JACKSON, MS – July 8, 2024 – National History Day® (NHD), in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities, is proud to announce Freedom Summer: 60 Years Later, a Landmarks of American History teacher workshop. In 1964 during the Civil Rights Movement, Freedom Summer was an effort to increase voter registration of Black Mississippians, teach civil rights-focused lessons to Mississippi students, and draw national attention to the violent suppression tactics that activists faced. Now, 60 years later, 70 teachers and museum educators will learn about the impact and legacy of Freedom Summer both on-site at MDAH’s headquarters in Jackson and in other towns in Mississippi through site visits, primary source study, and sessions with civil rights activists such as Leslie-Burl McLemore.
The teacher workshops will take place July 8-12 and July 22-26, 2024, with 35 teachers and museum educators attending each session. NHD and MDAH received over 330 applications for 70 spots; a team of historians and educators reviewed applications and selected attendees from across the United States based on their interest in the subject and plan to integrate the workshop’s content into their classrooms and curriculum.
“National History Day’s 2024 contest program asked students to explore topics of Turning Points in History, and Freedom Summer certainly marked a turning point for Mississippians and all Americans,” said Dr. Cathy Gorn, Executive Director of National History Day. “The teachers and museum educators selected for this Landmarks of American History teacher workshop on Freedom Summer and its impact 60 years later will study its legacy firsthand and be better prepared to teach and think critically about civil rights.”
“MDAH is excited to welcome teachers and museum professionals from across the nation to learn about and celebrate the accomplishments of Freedom Summer during its 60th anniversary. We are thrilled to host the attendees across the Mississippi Delta, Jackson, McComb, and Natchez to experience place-based learning about Freedom Summer,” said Al Wheat, Director of Education at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “Attendees will hear the stories of Fannie Lou Hamer, Amzie Moore, Bob Moses, and more while retracing their footsteps throughout the state. Working with our friends at NHD is great value-added for the attendees and we are thankful to the National Endowment for the Humanities for allowing us to host this Landmarks of American History Teacher Institute. It will be an unforgettable experience for all involved.”
Congratulations to the teachers and museum educators selected to attend Freedom Summer: 60 Years Later:
Week One Cohort:
Mrs. Angela Adams, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas
Mrs. Tiyika Adams, Greenbelt Middle School, Greenbelt, Maryland
Ms. Jade Anderson, Skagit Academy, Mt. Vernon, Washington
Dr. Kelly (Beth) Blanton, Tupelo High School, Tupelo, Mississippi
Ms. Courtney Brackmann, Osceola High School, Kissimmee, Florida
Mrs. Kristin Camiolo, Immaculata High School, Somerville, New Jersey
Mrs. Ebony Cavett, Terry High School, Terry, Mississippi
Ms. Jocelyn Chiu, Peck Slip School, New York, New York
Mrs. Kristina Curl, Springdale High School, Springdale, Arkansas
Dr. Mozart Dor, Oxford High School, Oxford, Mississippi
Mrs. Amanda Escheman, Challenge School, Denver, Colorado
Ms. Pascale Gabriel, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park, New York
Ms. Tiffany Green, Pass Christian Middle School, Pass, Mississippi
Ms. Jennifer Macho, Hillsdale High School, San Mateo, California
Ms. Aisha Madhi, Hayfield Secondary School, Alexandria, Virginia
Ms. Courtney Major, Edina High School, Edina, Minnesota
Mrs. Amy Markarian, Plymouth Public Schools, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Mr. Bryan Matthews, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, Waldorf, Maryland
Ms. Amber McMunn, Humble High School, Humble, Texas
Mrs. Stephanie Montgomery, Olive Branch Intermediate School, Olive Branch, Mississippi
Ms. Simone Moore, Mt. Olive Attendance Center, Mt. Olive, Mississippi
Ms. Donell Osborne, Etowah High School, Woodstock, Georgia
Ms. Amy Page, Moriarty High School, Moriarty, New Mexico
