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Five former Salem teachers have their school-related memories documented in a project that is on display at the Salem Museum and Historical Society.

Amy Ratliff, a senior at Salem High School, interviewed five teachers who retired from Salem schools for a Girl Scout Gold Award project titled "Educational Changes: The Memories of Former Teachers." The teachers shared biographical information, as well as things they remember most about their students and their opinions about how being a teacher changed over the years. They also discussed what kind of impact they thought they had on the school system, which Amy found was different for each teacher.

"I learned that if you just sit down and talk with someone that's older, then you'll learn a lot," said Amy, 17.

The Gold Award is the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn. Amy, a member of Troop 42 at Central United Methodist Church in Salem, said she had to spend at least 50 hours assembling the project to be eligible for the award. The project also had to be creative and have an impact on the community.

Salem Museum and Historical Society director John Long helped Amy come up with the idea to interview the teachers. He agreed to let her display the project - which includes a poster, a binder with five- to seven-page essays about each teacher and recordings of all of her interviews - at the museum. The project will be kept in the museum's archives after it is taken off display.

"I like oral history and I think it's a good project for teenagers," Long said. "It's connecting them with the older generation."

Amy was interested in talking to retired teachers because her mother is a pre-kindergarten teacher at St. Anne's Episcopal Day School in Salem, she said. She completed the interviews in June and July and worked on her essays during a 12-hour ride to Florida. She said she believes the information will be useful for future generations.

Amy said one of her goals was to find teachers who represented elementary and secondary education. She selected Carolyn Newell, who retired as a history and law teacher in 2000 from Salem High School; Joyce Noell, who retired as a business teacher in 2004 from Salem High School; Barbara Oetgen, a kindergarten teacher at West Salem Elementary School who retired in 1997; Judith Pitts, who retired as an English teacher in 2001 from Salem High School; and William Snyder, who retired as a choral music teacher in 2000 from Salem High School and Andrew Lewis Middle School.

Besides finding teachers who taught at different grade levels, Amy said she "just wanted people who would be personable."

Being interviewed "brought back a lot of good memories," Oetgen said. She said she was eager to participate because she thinks it's important for young people to know the history of where they live and the people in their community.

Noell said she also had fun sharing her teaching experiences with someone of a different generation.

"She is a delightful young lady," Noell said. "Her interview impressed me so much."