VB Summer Fun & Learning

****Note to those reading:

I spend my summers learning as much as I can about what I teach in my classroom. I try to visit historic places and learn the stories behind the primary sources and artifacts that are continually uncovered. The students almost always make the statement: "You must be rich in order to do this" .... and my response is no, I use my knowledge and writing skills to write scholarship essays and grants to be able to go to these places with very little expense to me. Each seminar or workshop that I attend usually includes reading anywhere from 3-5 non-fiction books, one or two historical fiction books related to the topic, several readings by the historians associated with the seminar or workshop, and scouring through primary sources related to the topic. Once at the workshop, institute, seminar, or conference, we need to complete a "Common Core" lesson plan integrating the knowledge learned and primary sources either used within the class or found in the archives associated with the places we visited. We can also tie primary source artifacts or photojournalism that we develop within the course of the class.

I want students to know, that learning never stops and the first-hand experience is always the best option to learning. I also want them to know that if they use their education, they can do anything and experience life to the best of their abilities. The purpose of these entries is to share what I use in my classroom yearly. This helps the students to realize that "history" and "geography" is real, not just something to read about in a textbook. A statement from a student a couple of years ago when I showed them a photo/slide of Elfreth's Alley in Philadelphia was "I didn't know that was real, I just thought it was a picture put in our textbook to show what it might have been like."

2018 Summer:

May 30th - June 3rd: National History Bee and Bowl National contest with 13 students in Atlanta, Georgia. Besides the National Competition, students had the opportunity to visit the CNN World Center, the New Atlanta Falcons Stadium, the Atlanta History Museum, the Coca Cola Museum, the Civil rights museum, the National College Hall of Fame, the Martin Luther King Museum and Memorial and a few other places of interest including the Atlanta Hard Rock Cafe.

June 4th and 5th: Scocial studies standards training through the AEA

June 7th-9th: attended our Grandson's wedding up in Winona, Minnesota at the Barns of Glory Venue in the Bluffs of the Mississippi. While there we walked around Winona to see the history of the town and spent some time admiring the mighty Mississippi.

June 23-28th: Hollywood, Florida. I took a class through the Foundations for Teaching Economics on Economics and the Environment. We spent a couple days in class and then we had the privelige of taking a private tour of the Everglads to see the effects of economics on the environment of the Everglades. Our tour guides took us to one of the only a few houses on the Everglades. They treated us to deep fat fried gator, a fish unique to the everglads, frogs, and deer found in the everglades. Another fascinating part of this trip was that our hotel was right on the beach so each morning I had the opportunity to walk on the beach before class started. Our last day we had the opportunity to visit the Broward county court house to have a panel discussion with the environmental board. It was fascinating to see how they make the decisions between the everglads and the businesses that may have a detrimental affect on the area.

July 7th - July 14th: I had the opportunity to be selected to attend a class through Gilder Lehrman Institute on Gettysburg: American Memory. Each day we had class at Gettysburg College in the morning and in the afternoon everyday the scholars took us out to the battlefield and we got to walk through each days battles. They took us "step by step" through walking the path of both the North and the South. Our Professor and author of the required reading was Dr. Allen Guelzo. He was phenominal, he told all of the stories through a personal version of the soldiers, leaders, and people around the communities. Our teacher leader, Nathan McAlllister guided us through primary sources to develop our lesson plans to take with us.

July 27th - August 6th:. We took our 20th anniversary and birthday trip. Our first night was in Clinton, Oklahoma, We got to visit the Route 66 Museum. We travelled the next day through Amarillo, TX, visiting the Cadilac ranch and left our makr on the cars. The 28th we stayed in Albuquerque, NM. We visited old town Albuquerque and a Native American cultural center. On the 29th we travelled through the painted desert National Park and the Petrified forest National Park. We stopped in a few historic places along the way. Our destination for that evening was Grand Canyon Villagee. We stayed in the village and had the opportunity to get a great view of the canyon the first evening. There was a little rain so the National Park cleared out so we had free reign of the park. We stayed until sunset and had fabulous views. The next morning we went to the other direction to see the desert view of the canyon. In the afternoon we had the opportunity to take a helicopter ride over and through the canyon. We were glad we had the evening and day view as the canyon started filling up with smoke due to fires so by the end of the day it was too smoky to see down in the canyon. We stayed one more night in the village and headed south the next morning. We travelled back through Flagstaff to Sedona through Oak Creek Canyon. We arrived early so we did a afternoon trip to two Native American ruins (Tuzigoot and Montezumas Castle) and to a mining ghost town (Jerome) up in the mountains.. That evening we walked through the tourist area of Sedona and got some fabulous pictures of the red rocks at sunset. Our hotel had a fabulous formation right behind it. The following morning we hiked to the top of the summit in the city to get a panoramic view. While up there, a local native american was playing his drum on the summit. We travelled on to Phoenix. We visited the Superstition Mountains and museum at Apache Junction and the Goldfield ghosttown. We stopped in Scottsdale to visit the American West Museum. We stayed in the small town of Buckeye that evening, with a quick trip to Surpise, AZ for In and Out Burgers. The next morning we took off to Yuma, AZ to visit the Yuma Territorial Prison Museum. We then went acroos the Colorado River to California. We turned back East and headed to Tuscon. We viewed fascinating windfunnels and many interesting views of the desert. We got our first views of the Saguaro Cactus along the sides of the road. We were referred to an authentic Mexican Restaurant that was amazing. We did a little tourning of the city and retreated back to the hotel. The following morning we drove to Tombstone for the old west experience. It was an amazing place. On our way back to Tuscon we toured Saguaro National Park. It was an amazing experience. We stayed amother night in Tuscon and left the following morning to head home. Our next destination was Albuqurque. We arrived in the evening and decided to take a Tram ride up to the top of the Sandia Mountains. Another amazing experience. The following morning we left for another trek north. We experienced a rainstorm in the desert. We headed to the Royal Gorge and then to the Colorado Prison Museum. We spent the evening in Colorado Springs. Fortunately we had a error on our hotel reservation, but lucked out because our hotel faced Pikes Peak and we had a fabulous view and got some awesome pictures. The following morning our goal was to make it home. We decided to not take interstate and cut across on back roads --needless to say, MANY coffees later and nine hours we arrived back home. Ten days on the road, fabulous experiences, and lots of laundry and car unpacking..... but it was hard not to dream of doing this type of trip every day of the year.

In between each of these fascinating experiences I worked with the speed and agility for the Middle School and a few days with high school open gym for volleyball.

2017 Summer

June 1: Left Clarinda at 2:30 AM for our Nationals History Bee and Bowl trip to Atlanta, GA. We flew out of KC and arrived in Atlanta at 9:30 AM EST. Several students had their first trip on a "subway" train (MARTA). We had a quick lunch in the Peachtree Center mall and proceeded to the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Students rested in their rooms a short while I checked them in at the event registration. The contest was held throughout the Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton, all situated between 3 blocks. At 4:30 we proceeded to our Bowl competition for the evening. We finished our four rounds at 9:00 that evening and went back to our rooms.

June 2: We met for breakfast (Starbucks) and went to the opening meeting for bee at 9:00 AM. Students then dispersed with adult chaperones for their individual competitions. We met for lunch and then dispersed again. At 4:30 we went to the food court for our evening meal and then went back to the hotel for four more rounds of team competition until 9:00 PM.

June 3rd: We continued our individual competitions until 3:30 and then met for supper and walked to CVS for snacks for the room. The students finished the day with a couple hours of swimming.

June 4th: We had a later breakfast and walked to the Coca-Cola Museum where the students learned the history and current status of Coke and they also got to sample Coke Products from every continent. We were delayed in the gift shop due to the "monsoon" style rain. We braved the rain, got soaked and proceeded to the Georgia Aquarium. We attended a Dolphin Show and then split up into two groups. One group remained at the aquarium to finish the tour and then visited the Center for Civil Rights. A few of the students had the intense experience of doing sit-in simulation at the counter. The other group proceeded to the College Football Hall of Fame. They had a great experience learning, doing simulation drills, etc. We all met back at the Coke Center and walked to a "southern food" experience at Pitty Pat's Porch. Students got to taste a variety of southern foods including black-eyed peas, collard greens, fried catfish, green fried tomatoes, okra, etc. We then walked back to the hotel for the evening.

June 5th: We walked down to the CNN Center for our tour at 9. Quite an experiential walk. Students got the first-hand experience of crime in a large city. We had to stop for about 10 minutes while a suspect was being apprehended. At 11:30 we had Buckhead Coach pick us up and we traveled to Stone Mountain (large monolith on the North side of Atlanta). We walked around looking at some of the historic sculptures and then proceeded on to the Georgia Capitol Building. Students got to see the Magnolia trees as well as the "sharp" holly bushes. We proceeded then to the MLK gravesite, reflecting pool, King Center, and then the MLK National Park Center. We departed from there to go to our annual Hard Rock Cafe experience. Students revived and we walked back to our hotel to get our bags and proceeded back to the airport. We luckily missed the storms moving through throughout the day, but they caught up with us on our flight. We were delayed at the airport, arrived back at the Central Office at 3:30 AM. Great group of kids and parents made this a great trip.

June 11th: Flew out of Omaha to Regan National Airport in Arlington, VA with Isabel and her mom to compete at the Nationals of National History Day. We took a taxi out to the University of Maryland and to register for the contest.

June 12th: We timed taking the metro out to the University to make sure we were on time for the Senior Contest day on Tuesday. We got things organized and ready to transport props to the building where Isabel would be performing. This took most of the morning.

