Category Archives: Titanic in Schools

Join Kyrila Scully for a Titanic talk at three locations in Orlando, Florida

Kyrila Scully appears in period costume to delight audiences.

Kyrila Scully appears in period costume to delight audiences.

I’ll be speaking at the Orange County Libraries (Orlando, FL) at three Branches.
Downtown Branch, Saturday, April 19 at  11:00 a.m.
Dr. Phillips (Southwest) Branch, Sat. April 26th at 2:30 p.m.
Hunter’s Creek (South Creek) Branch, Sat. May 31 at 2:00 p.m.
Kyrila Scully will also be speaking at the Breakfast for the  Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista, FL at the Wyndham Resort in Downtown Disney on June 5th.

If you want to book a lecture, tea party or banquet, please contact Titanic Speakers Bureau for more information.

Kyrilla Scully loves to bring Molly Brown to life for audiences.

Kyrila Scully loves to bring Molly Brown to life for audiences.

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One of the heroes of the Titanic disaster was Capt. Rostron of the Carpathia

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A handwritten account by Capt. Rostron

Capt. Rostron's handwritten account of Titanic disaster

Capt. Rostron of the Carpathia being presented a loving cup by the survivors from Mrs. J.J. Brown, better known through the ages as the Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Capt. Rostron of the Carpathia being presented a loving cup by the survivors from Mrs. J.J. Brown, better known through the ages as the Unsinkable Molly Brown.

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Titanic Poetry

After the great disaster, people across America, from all walks of life, were devastated with grief and shock. America was a very different place with a much higher degree of literacy. That included an everyday appreciation of poetry. Thus it was natural for people to sit down at their kitchen table and pen a poem about the Titanic.

What did they do with their verses?  They mailed them to their local newspapers for publication. As a result, newspapers across America used these poems as letters, or poems, to the Editor. Some were featured, some were simply fillers.

One especially haughty rag, The New York Times, was inundated with so many poems that the snooty editor proclaimed to his readers that simply because one owns a piece of paper and a pencil does not make one a poet! Stop sending those poems to us, we get hundreds a day!

Imagine any newspaper in the 21st century receiving hundreds of anything from its dwindling readership.

But that was life in the early part of the Twentieth Century. As a part of my research on the Titanic for my book, Titanic 1912, I kept bumping into these poems and finally figured out the above, as to how there came to be so many poems about the Titanic. I decided to compile a new book with many of these poems from one hundred years ago, along with my own humble verses.

I hope you get a chance to enjoy the new audio edition of my book, Titanic, Poetry, Music & Stories. The book is also in eBook and paperback. There are links in the book which will take you directly to the Library of Congress where you can listen to these whacky tunes, perfectly preserved, on the old Victrola records – about the Titanic. Some are blue grass, others are piano memorials, some are vocalists. All of them express in song and music, the amazement at the scope of the tragedy and the depth of feelings of people about the loss of the RMS Titanic as well as honoring the people who went down and those who survived.

Please contact me about our great speakers who can give your convention, dinner or themed event a memorable addition. – Ken Rossignol 301 535 8624 / ken.thechesapeake@gmail.com

Honour to the Brave The Sphere May 4 1912
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Titanic Poetry Music & Stories rev

Kids Ask the Best (and Most Humorous) Questions

Wade Sisson head shot

By Wade Sisson

I’ve spoken about the Titanic at a lot of schools since my book, Racing Through the Night, was published in 2011, and I soon learned that kids always ask the best – and most humorous – questions.

For that reason, it’s been my visits to schools that I’ve enjoyed the most. There’s something about the Titanic story that captures the imaginations of young people. You can see it in their eyes as you start talking about it. When you ask them if they know anything about the Titanic, they all raise their hands.

The questions are usually evenly split between Titanic, the ship and Titanic, the James Cameron movie. Were Jack and Rose real? Why didn’t the ship see the iceberg in time to miss it?

They’re always disappointed to learn that Jack and Rose were fictional characters – but they’re fascinated to learn about the real people who are part of the Titanic story. They always seem especially touched by the story of Millvina Dean, the last of the survivors, who died in 2009.

Most of the schools do an amazing job of preparing the kids in advance. By the time I arrive, they’ve already studied the ship, the passengers and have even dipped their hands in 28-degree water.

That doesn’t mean I don’t the occasional oddball question. Like the time one little fourth-grader asked me, “Did you bring up any gold?” I told him I’d actually never been to the wreck site – and I didn’t have any gold. He didn’t believe me and asked me again several times during the discussion. Then as I was leaving the classroom he stopped me. “Dude, seriously, where’s the gold?”

The children also try to tie the Titanic story in with other lessons they’ve had. During one school visit our discussion got hijacked by a few well-meaning third-graders. It started with one question: “Did the Titanic sink in the Bermuda Triangle?” I assured the class that the Titanic was nowhere near the Bermuda Triangle, but once the thing had been mentioned, it took on a life of its own. Another student said “Maybe the Titanic hit the iceberg because they couldn’t see inside the Bermuda Triangle.” I had to confess I was not a Bermuda Triangle expert and that seemed to satisfy them enough to stop their line of questioning.

There’s always at least one child who reminds me of myself at that age – completely drawn into the Titanic story and eager to learn as much as possible. But it’s all of the children – and their genuine interest in the history – that makes these school visits worthwhile.

titanic-author-sisson

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