Horace Mann Middle School, Franklin -- May 11

42° 05' 28" N
71° 24' 22" W 
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The EarthView Team is making its first visit to the Horace Mann School in Franklin. 
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Both Horace Mann and the BSU home base of are both located along Boston's "outer ring road" of I-495. Because Boston is so close to the Atlantic Ocean, this outer ring is not actually a loop, but rather connects Cape Cod and Cape Ann with all of the other places that are a similar distance from the city.

The middle school and the university have something else in common in the person for which the middle school is named. Bridgwater State University was co-founded by Horace Mann, though under a different name, in 1840. He was an early leader in public education, and helped to create Bridgewater as a normal school, which is a school specifically for the training of teachers. A beautiful auditorium named in his honor is still one of the best rooms on the BSU campus for public lectures and concerts, and its recent renovation preserved the paintings of the Muses that adorn its walls. We hope that Horace Mann Middle School students have an opportunity to visit Horace Mann Auditorium on the BSU campus some day. Photographs do not really convey just what a beautiful tribute it is to the importance of the arts in Horace Mann's vision of education.

"The teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron."

The EarthView visit follows the Horace Mann Middle School's first-ever Family Geography Night, during which parents and siblings have the opportunity to learn geography alongside their students. This follows successful Family Geography Nights in Braintree and North Andover.

Our visit takes place on May 11, which is the anniversary of several events with a geographic connection.


On May 11, 2011, In Nepal, Sherpa Apa Sherpa achieves a new record by climbing Mount Everest for the 21st time
On May 11, 2010, The Gulf of Mexico oil spill threatened sensitive marshes and wildlife along the Gulf Coast; Admiral Thad Allan was appointed to lead the Federal response to the spill
On May 11, 1989, Kenya announced worldwide ban on ivory to preserve its elephant herds
On May 11, 1984, a solar transit of the earth could have been seen from Mars
On May 11, 1967, the 100,000,000th U.S. phone was connected
On May 11, 1916, Einstein's Theory of General Relativity presented
On May 11, 1910, Montana's Glacier National Park was formed
On May 11, 1858, Minnesota admitted as 32nd U.S. state
On May 11, 1421, Jews are expelled from Styria Austria
On May 11, 1330, Constantinople (Istanbul) becomes new capital by Roman Emperor Constantine for Eastern Roman Empire
On May 11, 330, Constantinople (Byzantium) becomes capital of Roman Empire