SUMMER STREET SCHOOL fourth-grader James Rogers proudly displays the Lego Architecture sets he built with his mother Katelyn. (Courtesy Photo)
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Nine-year-old Summer Street School fourth-grader James Rogers loves studying history and geography.
James’ passion for history and geography led him to start building Lego Architecture sets of famous locations from around the world. He has been undertaking the projects along with his mother, Katelyn.
“I am interested in geography and learning about the world,” said James in an email sent to the Villager. “I love Legos and building things, so my Mom thought it would be fun to do both.”
Katelyn said James started building Lego Architecture sets over December vacation.
“James has become very interested in geography and world history,” said Katelyn. “During a trip to the Lego Store over Christmas break, James was very excited there was a kit to construct the globe and several landmarks and cityscapes.”
James built a Lego Architecture replica of The Globe, which he noted contains 2,585 pieces. He also built a replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which includes 1,746 Lego pieces.
Additionally, James used the 2,022 Lego pieces that were needed to create a replica of the Taj Mahal in India. He constructed a replica of London, England, which contained 468 Lego Architecture pieces. He also built a replica of Paris, France, which included 649 Lego pieces.
“I used Legos to learn about all of these cool places,” said James. “I always start by sorting out the pieces, and then carefully follow the instructions step-by-step. If I miss or skip a step, it takes a lot of work to go back and figure out what went wrong and fix it.”
James said he loves building the Lego Architecture sets immensely.
“I love doing this and spending time with my Mom because she has as much fun with it as I do,” said James. “I also like the special time because it’s something just her and I do together.”
Katelyn agreed.
“It was a lot of fun working on each kit, collaborating and problem-solving together,” said Katelyn. “We researched the history behind each of the different landmarks and cityscapes.”
Summer Street fourth grade teacher Patti Heldenbergh said James showed her and his fellow classmates photos of the Lego Architecture sets he built. She said everyone was blown away by the projects he undertook, which led to James giving a presentation to the entire school during a Great Gathering assembly.
“As part of our fourth grade social studies unit, we study the continents and oceans,” said Heldenbergh. “James demonstrated impressive knowledge, as history and geography are big interests of his. After December break, James shared pictures of his 2,585-piece Lego construction of the world with our class. From there, James took the initiative to ask if he could present pictures of his various Lego sets to the entire school at our next Great Gathering. He created a PowerPoint presentation that showed pictures of each creation, along with facts about each landmark. He also asked questions to engage the audience. We are all so impressed with James’ perseverance and creativity, and we can’t wait to see what he builds next.”
Summer Street School Principal Karen Cronin was very impressed by the Lego sets James built.
“James and I were talking a few days before January’s Great Gathering, and he told me he was feeling a little nervous about his presentation,” said Cronin. “I reminded him what a great job he did when he had to read the morning announcements earlier in the month, and that I thought he would be terrific. He did an amazing job. His presentation began with a photograph of his Lego construction of the world, and then he spoke about four different well-known landmarks that he had constructed. He provided facts about each one, and I can testify that all Summer Street students and adults were thoroughly engaged. Not only did James do a great job as a presenter, but the topic itself was also interesting and informative.”
James enjoyed presenting the Lego sets he and Katelyn built together to Summer Street School’s students and staff.
“Building the Lego sets was a fun challenge,” said James. “Presenting it in front of my whole school was nerve-wracking, but exciting. I had fun building while learning about these countries and challenging myself to speak in front of the whole school.”
Katelyn was incredibly proud of James for presenting the Lego Architecture sets to the entire school.
“I give him a lot of credit for volunteering to present his builds and share a history lesson in front of his whole school,” said Katelyn.
James is looking forward to building more Lego Architecture sets. He also wants to travel to the various places he has been studying.
“I plan to continue building and using Legos to learn about the world,” said James. “I hope to one day visit many of these places. My next project will be the Statue of Liberty, but I need to save up for it or have a birthday first.”
