Testimonies of a Quiet New England Town, written and directed by local resident Matthew Troy and produced by Hebron Historical Society, is now a scheduled workshop for the upcoming Connecticut Council for the Social Studies conference. The event is scheduled for Friday, October 30 at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

Christopher Ambrose, a retired teacher and actor in the film, and Gregory Farmer, Agricola, Inc., served as Curriculum Specialists in developing educational materials to supplement the film. They will be lead presenters at the conference, with Executive Producer Karyl Evans (Karyl Evans Productions LLC) and Producer Donna McCalla (Hebron Historical Society) as secondary presenters.

“We are excited to present Testimonies to Connecticut’s Social Studies teachers,” said McCalla. “One of our goals in the original project was to provide a copy of the film and supplemental educational materials to all 169 Connecticut school boards. We are grateful for the support of the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism in bringing this story to Connecticut students and classrooms.”

Ambrose and Farmer worked collaboratively on educational modules – all of which are geared to Connecticut Mastery Test requirements – for a variety of grade levels based on the 2008 draft of Connecticut’s new educational standards. Modules included are for 3rd and 4th grades; 5th and 6th grades; 7th and 8th grades; and high school students. Each module will be individually bound for easy distribution for classroom teachers.

“I’ve included classroom exercises in language arts, mathematics, and writing,” said Ambrose. “This is a great way to share Hebron’s early anti-slavery efforts in a way that can positively affect student mastery test scores.

Local Hebron resident Jeff Gonci created the DVD imprint and jewel case artwork, and is currently working on the artwork for the educational module covers. Printing of the entire teacher package is expected to be completed by mid-November, with distribution shortly thereafter.