Webinar series designed for teachers, youths to preserve veterans’ stories

Wreaths Across America and the Library of Congress Veterans History Project are partnering to launch a new four-part webinar series designed for educators and youth.

The four-part quarterly webinars aim to equip educators and youth of all ages with the vast resources available from the Library of Congress and will focus on how teachers and students can participate in collecting, preserving and sharing veterans’ stories critical to our nation’s history and the teaching of the next generation about the value of freedom.

“One of the goals of this webinar series is to provide valuable resources to educators as well as students, who we know will benefit from developing listening and interviewing skills, developing a more impactful understanding of history from sharing personal stories and learning more about multi-media practices,” Cindy Tatum, Curriculum Developer for Wreaths Across America, said. “To have this opportunity to collaborate with the Veterans History Project through the Library of Congress is an expansion of our TEACH program we hoped for as we aim to empower educators to inspire the next generation.”

The series will kick off Tuesday, March 19, at 4 p.m. ET with co-host Tatum and Andrew Huber, Senior Liaison for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Later dates for the remaining webinars in the series include May 14, August, and October to be announced. Registration is open for the first event and is free. Educators’ takeaways from webinar participation include developing a more thorough understanding of the use of the Library of Congress as an educational resource; providing a project for experiential learning for students in developing interviewing techniques and listening skills; increasing awareness of the WAA K-12 curriculum and wreath-laying projects that develop community development and leadership opportunities for students.

“This webinar series is designed to give educators and classrooms all the tools they need to start using the Veterans History Project website for primary source research and create their own primary source materials for inclusion in the Project,” Huber said. “Participants will learn about VHPs standards and requirements as well as basic oral history techniques so they can join the dozens of schools nationwide documenting and preserving the history of our nation’s veterans. Hearing and collecting these incredible firsthand accounts of U.S. veterans is an unforgettable experience for any student interested in American history.”

Educators and homeschoolers are encouraged to explore the TEACH program curriculum and stay informed about new lesson plans on WAA’s website. The program offers a comprehensive curriculum tailored for kindergarten through high school, engaging students with stories of courage and character while emphasizing character development and service projects.

A nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, which was begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992, WAA’s yearlong mission to Remember, Honor, Teach is carried out in part by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington and thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states.

More information regarding the Library of Congress Veterans History Project is also available online.