Student films documentary of 'Dream City'

By Crystal Garcia
Times Herald (Port Huron)

MARYSVILLE, Mich. (AP) — The city of Marysville wouldn’t have its name had it not been for a mistake at the post office.

That’s just one of the facts Marysville High School senior Caleb Gordon learned about the city when he was working on “Marysville: The Making of the ‘Dream City,’” a two-part documentary about the city’s history. Part One, which recently premiered and features Native Americans through 1920.

Gordon, 18, of Marysville, still is working on Part Two, which will feature 1920 to the present, and needs help.

He wants to interview people about Marysville’s past including, but not limited to, growing up in the city, transportation, business and industry, civic groups, churches, schools, politics and the war years.
Part Two is expected to premiere in the spring.

Gordon began working on the project in February for his communications arts class.

“I really like history. It’s one of my favorite subjects in school, and we don’t really learn too much about local history,” he said. “So I wanted to learn more and improve my skills here.”

He created the script and produced the project, but about nine other students also helped with aspects such as shooting video and narrating.

“I can’t say I’m 100 percent happy, because there’s always something you can improve, but I’m happy,” Gordon said about.

He initially planned to do the entire project as one video, but as he did more research and interviews, the plans changed.

Kirk Smith, communications arts teacher at the high school, said he was “very pleased with how it turned out. I think it’s a great asset for the city, and I think it’s a project for young people.”

Gordon isn’t clear about which college he wants to attend after graduation, but he said communications is something he is looking into for a possible career.

Smith said he intends to have his students work on similar projects.

“We continue to do community-minded projects because it helps students invest in the community,” he said. “I think it helps students step their games up when they know professionals are taking time out of their days to work with them.”