Bradley Tech High School students create an observatory

WALKER'S POINT -- Bradley Tech High School students have spent months researching the Walker's Point neighborhood that surrounds their school and created an observatory.

Walker's Point is a place many Bradley Tech High School students call home, but most of them didn't know much about the neighborhood where they live and play.

In a program put on by Discovery World called "The Art and Archeology of Me," students researched the history of the city and their own families to create an observatory.

"This is an opportunity for these students to become public ambassadors of their neighborhood with all of this wealth of knowledge and to share it with the community," Heidi Heistad with Discovery World said.

One part of the observatory features each student's Personal Archaeology Banner, which tells the story of who they are through family photos, maps of their neighborhood and quotes.

Many of the students say they learned a lot about themselves during this process.

"History, finding out the things I didn't know, like I didn't know my grandma had a hair salon," Bradley Tech Junior Donesha Jackson said.

There are also Faces of the Future, which are pictures of the students with rare Milwaukee artifacts.

Bradley Tech Junior Odell Chalmers says he was thrilled to be in a photo with the Golden Face of Justice, a decoration from an old Milwaukee Courthouse.

"I was really nervous not to knock it over, and I was excited," Chalmers said.

The history of the people of Walker's Point is told through Historic Markers, that tell the story of entrepreneurs, industrialists and artists.

"It actually made me feel good because I actually didn't know that much history and stuff. I was just a laid back person in school, but now I`m actually more in involved in school," Bradley Tech Junior James Jones said.

Through this research and art, students and the community are able to come together to link the past, present and future.

The Milwaukee Observatory at Bradley Tech High School will be open to the public Saturday, September 22nd and Sunday, September 23rd from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Visitors are encouraged to bring any Milwaukee artifacts they would like to share.

CLICK HERE for more information on the Milwaukee Observatory.