National Memorial Seeking Educators for Fellowship Program
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum invites educators from across the country to participate in a five-day fellowship at the museum in Oklahoma City, June 22-27, 2008.
The Educator Fellowship Program at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum provides educators from across the United States an opportunity to study the events of April 19, 1995, and understand the impact of violence, the senselessness of using violence as a means to effect change and the importance of personal responsibility. Using what they learn, participants will create and use in their subject or program area lesson plans that promote nonviolent problem solving and conflict resolution as well as respect for self and others.
The Memorial Fellows will participate in a variety of activities geared toward helping them incorporate lessons learned in Oklahoma City about the impact of terrorism into their own lesson plans. Applications for the program must be postmarked by December 21, 2007, and participants will be notified February 1, 2008.
The Memorial Fellows will participate in workshops, tours and other sessions during the fellowship, which will be held at the memorial and museum. Last year, teachers from California, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah participated in the program. Their subject areas included American literature, English, reading, American Constitution and citizenship, world civilizations, social studies, U.S. history, technology integration, communication arts, dramatic arts, and history. Years of teaching ranged from three to 32, and five had more than 20 years experience in the classroom.
“The fellowship was emotionally moving, gripping, and eye opening. From the opening activities, bringing in a counselor to talk about our reactions, to the private tour of the memorial with (Memorial designer) Hans Butzer, it was above and beyond my expectations,” said Renee Semik, 2007 Memorial Fellow and Freshman Seminar and Advanced Placement US History teacher at Santa Monica High School in Hermosa Beach, Calif. “This fellowship raised the bar and I doubt another professional opportunity will be able to compete with the content I learned, support we all received, and all the materials we were given.”
Applications for the Teacher Fellowship Program are available on the memorial’s web site at www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org. All applications must be returned to Lynne Roller, Deputy Director, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, PO Box 323, Oklahoma City, OK 73101, and postmarked by December 21, 2007. The Memorial’s Educator Fellowship Program is made possible through the generous support of JPMorgan Chase.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor “those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever” by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected.
For more information on the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, call (888) 542-HOPE or visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.#
