St. Mary’s County Teacher Chosen to Travel to Europe to Study WWII Legacies
An Anne Arundel and a Baltimore City Teacher Selected to Participate in Online WWI Program
(Baltimore) – Maryland Humanities is pleased to announce that three Maryland History Day teachers have been selected for National History Day professional development programs.
Leif Liberg, who teaches at St. Mary’s Ryken High School in St. Mary’s County, is one of eight teachers nationwide chosen for Understanding Sacrifice. Joseph Landgraf and Tyler Miller have been selected as two of 114 teachers to participate in Legacies of World War I. Landgraf and Miller teach at North County High School in Anne Arundel County and at Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women #348 in Baltimore City, respectively.
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During the 2018-2019 academic year, Liberg will study World War II in Europe and research a service member of World War II who never made it home following the war. Educators participating in Understanding Sacrifice will then write their service member’s story and create modern interactive lesson plans about the War. These materials will be published on ABMCeducation.org in November 2019.
Liberg and seven other teachers will travel to Europe to continue their studies. Portions of the group will visit the East Coast Memorial in Battery Park, New York, Suresnes American Cemetery, Brittany American Cemetery, and Luxembourg American Cemetery. Along the way, teachers will deliver a eulogy to their Fallen Hero at the respective burial or memorial sites.
Understanding Sacrifice is conducted by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National History Day. The program engages teachers with World War II research through primary and secondary sources, virtual lectures, and online discussions.
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Each of the 57 National History Day affiliates selected two teachers to participate in Legacies of World War I. Maryland History Day, a program of Maryland Humanities and a National History Day affiliate, selected Landgraf and Miller.
The online program is a partnership between the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and National History Day. Landgraf and Miller will participate in webinars and discussions while learning about World War I with teachers from around the world. As two of the selected teachers, Landgraf and Miller will receive free tuition, graduate credits, and materials for the online program.
“As part of the commemoration of the centennial of The Great War, National History Day is proud to partner with the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission to help teachers delve into the history of this global event,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “Landgraf and Miller will learn about specific aspects of the war they can take back to the classroom to ensure this piece of global history is not forgotten.”
This program is part of an educational partnership with the WWI Commission, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, National History Day, and the National World War I Museum and Memorial. This new educational partnership will educate both teachers and school students about World War I through a series of more than 100 teaching events nationwide. More Information about the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission can be found here.
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“Maryland Humanities is thrilled that Leif Liberg, Joseph Landgraf, and Tyler Miller have been selected to participate in these immersive programs about the legacies of World War I and World War II,” said Phoebe Stein, executive director of Maryland Humanities. “These dedicated Maryland teachers will take their experiences and resources to their classrooms and colleagues, enriching education in our communities.”
Maryland History Day is a year-long program from Maryland Humanities. Working solo or in small groups, students create original documentary films, exhibits, performances, research papers, or websites exploring a historical topic of their choice on an annual theme. They then compete at the school, district, and state level: winners at the state level advance to the National History Day competition.