June 13th: Competition day. We left the hotel at 7 AM to get to the University for Isabel's performance time. She did amazing and had the judges in tears. After the performance, we awaited the finalists' posts. She didn't make finals but found out later that she was under the performer that got second in the national competition. So she was excited to hear that and knew that she had done her job well. The judges loved her performance and were moved by her passion for her subject. Later that day friends from Clarinda happened to be at the same hotel so we joined together for excursions the rest of the day, National Capitol, Air and Space Museum, National Sculpture Garden, and National Archives. A lot of security around as the shooting of the congressman was only 2 miles from our hotel.

June 14th: We finished off the trip with a trip to Arlington National Cemetery, flew back to Omaha, and took three hours to drive home from Omaha trying to avoid the hail, heavy rains, and high wind.

June 17th: Attended the opening of the Manuel Neri art exhibit at CCAM.

June 19th: Took off for Des Moines for the Thursday and Friday's Jumpstart Financial Literacy class. Stayed in Urbandale as the class starts at 7:30 AM Wednesday.

June 20th: FFA Enrichment Center, Ankeny: Iowa JumpStart Conference: Financial Smarts for Students. We had several sessions on implementing the new Iowa Financial Literacy Standards into our classroom. We learned several game simulations as well as several competitions available for students to earn money for college.

June 21st: Continuation of the Financial Literacy Conference. Today's sessions were focused on Personal (us) Financial Literacy. They brought in several guest scholars that talked to us about being confident in our own finances so that we can teach it with confidence to our students. We did several financial exercises and a few games but also gave us a direction on how to become happy within the means of our own wealth.

June 28th: Flew from Kansas City to Washington, D.C. We left at 6:30 AM with a delayed flight. We quickly checked into the Hyatt Regency at Capitol Hill and hurried over to the Russell Senate Building to meet with Senator Joni Ernst. We were provided with a personal tour of the Capitol Building by one of Senator Ernsts interns. I learned a lot more about the building from the first time that I had been there. As we were leaving there was a "protest" on the steps of the capitol so we had the opportunity to video some of the protests.We went back to the hotel for a little bit and then walked over to Union Station to catch our Old Towne Trolley Moonlight Tour of Washington, DC.

June 29th: We ate a quick breakfast, and then walked over to Union Station to catch the Old Towne Trolley Tour of Washington. We made several stops across the city, taking photos at all of the major landmarks. We also took the tour to Arlington Cemetery. After walking 11 miles we returned to our hotel for an evening meal.

June 30th: We walked down to Trump Tower from the hotel and went to the top of the tower to get a fantastic view of the city. Luckily our Moonlight tour guide told us about this fantastic opportunity. From the Trump Tower we went on to the White House Visitor Center and then on to the White House. Due to the upcoming 4th of July Celebration, many of the grounds were closed to the public. This was also during the time of the "healthcare vote" so security was quite tight. We took the trolley back to the hotel and spent some time walking the Capitol Hill Grounds to see some of the places we missed. We also went to the Japanese Memorial that was right around the corner from our hotel.

July 1st: It was our day to leave so we walked to Union Station again and went to the Old Post Office Museum. This was a site that I had not seen before. It was a postal museum, but contained much more historical information. We went back to our room to get our luggage for our return trip. We departed that afternoon to return home.

July 8th: Flew from Kansas City at 6:30 AM to Salt Lake City (stop-over in Phoenix). Checked in at the University of Utah Guest House and went exploring the area. This was the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics and as well Fort Douglas. This area sits in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, a chain of the Rocky Mountains.

SUNDAY (JULY 09) University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Spent some time hiking the trails by Red Rock Nature Center. These trails ranged in altitude leading into the Wasatch Mountains.

05:00-06:00PM @Commanders House (a short walk due south of the University Guest House) Register, pick up materials, and meet fellow NEH Summer Scholars, workshop and Tanner Humanities Center staff. Dinner and drinks will be served. Half of the participants were from Utah. This gave us a great opportunity to get a first-hand view of the area and the content of the week.

06:00-08:00PMWelcome and introduction by Bob Goldberg, Professor of History, University of Utah,Director, Tanner Humanities Center: Lecture, “The Meaning and Myths of Manifest Destiny” byPaul Reeve, Professor of History, University of Utah REQUIRED READING: Hietala, Thomas R. “The Myths of Manifest Destiny." In Manifest Design: American Exceptionalism and Empire, 255-272. New York: Cornell University Press, 2002, Unruh, John D., Jr. “The Mormon Halfway House.” In The Plains Across: the Overland Emigrants and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-60, 302-337. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1979., Woodworth, Stephen E. “The Oregon Trail” and “The Allure and Danger of California.” In Manifest Destinies: America’s Westward Expansion and the Road to the Civil War, 57-90. New York: Knopf, 2010.

MONDAY, JULY 10, COMING TO ZION: EXODUS, MIGRATION, AND SETTLEMENT

08:45-10:30 AM@Tanner Humanities Center (map)

Faculty introductions and overview, Lecture & discussion

“Exodus and the Four Stages of Utah Migration” and “Mormon Settlement Patterns” by Paul Reeves

Primary source exercise: John L. O’Sullivan’s “Annexation” essay and John Gast’s 1872 painting American Progress by Quinn Rollins

10:30-NOON @Tanner Humanities Center, Lecture & discussion “Using Primary Sources in the Classroom” by Keith Erekson

Pedagogical activity, Discussion of lesson project and reflective essay by Quinn Rollins

12:00-04:00 PM @Emigration Canyon & This Is The Place Heritage Park (map) Travel to Emigration Canyon National Historic Landmark and This is the Place Heritage Park (15 minutes). Lunch on site, guided tour by historical staff at 1:00 PM, and additional time for self-guided touring. Return to Tanner Humanities Center.

04:15-5:30 PM@Tanner Humanities Center, Work session Utah settlement villages and Google Maps, an interactive exercise. If time permits, participants will create a short sketch about settlements in their areas (living timeline) or determine supplies for various pioneer treks (pack your wagon) with Quinn Rollins.

REQUIRED READINGS: Hartley, Bill. “Brigham Young’s Overland Trails Revolution.” Journal of Mormon History 28, no. 1 (Spring 2002): 1-30., Kupperman, Karen Ordahl. “The Starving Time at Jamestown.” In True Stories from the American Past (Volume I: To 1865), third edition, edited by Altina L. Waller and William Graebner, 19-40. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003, May, Dean L. “The Making of Saints: the Mormon Town as a Setting for the Study of Cultural Change.” Utah Historical Quarterly 45, no. 1 (Winter 1977): 75-92., Riley, Glenda. “A Comparative View of Mormon and Gentile Women on the Westward Trail.” Journal of Mormon History 24 (Spring 1998): 28-54.

PRIMARY SOURCES: O'Sullivan, John. “Annexation.” United States Magazine and Democratic Review 17, no.1 (July-August 1845): 5-10., Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, Trails of Hope: Overland Diaries and Letters, 1846–1869, Walker, Ronald W. and Doris R. Dant, eds. Nearly Everything Imaginable: The Everyday Life of Utah’s Mormon Pioneers. Provo: BYU Studies / Brigham Young University Press, 1999.

TUESDAY, (JULY 11)GENDER IN THE TERRITORY:

PIONEERS, POLYGAMY, AND SUFFRAGE

08:15-11:00 AM @Tanner Humanities Center. Faculty introductions and overview. Lecture and discussion:“Victorian America, Gender Norms, and the Utah Territory” by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich & Andrea Radke-Moss

11:15-12:30 AM @Lion House, Travel to Lion House (15 minutes) and lunch on site

12:30-03:30 PM@Beehive House & Lion House

Tours: Small group tours of Beehive House and Lion House with Emily Utt and of polygamous family homes with Thomas Carter

03:30-4:30 PM @LDS Church History Library, Work session: Object-centered inquiry by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

04:30-5:30 PM @LDS Church History Library, Work session: Using architecture to teach history by Quinn Rollins

We then had a tour of the Tabernacle grounds by the LDS VIP Tour group and a few missionaries. They went through why the sound is so great for the Morman Tabernacle Choir in the tabernacle.

REQUIRED READINGS: Carter, Thomas. “Polygamy and Patriarchy: Women in the Landscape.” In Building Zion: The Material World of Mormon Settlement, 134-174. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2015. Daynes, Kathryn M. “Nineteenth Century Marriage Law in Utah,” “The Nature of Mormon Marriages,” and “Women Who Became Plural Wives.” In More Wives Than One: Transformation of the Mormon Marriage System, 1840-1910, 55-66, 67-90 and 116-127. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2001. Radke-Moss, Andrea G. “Polygamy and Woman’s Rights: Nineteenth-Century Mormon Female Activism.” In The Persistence of Polygamy: From Joseph Smith’s Martyrdom to the First Manifesto, 1844-1890, edited by Newell K. Bringhurst and Craig Foster, 263-297. Independence, MO: John Whitmer Books, 2013. Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher. “An American Album.” The American Historical Review 115, no. 1 (February 2010): 1-25. “Runaway Wives, 1830-1860.” Journal of Mormon History 42, no. 2 (April 2016): 1-26.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, THE WAR OVER CHURCH, STATE, AND THEOCRACY

08:45-11:00 AM@Tanner Humanities Center. Faculty introductions and overview of day’s activities. Lecture and discussion: “The Utah War in Context and the Mountain Meadows Massacre” by Matt Grow & Paul Reeve

11:00-12:00 PM @Tanner Humanities Center. Primary source exercise: Song lyrics, music, and political cartoons by Quinn Rollins

12:00-01:00 PM @University of Utah campus Lunch on your own. Meet at Fort Douglas Military Museum at 1:15 p.m.

