April 25, 2024
Local News | The Times
Local News

Seneca FFA students spearhead 'Extreme Makeover: Gravestone Edition'

High school seniors clean headstones, research lives of past community members

By The Times

Seneca FFA member Ethan Brockman (left) presents a biography about Lorenz Epple as part of the FFA’s cemetery improvement project as his classmates look on. More than 40 headstones were improved in Seneca’s two cemeteries. (Photo provided)

When Seneca High School’s FFA senior ag management classes wanted to improve the village in a fun, educational and socially-distanced way, their quest led them to two local cemeteries.

Seneca FFA adviser Jeff Maierhofer applied for the “Living to Serve” grant through National FFA, and the chapter developed a project it dubbed “Extreme Makeover: Gravestone Edition,” according to a news release from the high school. Students were required to choose two tombstones at Mount Hope or Mount Calvary cemeteries in Seneca, clean those stones, and then present written reports.

“I’m trying to tie in more than just, hey, clean a tombstone,” Maierhofer said in the news release. “I want them to realize things about these people right here – he died in the Civil War, or he was responsible for advancing agriculture in this area.”

Students also presented a first-person autobiography of the person while standing beside their headstone. Students chose between a veteran’s or a farmer's headstone to clean.

“The idea of selecting a farmer was to determine what crops or animals did they raise, what did they use for power, or where was their farm?” Maierhofer said. “Also, do they still have family here in the community? I want them to learn farming and agriculture history.”

Through the grant, Maierhofer received funds to purchase D/2, a biological cleaner, and cleaning materials. Students had to carefully scrape excess residue off of headstones. Next, they would spray the D/2 on the headstone and then wait a few minutes to brush the cleaner into the stone. Then they would pour a bucket of water over the stone. Students repeated the process until they were satisfied with the outcome.

The product continues to work over time.

Maierhofer is the president of Seneca’s local historical guild and assisted his students with research on the gravestones. Students learned more than just dates and names: they learned about life during a different time, real people in the Civil War, and had an understanding of society during those times.

The Facebook post about this project on The Seneca FFA page gained national attention, including a reach of over 1.7 million. The FFA hopes to make this an annual project.