WINDSOR, Maine (WABI) - Kids at Windsor Elementary School got an up-close look at Maine Thursday in a brand new way.
The Maine State Archives debuted two new projects celebrating Maine's bicentennial -- a series of PSA's along with virtual reality tours.
During a special visit from Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, students at Windsor Elementary School got the first showing of a series of 72 PSA's that the Maine State Archives is putting out on Maine's history.
"It's kind of an honor that the Secretary of State could come to our school specifically out of all the schools in the state," said 7th grader Maddy McNeff.
"I know for sure that the kids that saw those four PSA's today learned things that they didn't know before," said Dunlap. "And that's our hope -- to be able to take things out to the greater population through the course of the bicentennial."
They also got to experience some of Maine's most prominent sites, including the Maine State House, Old Orchard Beach Pier, and Penobscot Narrows Bridge & Observatory, with virtual reality headsets.
"It was just very cool of how it was actually set up -- how you look around and your whole head could spin," said 7th Grader Justice Marable. "It was really fun."
"I really liked how once you put it on, it was kind of like you went into a different world, different places in Maine," said 7th Grader Kaiden Kronillis.
"I want my family to see this, because I think it's pretty cool that we can see parts of Maine, and once it's downloaded for people to see and experience it, I feel like that's going to be a very cool experience for them," said 7th Grader JoJo Sandoval.
Students say they enjoy learning about the history of the state that they're proud to call home.
"Looking back might be a way to look forward in a way because you know something already so it's easier to learn and then progress off of that," said 7th Grader Emmett Appel.
The virtual reality tours are available for use with VR headsets, computers, and phones.
To find all of the new special projects, visit maine.gov/sos.
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