01:15-03:00 PM@Fort Douglas Museum (map). Tour and lecture Fort Douglas Military Museum and Cemetery with onsite historical staff

03:00-05:30 PM@Tanner Humanities Center. Primary source exercise: At Sword’s Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858 by Matt Grow. Work session: Student engagement strategies by Quinn Rollins

REQUIRED READINGS: Grow, Matthew J. “The Utah War, Act I” and “The Utah War, Act II.” In “Liberty to the Downtrodden”: Thomas L. Kane, Romantic Reformer, 149-206. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009. Turley, Richard E. Jr. “Mountain Meadows Massacre.” In Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia, edited by W. Paul Reeve and Ardis E. Parshall, 95-100. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Walker, Ronald W. “Buchanan, Popular Sovereignty, and the Mormons: The Election of 1856.” Utah Historical Quarterly 81, no. 2 (Spring 2013): 108-132.

PRIMARY SOURCES: MacKinnon, William P. At Sword’s Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858. Norman, OK: Arthur H. Clark Company, 2007. Download: PART 1 Download: PART 2 Selected songs and political cartoons.

THURSDAY, JULY 13, MANIFEST DESTINY & NATIVE AMERICANS

08:45-10:00 AM @Tanner Humanities Center. Faculty introductions and overview of day’s activities. Lecture & discussion: “The Bear River Massacre in Context” by Greg Smoak

10:00-03:00 PM @Bear River Massacre National Historic Landmark. Travel, lunch, and tour: Travel to Bear River Massacre National Historic Landmark (2 hours) with lunch at Preston Park, Preston, Idaho (map). Guided exploration of Bear River Massacre site by Greg Smoak, Jeff Nokes, Ken Cannon, and Darren Parry of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. Lecture & discussion (on the bus) by Greg Smoak

03:00-5:30 PM. Return travel to Tanner Humanities Center (2 hours) Primary source exercise (on the bus) Letters, memoirs, and interviews by Jeff Nokes. Discussion (on the bus): “Manifest Destiny from the Native American perspective” and “Assessing Our Teaching of Native American History” by Jeff Nokes

REQUIRED READINGS: Barnes, John. “The Struggle to Control the Past: Commemoration, Memory, and the Bear River Massacre of 1863.” The Public Historian 30 (February 2008): 81-104. Madsen, Brigham D. “The Battle of Bear River” and “The Treaty Period.” In The Bannock of Idaho, 111-70. Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers, 1958. “The California Volunteers Arrive,” “From Battle to Massacre,” “The Last Years of the Shoshoni Frontier,” and “Bear River Soldier Casualties,” and "Massacre at Boa Ogoi." In The Shoshoni Frontier and the Bear River Massacre, 157-238. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1985. Nokes, J. D. “Using Historians’ Heuristics for Working with Primary Sources.” In Building Students' Historical Literacies: Learning to Read and Reason with Historical Texts and Evidence, 65-81. New York: Routledge, 2013.

PRIMARY SOURCES: Conner, P. E. Letter written to Lieutenant Colonel R.C. Drum, U.S. Army, February 6, 1863. In The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I, Volume L, Part 1—Reports, Correspondence, etc. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1897. Drannan, W. F. Thirty-one Years on the Plains and in the Mountains or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Lifetime of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting, and Indian Fighting in the Far West. Chicago, IL: Rhodes and McClure Publishing Company, 1908. Interviews with Members of Utah’s Five Historic Tribes. Taveapont, Venita (Ute); Cantrell, Ella and Candace Bear (Goshute); Timbimboo-Madsen, Patty (Northwestern Shoshone); Denetdale, Jennifer and Joe Shirley (Navajo); and Parashonts, Travis (Paiute). In We Shall Remain: A Native History of America and Utah: Utah Indian Curriculum Guide, 189-194. Salt Lake City, UT: The University of Utah’s American West Center and Utah Division of Indian Affairs, 2009. Navarro, Meghan A. “The Battle of Bear River by Edmond J. Fitzgerald, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.” Link to Smithsonian National Postal Museum for sources: https://postalmuseum.si.edu/indiansatthepostoffice/mural19.html. Woonsook, H. Interview conducted by Lorin Gaardner, Fort Hall Idaho, Feb. 29, 1968. American West Center Doris Duke American Indian Oral History Project, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah.

FRIDAY, JULY 14,THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD & UTAH'S GOLDEN SPIKE

08:00 AM SHARP MEET @UNIVERSITY GUEST HOUSE LOBBY AND LOAD BUS

08:05-09:30 AM Travel to Golden Spike National Historic Site (1.5 hours). Faculty introductions and overview (on the bus). Lecture & discussion (on the bus): “The Meeting of the Rails” by Richard Sadler

09:30-01:00 PM @Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Summitt.Tour and lunch. Guided tour by the National Park Service historical staff and lunch on site. Our group did a reenactment of the Golden Spike Ceremony. We had the opportunity to see and take pictures of the two engines from the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific.

01:00-03:45 PM. Travel to Utah State Railroad Museum plus tour of Corrine, Utah (1 hour). tour of Corrine, Utah (1 hour). Tour: Utah State Railroad Museum by Richard Sadler and on-site historical staff. Return travel to the Tanner Humanities Center (45 minutes). We stopped at the site of the final cut for the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Point. We had the opportunity to see the North "dry area" of the Great Salt Lake.

03:45-04:30 PM @Tanner Humanities Center. Work session: Finalizing and sharing lesson plans by Quinn Rollins

04:30-5:30 PM @Tanner Humanities Center. Wrap up, evaluation: Concluding remarks by co-directors Bob Goldberg and Paul Reeve

REQUIRED READINGS: Bain, David H. “A Man for Breakfast Every Morning” and “1869, A Resistless Power.” In Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad, 550-644. New York: Viking Press, 1999. White, Richard. “Working Men.” In Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America, 278-316. New York: W. W. Norton, 2012.

Left the University Guest House to get closer to the airport.

Saturday, July 15th: Flew out of Salt Lake City, layover in Phoenix, back to Kansas City

July 21st: Attended HS VB open gym.

Wednesday, July 26-29th: Left to go to Sioux Falls, SD after finding out that our great grandson had passed away. We spent time with family with the funeral being on Saturday. We had originally planned to go to Doon, Iowa for its 125th anniversary this weekend, so we did travel to Doon on the 28th and the 29th and found very little activity.

July 31st-August 4th: HS VB camp.

August 5th: We left to travel to Colorado for niece's wedding. We stayed in Ogallala, NE and toured the Boot Hill Cemetery, the Mansion on the Hill , Front Street, and then drove out to Lake McConaughy.

August 6th: We left Ogallala to travel to Loveland, CO to visit my husband's niece (I76 to Hwy 14). We then traveled on to our destination at the YMCA of the Rockies where the wedding would take place. We spent a little time exploring and then met up with the rest of my family in Estes Park for an evening meal. The weather certainly did not cooperate. It was very cool and rainy most of the trip.

August 7th: We did a little walking around the camp, but again due to the weather (couldn't even see the mountains surrounding the camp due to the heavy clouds and rain). I helped decorate for the wedding reception... still raining. The wedding was scheduled at 5 at the Overlook Chapel on top of the Mountain, however due to the rain it was held inside at the Ponder Chapel on campus.

August 8th: Our anniversary. We met with all of my family members for breakfast (first time we've all been together since my mom's passing). The sun finally came out and we decided to take a tour of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was excellent. We had a chance to see a few elk just lying out in the sun at the highest peak (tundra area). As we started to progress down the mountain, the rain and clouds moved back in. We continued on I70 back through Denver and stayed at Sterling, CO. The hotel staff recommended the Old Town Bistro for supper so we decided to go.

August 9th: In the AM we took a brief hike around the lake behind the hotel and then moved on to the Overland Trail Museum. This was an excellent museum...one of the best that I've seen. Very well organized into a "town" setting and contained much information. After spending two hours there we decided to move on. We continued on our way home on I-80 and made a stop at Fort Cody Trading Post in North Platte, NE. We arrived home that evening at about 8:30 PM.

August 10th-11th: HS VB practice in the AM and MS VB Camp in the PM.

2016 Summer

End of May: Northwest Iowa and Southeast South Dakota

Went to Falls Park in Sioux Falls. The site of the largest flour mill, the Queen Bee, east of the Mississippi in the late 1800's. Historic remains exist of the flour mill and a few renovated portions are also located there. The Falls are a natural landform, created by the large granite formation and the flow of the Big Sioux River. From there we visited the Historic Downtown, where many of the historic buildings were built with the granite found in this area. Much of this area has been renovated from the time that I lived in the Sioux Falls area.

We then went to the historic Klondike Dam site located in the Lyon County area of Northwest Iowa. This is the site where my husband and I got married. A historical registered bridge overlooks the Big Sioux River, joining South Dakota and Iowa. While there on the river bank, we found a unique artifact that we are still investigating.

We also visited family graves in Doon, Rock Rapids, and George, IA. ...and of course visited family in the area and went to the family farms where I grew up.

June

3rd - Went to the Community Board Member and Junior Docent Introduction to the new exhibit at CCAM

4th-Introduced several of the NHD students at the Nodaway Valley Museum, who participated in this year's National History Day Program. They presented their projects to the community at the First Sunday Program.

8th-13th: Headed to Chicago for the Nationals of MS History Bee and Bowl

Left at 7:30 on Arrow Bus Lines headed to Chicago. I80 most of the way and the students had the opportunity to stop at the World's Largest Truck Stop for their PM meal.

We arrived in Chicago and checked into the Hyatt and then chose to partake in something Chicago is known for, Chicago style pizza. We walked about a mile to a Chicago favorite, Giodarnos.

The next morning we registered and started with the team competitions and specialty competitions. The students' bee competitions were staggered over the next couple of days.

