WASHINGTON, D.C. – Whitney Joyner of Northeast Middle School is one of only 18 middle and high school educators selected to participate in Understanding Sacrifice, a partnership between National History Day®, the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA).
When the program kicks off in November 2016 every educator will select one American who is buried or memorialized at an ABMC or NCA cemetery in San Francisco, Honolulu, or Manila. Participants will conduct in-depth research on the life of this Fallen Hero using local and national historical resources. The program, which is focused on World War II in the Pacific, will have the group walk in the footsteps of history as they travel to San Francisco, Honolulu, and Manila in July 2017 to gain a better understanding of the American sacrifice in World War II. During the program Joyner will use the extensive research from the program to present a eulogy at the grave or memorial of her selected Fallen Hero.
“I hope to bring a unique perspective to the group by looking at components of the war within the context of science, technology, engineering, and math,” said Joyner. “I hope to take away a greater understanding of the sacrifices and stories across the Pacific arena and be able to integrate those stories into the classroom.”
Throughout the journey, teachers will develop lesson plans designed to reinvigorate the teaching and learning of WWII in classrooms around the world. These resources are made available at ABMCeducation.org. Joyner will create a lesson plan using her background that will be added to ABMCeducation.org in November 2017. This highly competitive program pays for travel to San Francisco, Honolulu, and Manila, as well as books and other materials. Teachers are responsible for travel to the institute, passport fees, and personal expenses.
“National History Day strives to connect students to the past and one of the best points of contact with any student, is their teacher” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “This program is highly competitive and Mrs. Joyner should be proud to be accepted. I know she will use this once in a lifetime journey to create a superb lesson plan.”
This is the third year of the Understanding Sacrifice program. The first two years took teachers to Northern and Southern Europe. This is the first time the program has focused on the Pacific Theater of operations. All lesson plans are made available to teachers for free through the continued ABMC and NCA sponsorship of this program. The lessons are designed for science, art, history, math, science, and language arts classes. Previous lessons range from “A Blitz Through the Ardennes: Using the Battle of the Bulge to Practice Reading and Analytical Skills” to a lesson on buoyancy titled “The Calculus of War: Tactic, Technology, and the Battle of the Atlantic.”