,” she said. “Recently, we need to focus on the positive, and the Jewish community added nothing but positive impact through our community.”

She said many items on display had been kept in storage and are now being shared with a broader audience through the exhibit.

“I think it brings history to life, and it shows them that these people aren’t just names in newspapers; that they were living, breathing people who had very similar lives to them,” she said. “They sat in this building, they went to the same grocery stores and drove on the same streets.”

Rich said members of the Jewish community visited the class during the project to share their stories.

“It’s been amazing,” she said. “Because it’s been a lot, but it’s a pleasure to have this burden, if that makes sense. It doesn’t feel like work. It feels like passion. I have loved it.”

Students created their own system to research, date and catalog donated items using spreadsheets before submitting the catalog to the museum for integration into its system.

“They did it all,” Rich said. “…There’s a future in museum curating for some of those boys.”

Zieger said the sociology class took ownership of the project from the beginning.

“They picked the items that they wanted to focus on,” she said. “They designed the layout… This was all done by the kids. They did such a good job.”

Senior Talan Sowell said he enjoyed reviewing a photo book Rich shared and learning about the everyday lives of Jewish residents in St. Joseph.

Hines said the project offered a hands-on way to explore local history.

“We then get to make a project that’s not just for us, but for the entire St. Joseph community to go see,” he said.

Hines said one of his biggest takeaways was gaining a broader understanding of Jewish history beyond the Holocaust.

“But it’s really hard to relate to, especially if you’re not Jewish or related, but with this, you learn and get a lot of the pictures,” he said. “You can put a face to a name and understand a lot of the things they went through, as well as you understand that they did survive, they made it through that hardship, and they’re still alive today and thriving in the community.”

Arevalo said the experience has been one of the most engaging of his academic career.

“Throughout my entire life history with school, this is the coolest and most unique experience,” he said, noting that learning about the Jewish community’s impact on St. Joseph was eye-opening.

Seniors Ian Chapin and Tejas Davison said they were surprised to learn there were once three synagogues in the city.

Davison said he also enjoyed participating in a Passover experience, sampling traditional foods.

Chapin said one exhibit item — a collection of dolls created by a Jewish sewing circle — is valued at about $12,000.

“We weren’t really sure how to deal with them, so we just tried to make them all at least visible,” he said.

Davison said he used a 3D printer to create elements for the exhibit, including a large Star of David displayed atop one section and signage throughout.

Sophomore Noemi Miller and freshman Breanna Sellars said the class has become popular among students.

“It made me happy to be a part of something so big as a younger student,” Miller said.

Sellars said she enjoyed organizing items into categories such as religion, social life and business.

Both said they are excited to attend the opening.

“It feels really good,” Sellars said. “To know that we did it, that makes me feel proud because we worked together as a team.”

Those interested can see more of the exhibit at St. Joseph Museums, located at 3406 Frederick Ave #2913, St Joseph, MO 64506.

This article was originally published in News-Press NOW of St. Joseph, Missouri.