On Saturday night we made a trip to downtown Chicago and went to the Hard Rock Cafe and finished the evening off with a trip to Millennium Park where the students had the opportunity to see the "bean". Chicago was packed with people as there was a large Jazz Festival and as well the America's Cup was also in Chicago (first time on fresh water).

Sunday we took our educational tours. The students rode to the top of the Willis Tower and walked out on the glass. We then proceeded to the Shedd Aquarium and then to the Field Museum. We didn't have near enough time at the Field Museum. We finished off the tours with Navy Pier, however, due to the America's cup, part of it was blocked off so they couldn't go to the end of the pier.

Monday was our day to leave, however, we had the opportunity to have a private tour of Wrigley Stadium, the second oldest stadium in the country. The students then had the opportunity to try a "Chicago Dog" at a nearby eatery. Then came the long ride home....... We had a great time!

19th-22: Headed to Des Moines for the Social Studies Best Practices Institute held at the Iowa State Historical Museum.

I attended a variety of sessions at the Institutes including information on POW Camps in Clarinda and Algona, Inquiry Methods for Social Studies using the C-3 Framework, The UnderGround Railroad in Grinnell, Native American Understanding in today's Cultural Studies, and new learning from Iowa Public TV and their resources.

22-26: Headed to Atlanta, GA and Anniston, AL

On Wednesday, the 22nd we flew to Atlanta for the Freedom Riders Trail Symposium. Arrived late due to a weather-delayed flight.

Thursday, the 23rd we explored Atlanta and visited and toured the CNN Center and also visited the MLK Memorial, the National Park Service Museum, and the King Center. We then left the chaotic driving of Atlanta to our destination of Anniston, Alabama. While driving through the downtown, we got to observe the building of the new Georgia Dome. When we arrived in Anniston we checked in at our symposium hotel, Hotel Finial. This was a recently renovated historic hotel. We checked in at the "carriage house" and our breakfasts were served in the "main house". We then walked to the Chamber to start exploring the historic town and to get an idea of what our symposium would focus on. We walked to several of the featured Freedom Rides Trail and other landmarks within the community.

Friday, the 24th we started the symposium. We met at the Anniston Public Library to access primary sources. Files of the bus burning time period were brought out and we had the opportunity to read through and scan these sources to have a clear idea of the sentiment at the time.

We then proceeded to the unveiling of the Civil Rights Freedom Riders Trail at the Seventeenth Street Baptist Church Service. This church is infamous for the early Civil Rights meetings of the area. This service included many of the "players" of the civil rights era. Dr./Rev. William B. McClain was the main speaker and retraced the history of the era with his experiences. He was there when the burning occurred but also was involved in the "library incident" where there were African Americans beat up for wanting to get a library card. This service was to introduce the reasoning behind the trail and the purpose in history. Dr. Noble, the author of Beyond the Burning Bus (which was our reading for the class), introduced Dr. McClain.

After the service, we went to lunch at a historical railroad station. We were able to have lunch with one of the Freedom Riders, Bill Harbour. He explained his role and what his involvement was in the civil rights movement. We were able to ask questions, one on one, as well as to hear his stories. Also at our lunch were the leaders of the group requesting recognition of their Freedom Trail as a National Park. This was an amazing experience to hear the stories that haven't been told in history books.

That afternoon we took a tour of the markers on the trail and to hear the stories of what happened in that area. We then went to the local high school to hear from students that have done research on the Freedom Trail and the town of Anniston's history. We had a long conversation about Janie McKinley Forsyth, the well-known little "white" girl who gave water to one of the injured on the bus.

In the evening we ate at another historical building with a "dark" past.

Saturday the 25th, we worked on lesson plans to use in our classrooms and then reviewed with each other our plans.

That afternoon we left to see a National Park Preserve just north of Anniston, the Little River Canyon. This area is in the lower range of the Appalachian Mountains. On the way back to Atlanta from there, we were able to actually travel on the original route of the Trail of Tears. That evening we stayed in Bremen, GA.

Sunday, the 26th, we left Atlanta for home....and again, plane late due to weather.

27th-28th. NHD Teacher's Institute in Des Moines

After arriving home late the past evening, I left for Des Moines for two days to spend more time learning about the National History Day Process. Vania Boland, state director, went step by step through each category to give detail as to what is expected. She also brought in one of the National winners to go step by step through his learning of the process and of course his winning website. Stefanie Wager was there to share how we can incorporate the History Day process into our regular classrooms as it is so closely related to the C-3 Framework. It was a great learning experience that I can share with the students.

July

After reading several texts and readings on Hoover Dam, finally the Workshop:

16th-Flew out of Kansas City to Las Vegas Airport. Headed to Boulder Dam Hotel in Boulder City, Nevada for the NEH Hoover Dam and the Shaping of the American West Landmarks workshops. Built in 1933 to accommodate dignitaries visiting the construction of Boulder Dam (later named Hoover Dam), the historic Boulder Dam Hotel Preserves the classic style of the era while providing all of the comforts of today. Located in the center of Boulder City, the hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When I arrived I spent time walking the historic city to get an idea of the community before the workshop. This city is filled with many antique stores and historical eating establishments.

17th Started out the morning walking in another direction from the hotel from the day before. Within three blocks of the hotel was a breath-taking view of Lake Mead and the surrounding landscape. After finding this area, I decided to make this my daily walking routine as it was a challenging mountain trek down into the valley and back up. The sunrise over the mountains and lake was beyond belief.

I then took a tour of the Hoover Dam Museum located in the hotel.

We started our workshop at 5:30 that evening and I had the opportunity to meet our scholars in charge of the workshop, Dr. Anthony Arrigo (UMASS) and Dr. Michael Green (UNLV) and 35 teacher peers from around the country. We met in the hotel restaurant and had our first speaker of the workshop, William W. Rowley. He spoke on the Context of Hoover Dam in the American West.

18th At Las Vegas Nevada State History Museum, then at UNLV Lied Library Special Collections department, with scholar Dr. Greg Hise, Dr. Eugene Moehring, and Dr. Su Kim Chung. That evening we had an evening tour of the Hoover Dam. Great photo opportunities as there was a full moon and it was just turning dark.

19th Dr. Richard Guy Wilson spoke in the morning on the design, engineering, and architectural features of the Hoover Dam. We made a trip to the Hoover Dam in the afternoon. We took a tour of the power plant facility and were able to see and hear about the various components of this massive structure. We had a great NP tour guide. Security was tight at the Dam, the bus was searched, as were our bags.

That evening we watched "Chinatown" in the Boulder Dam Museum screening room. This movie was shown to due to a correlation between the "politics" of Hoover Dam and the story line of the movie.

20th We started out with a "Walking Tour" of Boulder City with Dr. Michael Green and Dr. Michele Turk. They gave us a historical view of the original city designed as a government reservation for the workers and management that built the Hoover Dam. Our readings and guides explained how the Six Companies Group that built the Dam really owned the workers. They made money off the workers that lived in the city and controlled everything they did from their living quarters, the church, the school, the library, and almost everything. Our final stop on the tour was a Historical Theater (National Register of Historic Places) now owned by Desi Arnez Jr. Our director tried to get our movie in this theater, but Desi Arnez, Jr. would not open it and does not except for his daughter's dance performances.

Dr. Turk then gave a session on Labor and the New Deal, the Great Depression, and Hoover Dam.

In the after noon we had a session by Dr. DeAnna Beachley on Women and the New Deal, the Great Depression and Hoover Dam. The afternoon ended with our teaching mentor, Richard Mercurio, on curriculum development for the workshop lesson plan.

In the evening we had a reception at the Denton House, built for the Bureau of Reclamation during the dam's construction. This house overlooks Lake Mead and contains several historic memories.

21st We had all of our sessions at the Boulder City Public Works department today. Dr. Claytee White spoke first on African-Americans and the New Deal, the Great Depression, and Hoover Dam. We learned that there were very few African Americans that actually worked on the Dam. It was during this time that the NAACP formed, with many of the leaders being from this area and playing a big role in the few workers being hired. She then had a great Oral History Workshop after her presentation. She gave us terrific resources and stories of the area.

Dr. William Bauer spoke next on Native Peoples and the Hoover Dam. It was interesting to hear the consequences of the building of the Dam on the indigenous people of this area. ...including the burying of an ancient city. We ended with a work time for our workshop lesson plan.

22nd We left the hotel at 7:15 (due to the heat) for a field trip that was amazing. We traveled NW of Boulder City to get an environmental and archaeological view of the area surrounding Hoover Dam. We took the scenic route around the west side of Lake Mead and witnessed the awesome landscape and reasoning behind the building of the dam. This arid region contains a variety of land forms and colors. We drove through the Lake Mead Recreation National Reserve up to the Valley of Fire State Park. It was 117 degrees in most of the area. However, we went down in the valley and hiked through an area where it was 130 degrees. We trekked through deep, hot sand to view "rock art" sometimes called petroglyphs. According to our anthropologist scholar, Dr. Karen Harry, the rock art dates back to BC. While hiking through this area we saw a variety of the rock art as well as a family of Big Horn Sheep. We spotted the baby first and then encountered the rest of the family jumping through the rocks of the mountain. We visited the second area within the valley to observe art and ate our lunch at this site.

We then went to the Lost City and visited the Lost City Museum. This area is a Puebloan archaeological site where an ancient American Indian settlement was located. The dig of this area started before Lake Mead began to fill and they continued to work on it as the Lake was filling. The site was then covered with water and now that the lake is starting to recede, it is being uncovered again. On the way back we drove by the Virgin River Valley that is truly an "oasis" site in this area. We also passed the Lake Las Vegas area where they actually built a man-made lake over a natural spring in the area.

On the way to this area and on the way back we had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Andy Kirk on The Environmental History of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

We then visited the Lake Mead Visitor Center and the National Park Service gave a background of the lake itself. It was so hot in the area that the bus we were riding on had a hard time keeping the air conditioning cool enough to be comfortable.

