Over the past two months, two groups of Yorktown students visited the Polish Heritage Center located in Panna Maria, Texas. The mission of the Polish Heritage Center (PHC) at Panna Maria is to retain for posterity, and keep vibrant and relevant, the history, values, beliefs, customs and traditions of the Polish settlers and their descendants at this first and oldest permanent Polish settlement in America, and to inspire, engage, and educate visitors.
On November 14, 2024, 33 Yorktown juniors visited and on December 4, 2024, 30 Yorktown seniors visited the PHC. Both groups spent several hours learning all about the PHC. The students watched a short video on the history of the PHC. Then they were divided into 2 groups. Each group toured the first Polish Catholic Church and first Polish Catholic School in the US. They also performed a scavenger hunt around the museum and inside of the PHC. They were taken behind the scenes of the museum by the center's archivist, Lauren Robinson. The juniors were shown a Veterans exhibit that was in progress of being created. The seniors were shown the completed exhibit. There was a craft session where students were shown Polish Easter eggs and then created their own.The executive director of the center, Mrs. Alice Poole said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the students! Thank you to Yorktown for sharing their students with us.”
The Yorktown students seemed to have enjoyed their time at the center. Senior Malayshia Thomas said, “I liked learning about all the churches and all the history behind Panna Maria.” Senior Brilye Campbell said, “I thought the church was really pretty. The paintings on the ceiling were awe-inspiring!” Junior Josh Prado said, “I really enjoyed the heritage center, especially seeing many things related to my own family (the Burda family). It was also the most well-taken care of museum that I have ever been to.” Junior Calvin Duprie said, “It was very informational. There were a lot of things that people never think about. There are always different sides to the story, and the heritage center tells it from a different point of view.”
