When the daughter of environmental specialist Nancy Richie, Camille, expressed an interest in archaeology and later joined the Marco Island Historical Society, a light went off in certain Islanders’ minds.

Why not start a junior Marco Island Historical Society?

And so it was through the help of Richie, the Marco Island Historical Society, and the Marco Island Charter Middle School’s sponsor, social studies teacher Mark Scalia, that the Marco Island Charter Middle School Junior Historical Society was born.

“Camille is kind of the guiding spirit of the club, our Thomas Jefferson, so to speak,” says Scalia of how the society was founded.

“When we first started, I was doubtful as to the level of interest we would have,” Scalia says. “But as the word started to spread, more and more kids have joined. I have a roster of 17 kids right now.”

Because the society is brand new, Scalia says, they haven’t yet set a definite meeting schedule or figured out how to incorporate children who aren’t Charter School students into the program.

Courtesy of Edwin Bridle

Collier County Environmental Specialist Melissa Hennig takes Marco Island Charter Middle School students who are members of the Marco Island Junior Historical Society on a tour through Otter Mound Preserve. The students learned about the historical site so they can act as tour guides to students from Wilford Woodruff Academy who are traveling to Marco Island in late September as part of a school field trip.

But, they already have one project underway, and are meeting at least twice a month to make it happen. The MICMS Junior Historical Society has been chosen to act as host and its members as tour guides through Otter Mound Preserve to a group of about 20 children from Wilford Woodruff Academy in Orlando during the academy’s two-day field trip to Marco Island in late September.

In order to become experts of the historical site, some members of the society met Sept. 18, for a tour of their own through Otter Mound Preserve given by Collier County Environmental Specialist Melissa Hennig.

Hennig took the students through Otter Mound, pointing out such things as the types of artifacts and plants the Calusas brought to the site.

The students learned sea grape was once used for tooth aches, and gumbo limbo trees served as incense, an antiseptic and was especially useful for wood carving.

Hennig told the students about the history of Caxambas Village, including Barron Collier’s vision for the area, and later Jim Barfield’s purchase of the village.

Those students who didn’t already know, learned about Tommie Barfield’s efforts to establish Marco Island as a part of Collier County instead of Lee County, and her pioneering efforts in Marco’s school system.

Courtesy of Edwin Bridle

Marco Island Charter Middle School students and members of the new Marco Island Junior Historical Society, from left, Marissa Summers, Alexandra Diaz, Cedric Caron-Lavoie, Mariah Rodgers, Kevin Caron-Lavoie, Saurab Prabhakar, Marshall Robbins, Chloe Caron-Lavoie, Brad Gangl, Andrew Cabrera, MICMS Social Studies teacher Mark Scalia, Camille Richie, Frances Baumler and Mariah Lundin on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007, at Otter Mound Preserve.

The young historians learned of Barfield’s sale of Otter Mound to the Griners. They walked where the Griner’s home once stood, and learned of the fire on Halloween in 1978 that burned down the Griner’s house. And they asked to take a look inside the Griner’s infamous outhouse that still stands at Otter Mound Preserve.

“Most of the adults that live here on the Island came here from somewhere else, but most of these kids were born here,” Scalia says. “So by introducing the legacy of Marco Island we are exposing them to their own roots.

“Marco Island is a very unique place. ... We have a very strong indigenous cultural past with the Calusas, and the development of this Island is much like the development of Florida itself — from swampland to paradise,” Scalia says. “Marco is ecologically, environmentally, socially and culturally a very special place.”

And it is through the new Marco Island Charter Middle School Junior Historical Society members that Marco’s legacy will be studied and continue to thrive.

“The fact that kids have responded so well to this just shows they do have an interest in higher levels of learning,” Scalia says. “And we want to provide that for them.”

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