We arrived back at the hotel for our final session. We had our final dinner together as each of the teachers from across the country gave their presentation on a lesson that they will present to their classes based on the workshop. It was great hearing all the different ideas of how to present this information.

23rd Left Boulder City, back to Las Vegas to the airport for 6 hours and then flew back home to KC and then drove home from there.

26th Headed to Kansas City to stay over for flight out early.

27th Took a flight from Kansas City to Sacramento, CA. Landed mid-day and rented a car. We headed to our hotel at the Historic Downtown Sacramento. We spent the afternoon walking Old Town, visiting the old store fronts, Pony Express ending terminus area, California Railroad Museum, the Sacramento River, and the old steam ship now converted into a Hotel/Restaurant. We then indulged at the California famous In and Out Burger. In the evening we went down to the California Capitol Building as well as the old Governor's mansion.

28th We travelled from Sacramento to San Francisco through Napa Valley on I80. Our first stop was San Quentin. We toured the Prison Museum and had a great "history" conversation with the curator. This was our best "prison" visit of the trip, however, we were not allowed to take any photos of the displays and/or artifacts. We had a great view of the bay from this location and were able to take a few distant pictures of the prison as well as the bay. The fog was just moving in, so it was a great photo op.

We then traveled up to Muir Woods National Monument. We were told not to miss this area. We drove through a quickly elevating curvy road to get to the area and looked for a long time for a parking spot. Needless to say, we didn't find one but had the opportunity to see some of the Redwoods that were located within the area.

We continued down the mountain, back to San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. It was clear on one side of the bridge but covered with fog on the other side. We checked into Holiday Inn Express, our hotel on Fisherman's Wharf, finding that we had a great view of the bay from our window. We spent the afternoon walking the wharf, including the National Park Maritime Museum. They had on display a submarine and warship. That evening we walked down the bay to see where we would be departing on our Alcatraz Cruise and city tour. We decided that in order to make it on time we would have to take a cable car in the morning to get there. Coming back to our hotel we found the famous Pier 39. We couldn't believe we missed it on our first pass through. We had the opportunity to take photos of sea lions that have moved into the pier area after one of their islands has disappeared. There were numerous lions just laying out in the sun. We ate "fish and chips" since we were on the bay.

29th We boarded our cable car and departed from Ferry Building 1 for our tour. Our narrated tour took us to Lombard Street (we walked down so that we could take pictures from the base), Golden Gate Bridge (we drove over and because it was so foggy they decided to take us to a private location below so we could get a better photo opportunity), China Town, Fortune Cookie Factory (samples were given and we could video the workers as the made them), Palace of Fine Arts, Grace Cathedral, Alamo Square Park (Full House scene area), Cable Car Barn Museum, and then took a break in Sausalito for lunch. We then continued our Ferry Cruise for the trip back to the Wharf.

In the afternoon, we took the Alcatraz Cruise to Alcatraz Island. A dolphin passed by and so that was great to see in the wild. We toured Alcatraz. Is was not as noteworthy as I thought it would be. We had seen many documentaries on it, but it didn't measure up. Many of the buildings had not been maintained, so there wasn't as much to see as what we thought.... it could be that we were cold and wet from the ship throwing back water, fog, and the wind. However, we had a great day. We checked out for the evening and left San Francisco during Friday night rush hour....it took quite a while to get to the bridges to get out. We stayed in Vacaville that evening, an hour out of San Francisco.

30th We had a heavy agenda planned for the day, but meeting with locals along the way we did some changes. We stopped in Auburn and got some great information from a historic welcome center. We then headed to Nevada City and walked the historic downtown and met a great WWII vet. He owns an antique shop there and we had a good conversation.

We went to Colfax from there. This is a Historic Railroad town. Amtrak still has an active route through this town and Historic Depot.

From there we headed to Soda Springs. This is a town of 296 that sits at the base to the Donner Summit. We got water and gas and headed to the summit. We did some walking around the area and took several pictures of the Summit and the railroad tunnels of the transcontinental railroad. We also had a great photo opportunity of Donner's Lake. We missed China Wall, however in all of our moving around.

We then headed back down to Truckee and visited the Donner Memorial State Park.

Our next stop was Reno, NV, where we stayed for the evening. Much of the city of Reno was "closed". They city was having a celebration of art in the downtown area. It was very "interesting". People were dressed "differently" and there were a variety of pyro art displays put to music as well as performances, etc.

31st We headed to Virginia City, NV (home to Bonanza). We stopped in several scenic areas on the way as there was still snow in some of the areas. Virginia City was very interesting. The town itself is now more focused on the "Comstock Lode" rather than the history of the show Bonanza. There are a few hints of it, but not a lot. We took a steam locomotive on a tour of the various mining areas around the city and found it very informative. It was great though as we had seen wild horse signs on the road, but didn't see any on the road. We did, however, see a herd of the wild horses on the mountain as the train was coming back into town. We walked around a little more and decided it was time to finish the tour by car. As we took off with the car, several of the horses have come down into town. We took a few pictures as they came towards us, finished touring and on the last block going out, we found three more just grazing on the grass on a lawn. This was great.

We then headed to Carson City, NV. We checked into our hotel and had a great view of the Sierra Nevadas from the east. That evening we went down to the Nevada State Capitol Building and surrounding area. Nothing seems to match our State Capitol Building. We had a great restaurant recommendation for the evening at Ole Ole, an authentic Mexican Restaurant. It was as great as our hotel clerk stated.

Aug. 1st We checked on the Historical Prison in Carson City, but upon arriving, it had not been opened for the public yet. Within the area, we found a great historical find. Stewart Indian School Campus was located in this same area. We stopped and walked the campus and had a great history lesson from the receptionist at the Nevada Indian Commission office located on the campus. The campus now houses many State agencies, but the buildings are definitely a great history of what our nation did to some of the American Indian children. I hope to learn more from the director of the commission. School children in that area go to the school as a field trip to learn the history and she shows a power point to them of the history. I will be contacting her soon.

We then left Carson City, headed to South Lake Tahoe. We went back into the Sierra Nevadas and watch the beauty of the lake appear in the distance. We finally found an excellent vista point, Logan Shoals Point. There were a few spots to take photos from and some historical background of the area. We then climbed down the mountain to get a closer view of the lake. The path was rough, but we made it down. There was a path along the side and then a rocky fall off into the lake. Then came the trek back up....after finding the path we came down on. It took a little bit, as my foot was not quite working as well I would have expected from the surgery in January. It also was a little tough being at 7600 feet above sea level and doing a lot of walking at all different elevations over the past week and a half. After a couple slips, finally back up to admire the beauty again. So well worth it. This area has a tremendous example of glacial moraines. Just looking at the mountains, we could see the scrapes on the granite.

We drove into South Lake Tahoe. We just missed a bear family playing in the lake on the beach. They came down from the mountain to seek refuge from the heat.

We continued on our way to our next mission, the first "Gold Discovery" at Marshall State Park in Coloma, CA. We arrived after a winding trip through the mountain and toured the visitor center. We met a great couple that ran the gift shop. They were similar to us in occupations and had ties to Iowa and Nebraska. We then went to see a historic bridge that goes over the American River at the site, then to the stone monument marking Sutter's Mill where the gold was found in the river, reached in to feel the cool water, and then walked the rest of the displays throughout the park. We left there and went up to the mountain above to photograph the statue of Marshall, pointing down at the place where he found the golf.

From here we went to our evening stop in El Dorado Hills, CA. After several days of over 100 degrees, we decided to stay in for the evening (other than a trip to Taco Bell).

Aug. 2nd We headed to Folsom, for our next historical prison stop. We watched a short film about the prison, toured the prison museum, and had a good conversation with the curator. We had few good photo ops, but only so many were allowed. It was our intent to see the advertised Johnny Cash Art tour through and around the prison, but after looking at an empty spot where it was supposed to be, we went on to the town to find out where it was. We stopped at the visitor's center and she told us the only thing that was done so far was the guitar that we saw on the bank of the prison, and the bridge going to the lake (which we saw). So, I guess we saw the beginning of history. We walked some of the historical parts of the city and found a Pony Express Station and marking that was interesting. It was right next to a historical Assay station.

We decided to move on, got back on highway 50 back to Sacramento, and then stayed in Nacoma, CA for the night so we would be close to the airport for departure the next day. We took advantage of an In and Out close by and then retired for the evening.

Aug 3rd Time to head to the airport to go home. Flew out at 2:50 PM PT and arrived in Phoenix for a quick plane change and then into KC at 10:30 CT. We arrived home at 1:30 AM Thursday. Super trip. We wanted to squeeze in Yosemite, but couldn't get it in. So many places to see in a week's time.

2015 Summer

End of May: Louisville, KY

Escorted National History Bee and Bowl students to Louisville, Kentucky for the National Competition. Students traveled through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana to arrive in Louisville. While in Louisville participating in the competition, students also visited the Louisville Slugger Museum and watched the process of how the bats are made and the history of their company. They also toured the Muhammed Ali Center, the Kentucky Derby Museum, Churchill Downs, and had the experience of seeing a live horse race at Churchill Downs. They also had the tour guide give a brief talk about Pharaoh (was actually there to train), the horse that won the triple crown in June.

Last weekend of May: Visited Lauritsen Gardens in Omaha, Old Market, and the Durham Museum with my husband's Aunt and Uncle from Luverne, MN.

June

Rain, Rain, Rain, and more rain.......gardening, mowing, mowing, mowing,

Started out the month working on curriculum for the upcoming year. Looking forward to a couple changes in the curriculum to help individual learning needs.