Mrs. Karen Paskos-Baker, South Early College High School, Houston, Texas
Mr. Tim Proskauer, Ramey School, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Ms. Allison Rigney, Another Course to College, Hyde Park, Massachusetts
Ms. Natalie Robinson, The Prairie School, Wind Point, Wisconsin
Ms. Victoria Scarpa, Passaic County Technical Institute, Wayne, New Jersey
Ms. Steph Schares, Ames Middle School, Ames, Iowa
Mr. John Sommer, Decatur High School, Decatur, Georgia
Ms. Becky Stoltzfus, Kokomo High School, Kokomo, Indiana
Mr. Stephen Straus, River City Middle School, Richmond, Virginia
Ms. Shawna Whitson, Carney Public School, Carney, Oklahoma
Ms. Bia Zachary, Briarmeadow Charter School, Houston, Texas
Week Two Cohort:
Ms. Teresa Davis, Aiken New Tech High School, Cincinnati, Ohio
Mrs. Callie Dawson, Hutto High School, Hutto, Texas
Mr. Marc De Farno, Jeffrey C. Still Middle School, Aurora, Illinois
Ms. Marcie Diener, Harbor Springs High School, Harbor Springs, Michigan
Ms. Kendra Dietrich, Milford High School, Milford, Ohio
Ms. Alexandria Drake, JPS-Tougaloo Early College High School, Tougaloo, Mississippi
Ms. Kira Duke, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Mrs. Sarah DuPont, St. Mary’s School, Medford, Oregon
Mr. Norman Everett, Leicester Middle School, Leicester, Massachusetts
Ms. Tessa Steinert Evoy, Charles River School, Dover, Massachusetts
Mrs. Cassie Gonsior, Columbus East High School, Columbus, Indiana
Ms. Jessica Graham, Waterville Senior High School, Waterville, Maine
Ms. Ashlee Grenard, Kennesaw State University Museum of History and Holocaust Education, Kennesaw, Georgia
Dr. Madonna Higgs, George S. Middleton High School, Tampa, Florida
Ms. Catherine Hoffer, Southeast Lauderdale High School, Meridian, Mississippi
Ms. Jamie Holifield, Nicolet Union High School, Glendale, Wisconsin
Mrs. Jessica McMullen, Don Tyson School of Innovation, Springdale, Arkansas
Mr. Chris Meguschar, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana
Mr. Matt Moore, Mankato West High School, Mankato, Minnesota
Ms. Kimberly Nadell, Trinity Episcopal School, New Orleans, Louisiana
Ms. Ashleigh Norman, Germantown High School, Madison, Mississippi
Dr. Jill Rowe, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Ms. Valerie Schrag, Lawrence High School, Lawrence, Kansas
Mrs. Jessica Schmitz, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin
Ms. Meghan Slanina, Hathaway Brown School, Shaker Heights, Ohio
Ms. Jennifer Smackey, Anser Charter School, Garden City, Idaho
Ms. Evelyn Smith, North Panola Middle School, Como, Mississippi
Mrs. Stefanie Spivey, Heppner Junior/Senior High School, Heppner, Oregon
Mrs. Jennifer Toler, San Juan Hills High School, San Juan Capistrano, California
Mr. Samuel Torbett, Richmond Middle School, Richmond, Missouri
Ms. Sarah Walls, Lakewood Montessori Middle School, Durham, North Carolina
Mrs. Sarah Wright, Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, Buffalo, New York
Ms. Skylar Wrisley, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
Mr. Reed Young, Denver Green School Northfield, Denver, Colorado
In addition to teacher workshops, NHD leads student and teacher programming year-round and sponsors an international history research contest. Learn more about NHD from a recent piece on CBS Sunday Morning.
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About National History Day (NHD)
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by the 400 Years of African American History Commission, The Better Angels Society, the Bezos Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Behring Global Educational Foundation, and the National Park Service. For more information, visit nhd.org.
About the Mississippi Department of Archives and History
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History is the second-oldest state department of archives and history in the United States. The department collects, preserves, and provides access to the archival resources of the state, administers various museums and historic sites, and oversees statewide programs for historic preservation, state and local government records management, and publications. For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.