12th & 14th Went to experience the opening of the new exhibit: Motion:Emotion at the CCAM in Clarinda as a Community Board Member. Great Exhibit.

17th-18th Working for the Iowa DOE on the State Social Studies Curriculum Task team in Des Moines. Working on recommendations for a K-12 Curriculum and practices.

19th- Headed to Texas, brief stop over in Arkansas at my sister's in Bentonville, Arkansas, stopped at the Crystal Bridges Art Museum built by the Walton Foundation. This was a beautiful relaxing area. We then went on to Dallas, staying in Ennis, Texas that evening.

On the 20th we continued on to Huntsville, Texas. While there we toured the Texas State Prison Museum, The Wall, Old Town Huntsville Historic District, Sam Houston's burial site at Oakwood Cemetery, the Sam Houston Statue (3rd largest statue in the world), and the Sam Houston Museum off I-45. We went on to Houston and visited the school where I first taught in San Jacinto, and where I used to live. Unfortunately, we were delayed, due to an accident on the way to my mentor teacher I used to teach with at Pleasantville Elementary in Houston. So we ended up waiting for a tow truck for several hours, having a scary ride in the tow truck from the east side of Houston to the west side of Houston, being dropped off at a closed auto repair shop, trying to figure out what to do and where to stay, and then slowly drove our disabled car to a motel six blocks away in Jersey Village, Texas. What an ordeal.

On the 21st , after figuring out what had to be done with the car, we rented a car and went to the Houston Ship Channel Bridge, and then on to Galveston Bay and Pleasure Island. We spent time walking on the beach of Galveston Bay and visiting the area where Hurricane Katrina hit. We then went on to the LBJ Houston Space center.

On the 22nd, we went on to Austin, to the Texas State Capitol building and grounds. We stayed in Buda, TX that evening.

On the 23nd, we went on to San Antonio. Our first place to visit was the Alamo, then on to the River Walk, Mexican Governors' Palace, San Fernando Cathedral where the Alamo heroes are interred, and then on to the largest Mexican market North of Mexico. We stayed in Selma, TX that evening.

On the 24th, we went on to the Natural Bridges Wildlife Safari, near New Braunfels, Texas. We learned that if your window is open too far, the Zebras really will try to bite. We then traveled to the third recommended place to see in Texas, the outlet malls at San Marcos. That evening we visited the historic town of Gruene, TX. We visited the Oldest Dance hall in Texas. This is the place where John Travolta filmed the movie, Michael. We then had our evening meal at the Grist Mill River Restaurant. This is an old cotton mill that sits on the edge of the Guadalupe River. Then, back to Houston, to see if our car was done (largest car port and car parts port in the USA, but they couldn't find parts for the car). It was not, so we stayed in Sequin, TX.

Finally, on the 25th, after five days our car was done. We left Houston, and traveled north and stayed in Denton, TX north of Fort Worth.

On the 26th, we headed north to Oklahoma. We stopped at the Chickasaw Cultural Center at Sulphur, Oklahoma to learn more about the Chickasaw Nation. We were able to see a demonstration of a few of their traditional dances, as well as see the traditional style living quarters. We then traveled on to Miami, Oklahoma. We attended the Miami Nation Powwow that evening. This was a great opportunity to see the meeting of several Native American Nations as they competed in tribal dances. We were invited out to participate in the "Friendship Dance." We stayed that evening in Miami. This town is home to nine different Native American Nations as well as home to the Historic Route 66 and Mickey Mantle's boyhood home.

The 27th, headed home. Good to be home in our own car! We definitely appreciate the driving of small town Iowa to the hectic driving of Houston, Dallas, and Austin.

July:

The Richest Hills, National Endowment of the Humanities Class, Helena, and a variety of mining towns in Montana

July 9th- Left home and headed across Nebraska Via Hwy 2 and then I-80 and then on to Hwy 26 to Wyoming. (Mormon Trail, Oregon Trail, California Trail). Then on to Casper, Wyoming on I-25. Stayed in Casper by the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center.

July 10th- Continued North on I-25 to Montana. Once in Montana, I visited the Little Big Horn National Park Site. It was amazing and very interesting. Rattle snakes rustling in the grass as I walked the site. I then traveled on I-44 through Billings, Bozeman, across the Bozeman Pass (through a thunderstorm) and then onto Helena.

July 11th- Walked through much of the city trying to take in as much of the scenery as I could before my class started the following day. I walked to the Montana State Capitol building and took a tour of the old Governor's mansion, the old territorial prison in Helena, hiked up to the fire tower overlooking the city, once used in the beginning of Helena as a place to spot fires and warn the community, and observed a variety of other historic buildings. Our hotel for the class was settled along the Last Chance Gulch (first discovery of gold in what is now Helena). This area is now historically preserved as the Last Chance Walking Mall.

Jully 12th - Mount Helena was visible through my hotel window and I had read about the various trails to the top. Since the base of the mountain was right near my hotel I decided to take an early morning hike. Thinking it would be about an hour trip to the top I started out on the most scenic trail. After getting up to about an altitude of 5000 feet, I decided I better get back in order to be ready for the start of my class (and finding out from a hiker coming down that I was only 3/4 of the way to the top--found out that as it gets closer to the top it circles instead of going straight up -- and of course totally exhausted).

Our class started at 5:00 with a panel of historians who would lead our class on "The Richest Hills: Mining in the Far West, 1860-1920. The scholar historians consisted of a Professor of American Indian Studies, George Mason University Historian and Historian of Helena, Environmental Specialist, Historian for the Montana Department of Transportation, and several historians for the Montana Historical Society. We got to meet as well the 35 other scholars from across the country chosen to participate in this Landmark Workshop sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

July 13th - We departed the hotel for the Montana Historical Society. We were given our expectations for project completion and were presented with numerous primary sources that the museum holds. We then had a variety of historical scholars present:

Dr. Shane Doyle- gave us a deeper understanding of the ways in which the discovery of gold led to dramatic and irreversible changes to the lives of the regions American Indians

Picturing History: this was a hands-on primary source workshop using photographs all the way back to the silver type and others. We were able to go through the process of analyzing and interpreting the history and subjects of the photographs

We were then treated to a "mini" Powwow and a traditional Indian taco. We had the opportunity to learn some of the dances as well as had some of our scholars participate in the drum ceremony.

We then departed for Reeder's Alley. This location features some of the original architecture of the mining period and as well an 1864 Pioneer cabin and 1870 row-house style apartments built for the miners. While at this location we spent time looking at how to read historic Sanborn maps. These maps can tell us what was located in these buildings at a certain period of time, all the way in depth as to tell us the windows, stairs, etc.

In the evening were taken on a bus tour of the cultural overview and intimate look at Helen's Jewish community, industrial remnants, architectural milestones and early infrastructure. We then visited a National Historic Cemetery for the Jewish community.

July 14th - We had a historical tour of Bannack State Park, Montana's First Capital. Here we were able to focus on early mining technology, the remains, and reclamation work. We were able to visit many of the original buildings that remain and hear the stories of what happened in this town and why it is no longer inhabited. We then had the opportunity to pan for gold. A few of us found a few flakes of gold, but many of us left with several garnets that are also found in this area.

We then departed for Nevada City where we were to stay that evening. We stayed in "miners" cabins...whole new experience...very rustic to the point that when all the lights were off, you could see light through the cracks in the door. Nevada City is what they call a historic building zoo. A former governor of Montana purchased many original buildings and their contents from around the state. The little town is created from these buildings, anywhere from a blacksmith shop to a livery stable and so on.

We then left in the evening to go to Virginia City, a historic town where several vigilantes during the gold mining period were buried on Boot Hill. We were then led on a "spirit stroll" in which a Montana Historic Society Historian told the stories of the people who had lived in this town at one time. Our historian is well-known for her stories of haunted historic places.

July 15th- We spent time visiting Boot Hill and hearing the stories of "law" during the mining period and how people took things into their own hands many times. We also had the opportunity to walk Bozeman trail.

From there, we departed to go to Butte. In the evening we were given a background of the city and it changes from being a small mining town to a city of over 100,000, back to a city of only 30,000. We had the opportunity to stay in the historic Finlen Hotel, ornately decorated with copper.

July 16th - We had a brief lecture on the Archives of Butte. We then departed for the Granite Mountian Overlook, a tour of the one of the closed Butte mines and the inner workings of the entire process, the memorial from the great Speculator Mine fire where over 160 miners lost their lives, and the Berkely Pit, formerly an open-pit copper mine and- now filled with heavy metals and acidic water. We then retreated to the hotel where we heard lectures about the native cultures of Butte and to try and answer the question, "why Butte?". In the evening we took a tour of a hand painted Serbian Orthodox Church. This was an amazing example of art and as well how many nations were represented during the mining era in Butte. People came from all over to settle in the community for the mining jobs.

July 17th, Friday, We started out the morning in the Copper Bowl Room of the hotel, learning about the Literature of Mining and Mining Childhood: Growing up in Butte. In the afternoon we toured the Mai Wah Museum. Here we learned the history of the Chinese in Butte and their contribution to the town.

We then were given a private tour of the World Museum of Mining. We put on the mining gear and got to go into an underground mine. They took us down to the first level of tunnels. We were able to see down into the shafts of how the toxic water is rising. We were shown the process of underground mining. This mine is currently being used to train students at the Montana School of Technology.

In the evening we had a private screening of Butte, America (a PBS film). The creator of the film was there to explain it.

July 18. We departed to tour Anaconda. On our way, we were shown the Superfund Process to clean up the toxic run-off that has happened due to the mining. While inAnaconda we had the opportunity to learn the process of "analyzing buildings for historical purpose". We used Sanborn maps, local library records, visual appearance, and some personal interpretation.

We then headed to Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. This is an active ranch and we had the opportunity to have a chuck wagon ride, tour the archives held on the ranch to preserve ranching history, tour the landscape to see the work of the Superfund still needed from the area's mining, and then finished with a catered meal in the ranch dairy barn.

We then departed back to Helena to finish the workshop. My husband flew in to join me, so I took him on a walking tour of Helena. We visited the amazing Cathedral and several of the older buildings including the territorial capital of the Montana Territory that is now a courthouse, the jail that is now a performing arts center, and several other historic buildings.

July 19th We made a quick sweep through Helena one last time revisiting the State Capitol Building, Old Governor's Mansion, some of the wealthy homes of the past, Reeder's Alley, the base of Mount Helena, and a few other historic places. We decided to take the Gates of the Mountain tour on the headwaters of the Missouri River. This was a two-hour tour. Our guide shared the story of the Lewis and Clarks expedition in this area and pointed out many of the sites and quotes as listed in their journal to Thomas Jefferson. We saw many bald eagles, osprey, mule deer and elk. Our guide also pointed out the devastation of fire in the mountains and how several new fire fighting techniques had their origin within this area. Then we departed to Deer Lodge where the first territorial prison was held in the Montana Territory. We toured the facility and many of the historic museums within the town. Then on to Butte to share the information learned about the mines. It was interesting crossing the continental divide many times throughout this trip. Butte is unique in the fact that the continental divide forms three sides of Butte. Perhaps this is a good thing due to all the toxicity of the area. We stayed in Butte that evening.

July 20th We visited the Berkely Pit and had the opportunity to hear the horns that they sound in the morning and evening to stop wildlife from going to the toxic water. We then headed on to Yellowstone National Park. We took the scenic tour of US Hwy 287. Outstanding views of the mountains, plateaus, and mountain rivers. In Yellowstone we spent time visiting the various geysers, explored the beauty of the landscape and as well had an up close and personal view of the buffalo. We spent a lot of time on the road waiting for the buffalo to use the opposite lane as their personal path from the river. As we were leaving the park had the experience of seeing the bears as well. This was a very interesting experience as I had visited Yellowstone as a child and have some comparable pictures in my mind, but so much of it has changed. There was so much of the park that we didn't get to see, so I am anxious to get back.

We then continued on out of the park on our way to Cody, Wyoming. Unfortunately, we didn't have reservations for the evening, so we struggled to find a place to stay. Finally, as we sat and wondered what to do, one of the hotels called and said they had a cancellation. We then walked the historic town of Cody that evening.

July 21 We toured the Old Trail Town in Cody. This town displayed many historic buildings and various artifacts from the time period. We then headed south for the town of Thermopolis. This was an amazing area. They had several hot springs within the town. They use these hot springs for free public pools and hot tubs for the community. From there we traveled on to Casper. The landscape of Wyoming is amazing in its changing landforms. We observed several elk and mule deer freely walking the plains.

July 22 Leaving Casper to travel on historical multi-trailway, Hwy 26. We toured the National Park Historic Fort Laramie. This place was an important military site in the settling of the west. The old trail markings are still visible along the side of the river. We spent several hours touring the facility and learning of the variety of roles this site played in westward expansion. From there we traveled on to the site of the preserved Oregon Trail Ruts and Register Cliff at Guernsey, Wyoming on the Platte River. It was amazing standing in the ruts and walking the area. There are several sets of ruts going through the sandstone. It really shows you the trials settlers had to go through to get to their westward destinations. It was also interesting seeing visitors from other countries also visiting this remote site. From there we continued on to Scottsbluff and then on to Chimney Rock (famous landmark site for many of the travelers along the Oregon Trail) as well as courthouse and jail rocks. These are all listed as National Historic Landmarks. We continued on to our evening stop at Kearney, NE.

July 23 We toured the Kearney Gateway Monument as well as taking a tour of the historic town. While at the Monument we had the opportunity of seeing a new statue exhibit installed showing the struggles of westward expansion. Then back to Clarinda.

Gilder Lehrman Seminar: Native American History

July 25 Flew out of Omaha to Manchester, NH. Due to several flight delays, I arrived at Manchester at 1:30 AM. This is the largest city in New Hampshire.

July 26. Rented a car to drive the 56 miles to Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. This was a beautiful drive through the granite mountains filled with a variety of trees. I passed through Concord, the capital of New Hampshire, but amazingly, there were very few other small towns visible. When I arrived, I drove across the Connecticut River to Vermont not realizing the close proximity of these eastern states.

I then checked into our "living quarters" for the Gilder Lehrman Seminar: Native American History. We stayed in the Dartmouth Dorms, namely Rauner Hall. 24 teachers from across the nation attended the seminar. My roommate was from California.

That evening we had our introduction reception and a brief description of Dartmouth's Native American History by Professor Colin Calloway. He would be our scholar for the entire seminar along with a few guest speakers. He was also the author of the Seminar's focus.

July 27 We started out with a group breakfast at the Dartmouth Cafeteria. There were many academic and sports camps going on so the campus was busy.

We then attended a lecture on Indians in US History and New Worlds for All: Indians and Colonial America. In the afternoon we had a private artifact presentation at Hood Museum of Art featuring a variety of American Indian artifacts. We were then given our instructions on the project that we had to complete by the end of the week using primary source documents pertaining to American Indian History.

July 28 We had lectures on Indian Treaties and US Indian Policy. We were able to see the wide variety of treaties issued to American Indians. The rest of the day we had to work on our Projects and walk the campus and town. It was interesting to see how small the town actually was for having an Ivy League College.

July 29th We had lectures on The Indian West before Lewis and Clark and Lewis and Clark in Indian Country. We then had the opportunity to have a private selection of artifacts from the Rauner Special Collections Library. We held in our hands a letter from George Washington to the Indians asking them to not help the British in the American Revolution, a letter from Andrew Jackson to Indians asking them to allow the settlement of the west, the first Bible printed in the United States written in Algonquin (NA language), and a wide variety of other aged artifacts. These were amazing.

In the evening, a fellow teacher from Minnesota and I traveled to Vermont to visit a few of the historic areas and buildings. This was quite a unique area. The historic buildings that still stand are interesting architecture and unique to the east coast.

July 30 We had lectures on Cherokee Removal and Cherokee Removal Debate. We then had a guest lecture on Indian Country Today: History, Law, and the Persistence of Nations.

In the evening several of us teachers toured the Dartmouth Cemetery located behind the cafeteria on the edge of the Connecticut River. It was amazing to see a cemetery this old and the way it was laid out. There were many American Revolution soldiers buried there and a wide variety of people associated with Dartmouth. The tombstones and crypts were very interesting. Many so old and covered with lichen that they couldn't even be read. The oldest one that I observed was a child that died in 1822. After we finished at the cemetery, we hiked on to the oldest "secret society" on the Dartmouth Campus called the "Sphinx". This was a puzzling place.

July 31 We had lectures on American Indians and American Expansion and Surviving American Civilization. We all then presented our lessons that we developed on the seminar topics. These were very interesting and gave us many ideas to use in our classroom. The entire seminar gave me a new perspective on the American Indian experience and treatment with primary source documentation to back it up.

When we were done most of us departed. I traveled back to Manchester to turn in my car and stay the evening (hotel was much more pleasant than the dorms).

August 1st Flew back to Omaha and then back home. In awe of all I have learned and experienced this summer, but super excited to be home for more than a couple days!

2014 Summer

June: Atlanta, Georgia

Escorted National History Bee and Bowl Qualifiers to Atlanta for the National Competition. Students competed in the competitions on Saturday and Sunday. They visited the Olympic Park, Georgia Aquarium, MLK Birthplace, CNN Headquarters and the Coke Museum.

DesMoines, IA

Iowa DOE Social Studies State Task Force for Social Studies Curriculum

Best Practices in Social Studies Institute In Des Moines, Iowa. Governor Branstad was the guest speaker.

Medal of Honor Workshop on Character Education at Camp Dodge. Had the opportunity of meeting at the Military Museum on the National Guard Grounds. Great exhibits of all the wars.

July:

Washington, DC.

Attended the CSPAN Educators' Conference in Washington, DC. We stayed on Capitol Hill and spent three days learning about the offerings of CSPAN. We developed bellringer videos and lesson plans using the resources of CSPAN. Had the opportunity to sit in the chair of the broadcasters that has the National Capitol Building in the background. FOX and MSNBC are in the same building and use the same view.

DesMoines, IA

Spent two days at a Library of Congress Primarily Teaching Workshop developing lesson plans using the Library of Congress. This workshop focused on World War I Propaganda Posters.

Florida

We spent a week at Orange Lake Resort. While in Florida we visited Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center, St. Augustine Historical Sites, got to drink from the Fountain of Youth, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, Gatorland, Old Town Orlando, went to a Citrus Farm, and last but not least Disneyland.

August:

Idaho, Oregon

Spent four days at an FTEconomics Conference in McCall, Idaho. We flew into Boise, toured the capitol, and then drove up to McCall. We spent time touring the economics of the community and developing a greater understanding of environmental economics. They took us to the Snotels in the mountains to learn how they (NWS) read the amount of snow fall and how it relates to the amount of water in the mountain reservoirs and how much can be allotted to the farmers in the areas. They also took us to the forests around McCall to show us how they monitor the "farming" of trees. We got to bore trees to find age and health of the tree. Had the opportunity to have wild Huckleberries for the first time as they grow wild in the forests. This was also an area that showed a great example of a glacial moraine The massive rocks left behind by the glaciers were enormous. After the conference, we toured Idaho and the Snake River Canyon. We visited Hell's Canyon, the deepest Canyon in the world. We crossed over the Idaho and Oregon borders while driving down into the canyon. (A little scary as we continued to meet "rock plows" that continued to get rocks off the road that would fall) We also stayed an evening in Oregon (City of OreIda Potatoes-new learning-- the brand name comes off the economic sharing of potatoes from Idaho are processed in Oregon). The most interesting learning experience was the landscape of Idaho. No, it's not just potatoes, it is a massive desert area with beautiful mountains, lush valleys, and amazing scenery of all types. We didn't see any potatoes until our last day there, heading back to Boise to fly home.

2013 Summer "Fun & Learning"

June: Spent time with the UCDavis History Project in Sacramento, California studying the Transcontinental Railroad and it's Impact on the US and the World. We went to Donner's Pass to see the tunnels and the China Wall on Donner's Summit. We hiked the mountain in weather that really showed us the struggles pioneers would have had (ok, not quite as bad). It was down pouring, windy, and when we got to the top, sleeting, hailing, and a little snow. We had to help each other down through the running water. It was an overwhelming experience. We spent time listening to historians on the Transcontinental as well as those historians that study the impact of Chinese immigration to the US and their impact on our economic system.We then had the opportunity to ride one of the original steam engine trains.

We then traveled to Stanford University to hear lecturers on the Transcontinental and new research projects related to the railroad. From there we traveled to San Francisco and visited Chinatown and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. We were able to see Alcatraz and San Quentin and then traveled back to Sacramento through Napa Valley. In this experience, I gained more knowledge of the Pony Express and differing opinions compared to our St. Joseph Field trip.

July: We spent the fourth of July in my hometown in Northwest Iowa and took a few day trips into South Dakota and Minnesota. Due to my mother's recent passing, we spent several weeks going through a lifetime of memories by cleaning out and splitting up my mother's household. This was a tough time but learned a lot about my ancestors through the historical memories that my family has kept.

I spent time in a Geography and Technology in the Common/Iowa Core Class through the University of Northern Iowa. We spent time Geocaching with a Garmin GPS, using Google Earth, and gained many new ideas to incorporate into our classroom. This class was through the Geography Alliance of Iowa. We each received a Garmin GPS and learned many activities to take into the classroom. I will be adding many of our websites that we used to my website.

Last Week of July: Travelled by plane to Nevada. We were able to take pictures from the plane of the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead. We were impressively close to the ground so pictures came out great! We traveled to Death Valley, NV & CA and experienced a temperature of 128 degrees for a short time (we captured by the photo on our car thermometer). The average temperature for the time period, while we were in the Valley, was 116 degrees at Furnace Creek. We visited an old Borax Mine and saw how they extracted and shipped the Borax from Death Valley. This was close to the area where the 20 Mule Team became famous. We spent time in the Borax Museum and learned of the early railroads in this particular section of the country. I gained photos of a variety of mining tools and primary source documentation on railroad pay, deeds to the railroads, and a variety of other primary source documents rooted in this specific area. On the way into the National Park, we were impressed by the variations of colors of the mountains and as well the volcanic activity that caused the rock formations to come out of the ground sideways. On the return out of the park back to our resort we were surprised by the different rock formations less than 50 miles south of our entry into the park. This was a great comparison to the pictures I took from the plane coming home from Sacramento of Death Valley. It definitely looks different from the plane when you see it up close.

The next day we visited Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area. This was a very interesting area. After visiting with one of the conservation specialists at the park I learned of the wild life within the area and the petroglyphs and pictographs of the early Native Americans to live in that area. I was surprised to see "tortoise crossing" signs much like our deer crossing signs on the roads. The park ranger said that they don't often see them due to a lot of "domestic turtle" diseases. Big horn sheep, wild horses, wild mules, rattlers, scorpions, etc were also prevalent in the park so we had to watch our steps. The entire conservation area was amazing landscape, from rounded red rock to granite too, 12,000 foot high jagged cliffs. We had the opportunity to see rocks that were originally cut out to be shipped to Sacramento for the Transcontinental Railroad, but due to the cost, the business closed down and the granite rocks were left in the same place where they had been cut.

The following day we spent sightseeing in the city of Vegas as well as visiting the "Pawn Stars" televised place of business and driving through as much of the city from one end to another in all directions. We were able to see the beginning of the "world's largest ferris wheel" which is being built in Las Vegas. It will hold 40 people in each car as it travels around the circle. According to our guide, it will take over an hour to make one trip around the circle. We ended the trip sitting in the airport for hours as our plane was delayed.

We will make our third trip up North this summer to my hometown in Northwest Iowa for another wedding and then I will be anxious to share and hear about the travels of my students and their lifetime experiences. I will share slideshows with students of the places listed above. I am looking forward to another successful school year in every challenge we take on.

2012 Summer

June:

Took a class in Omaha called Expanding the Classroom Walls II. This class was to introduce teachers to local places to take students to learn. We went to a variety of places and had many learning experiences. The following is a list of places that we visited: Omaha Children's Museum, Mahoney State Park, Magic City Tour of South Omaha, Josylyn Museum, Durham Museum, Neale Woods, Holland Performing Arts Center, Omaha World Freedom Center, and the UNO Kountze Planetarium. Throughout the week we kept a reflective journal of all the learning and had the opportunity to see how it could relate to our classroom. We also had the opportunity to learn of artifacts that could be ordered to come into the classroom.

The next week I took a similar class called Expanding the Classroom Walls III. This class was much the same, but with trips to a variety of other places in the area including: Durham visit with a trip on Ollie the Trolley to North Omaha, Preston Love Center (African American Museum), Beemis Art Center (got to visit with the artist in residence), Orpheum Theater, El Museum Latino, Holy Family Shrine out on I-80, Wildlife Safari Park, 88 Improv Comedy Team Workshop, Omaha Community Playhouse to see Hairspray, Montgomery County Historical Society in Red Oak, Swedish Museum in Stanton, and the Lewis and Clark Landing area (National Park Service) and the walking bridge crossing the Missouri River.

The following week I did a class in Omaha called Coaching and Advising Excellence. In this class, we worked on team building experiences.

July and August

Spent much of these months working for the Iowa Disaster Behavioral Health Team. We went to the flood-ravaged areas of the Missouri River to help people cope with displacement and disaster due to the flooding. We traveled to a variety of communities to check on those displaced and to see what needs they had.

2011 Summer

June:

Crafting Freedom National Endowment for the Humanities Class in Raleigh, North Carolina.

I drove to this class as there were many historic sites that I wanted to see on the way. I traveled through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and then stayed the first evening in Frankfort Kentucky. I then traveled on through West Virginia, into Virginia and on to Jamestown. I went through the National Park and had a great experience talking with and videotaping an archaeologist who was busy doing a dig on the landing site at Jamestown. I stayed that evening in Colonial Williamsburg and the following day took a tour through Yorktown and went to the Battle Site of the last battle of the American Revolution. From there I traveled on through Richmond to North Carolina. At the Crafting Freedom class we went to many slave sites, saw the finger and toe prints of slaves in the building that they were forced to build, a furniture museum of a famous "free black" furniture maker, went to a plantation that had some of the original slave houses as they were when slaves lived there, saw tobacco drying huts, and many more places. There were several historians that were brought in to show us the crafts of many slaves and gave us the opportunity to try. We were also exposed to a variety of slave narratives performed by local actors.

2010 Summer

June:

Contested Homelands National Endowment for the Humanities Class in Sante Fe, New Mexico. Spent a week learning about the controversy of being Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and/or American. We had many guest speakers and toured a great many places including Taos Pueblo (oldest running Pueblo), Native American Art Museum, the Georgia O'Keefe Art Exhibit, the Governor's Palace, and much more.

After the class was over my husband flew in to join me and we continued to tour other Native American Settlement areas including Bandelier Cliff Dwellings, Aztec Ruins, Salmon Ruins, the Chaco area of the four corners area, and then toured the beautiful landscape of eastern Utah and Moab, and then drove back to Clarinda through the Rockies.

July:

Abolition and the Underground Railroad Gilder Lehrman Seminar at Yale University in New Haven, CT. Our week long class was held at Yale University and as well we stayed on campus. We had a famous scholar, professor, and author David Blight leads the class. We spent time using primary source documents on campus and given to us learning more about the Abolition movement. We then spent a day in Boston walking the Freedom Trail, stood on the site of the Boston Massacre, and visiting some of the related historic sites of the Abolition Movement.

2009 Summer

National History Day Summer Institute in Philadelphia, PA. This class was intended to teach us how the city of Philadelphia is mirrored throughout the country in the beginning establishment of a city. We stayed at the Union League of Philadelphia for the week of the Institute. While at the Institute we learned the process of NHD and as well visited Eastern State Penitentiary, had a private tour of Germantown Battle Site House, African American Freedom Center, Independence Hall, George Washington's first house site, Famous African American Church: Mother Bethel AME, Christs Church, Benjamin Franklin's gravesite, Betsy Ross's house, got to tour an Irish Flagship invited by Senator Ted Kennedy, and many many more historic sites in Philadelphia. We also spent time learning about researching in the Pennsylvania Historical Society and the National Archives of Philadelphia.

2008 Summer

National Contest of National History Day Historical Scholarship Trip, Washington, D.C. Judged the National Contest.

We were treated to a tour of the Holocaust Museum and a private tour of the Capitol Building by Senator Grassley's aide. When we were done all of the Iowa participants had a picture taken with Senator Grassley on the Capitol Steps. We also spent time touring the major historical sites in and around Washington, DC.

2007 Summer

We the People Institute, Center for Civic Education, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Practiced Congressional Hearings and did in-depth learning of the Constitution.

Toured James Madison's home place. Also was able to view where his family is buried in comparison with where the slaves that he had were buried. We traveled on the Blue Ridge Parkway in order to visit James Madison's plantation.

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