OFE News Release
Oklahoma Educators Immersed in History at Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute
August 2, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY – Twenty-seven Oklahoma teachers walked in the footsteps of America’s patriots and British colonists during the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute held recently in the restored capital city of 18th-century Virginia.
“The eight days spent completing the Teacher Institute were an amazing educational boot camp,” said Robin Smith of Grand Elementary School in Chickasha. “We were engaged 10 to 12 hours a day, and the amount of knowledge we gained was overwhelming. I thought I knew my history, but through this experience, I understand so much more.”
Smith recalls getting goose bumps when she heard a historical interpreter describe hardships as a slave on a Virginia plantation. She was also inspired visiting the Revolutionary War battlefield at Yorktown where the British army surrendered, and America was born. “I have always considered myself patriotic, but looking out at the battlefield and envisioning what had taken place there gave me a deeper appreciation for what made this country.”
The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence selected the teachers to receive all-expense paid trips to the summer institute in Williamsburg, Va., as well as $300 stipends for classroom materials. In addition, participants received a one-year subscription to the Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trip series, which combines Internet activities and live television broadcasts to help bring the Colonial Williamsburg experience to the classroom.
Participants, listed by school district, are: Sharon Petrik, BROKEN ARROW; Diana Fiddler, CANEY VALLEY; Donya Charlson and Robin Smith, CHICKASHA; DeAnni Tate, DEER CREEK; Linda Snodgrass, ENID; Kristin Carter and Kelly Killion, FAIRLAND; Cherith Aven, HOMINY; Stephanie Norsworthy, JENKS; Natasha Jackson, MIAMI; Tammy Robinson, MOORE; Abby Keever, MUSTANG; Cari Manzer, NORMAN; Greg Eskridge, Oklahoma City; Shelly Braden, PONCA CITY; Susie Stephenson, PUTNAM CITY; Kristi Carter, SHAWNEE; Amanda Carter, Melinda Carver, Lindsay Hughes and Rachel Smith, TULSA; Kristyne Salley, Leah Willey and Kay Leslie, UNION; Amy Morey, YUKON. Emily Wilson of Discovery School, a charter school in TULSA, also participated.
Kitty Herbel, a teacher at Glenwood Elementary School in ENID, was selected by the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute to serve as peer facilitator for the Oklahoma delegation in 2009 and 2010. Cooper, who is a 2007 Teacher Institute alumna, met daily with the group to discuss teaching techniques and develop creative lesson plans based on their experiences in Williamsburg.
While at Colonial Williamsburg – the world’s largest living history museum – Oklahoma teachers met character interpreters of 18th-century people and were immersed in early American history through hands-on activities and reenactments of historic events. The week’s lessons were built around the theme “Becoming Americans.” Participants also visited Jamestown, which is the site of the first permanent English colony in America, and spent a day at Yorktown visiting the battlefields where the Continental Army forced the British to surrender.
The Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute provides participants with interactive teaching techniques and skills to become mentor teachers who can assist their peers and other educators to develop active learning classrooms and make history exciting for their students. Participants share strategies to improve instruction, raise literacy levels and enhance thinking skills.
“My students have a much more experienced and excited social studies teacher!” said Putnam City Schools teacher Susie Stephenson, who plans to use more primary sources and hands-on activities such as archeological digs in her classroom. “I can’t wait to help my students relive the past of our country the way I was able to during the Teacher Institute.”
This marks the 18th year that the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has coordinated Oklahoma’s participation in the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute. Oklahoma is second in the nation, following California, in the number of teacher institute participants, with more than 600 graduates. The state program was founded and supported through the fundraising efforts of the late Oklahoma City businessman Edward C. Joullian III. A trustee of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and former board member of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Joullian died in 2006. Graduates of the institute now receive lapel pins and certificates designating them as Edward C. Joullian Oklahoma Scholars. Joullian’s family, along with a group of loyal donors, continues to support the program, which has transformed the way many Oklahoma educators teach early American history.
The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. In addition to its Colonial Williamsburg programs, the foundation sponsors an Academic Awards Program, provides training and resources for new and established public school foundations, administers grants to teachers for professional development and coordinates a statewide school-based mentoring initiative.
For more information, contact the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence at (405) 236-0006.
(EDITORS: Oklahoma’s Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute participants are listed below by hometown and the cities in which they teach. Photos and quotes from individual teachers are attached, when available. If you would like to interview a local participant, contact Brenda Wheelock at 405-236-0006 for information.)
AFTON – Kristin Carter and Kelly Killion, residents of Afton, teach fifth grade at Fairland Elementary School in Fairland.
AMES -- Linda Snodgrass, a resident of Ames, teaches fifth grade at Garfield Elementary School in Enid.
BIXBY -- Stephanie Norsworthy, a resident of Bixby, is a fifth-grade special education teacher at West Intermediate School in Jenks.
BROKEN ARROW – Kay Leslie, a Broken Arrow resident, is a library media specialist at Peters Elementary School in the Union Public Schools District.
Sharon Petrik is a library media specialist at Arrowhead Elementary School.
CANEY VALLEY – Diana Fiddler is a fifth grade teacher at Caney Valley Elementary School.
CHICKASHA – Donya Charlson is a library media specialist at Lincoln Elementary School.
Robin Smith is a gifted and talented teacher at Grand Elementary School in Chickasha.
EDMOND – DeAnni Tate is a fifth-grade social studies teacher at Deer Creek Elementary School.
EL RENO -- Cari Manzer is a fifth grade teacher at Adams Elementary School in Norman. Her hometown is El Reno.
ENID – Kitty Herbel teaches fourth grade at Glenwood Elementary School in Enid. She is a 2007 alumna of the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute and was selected by the Teacher Institute to serve as Oklahoma peer facilitator for 2009 and 2010.
Linda Snodgrass teaches fifth grade at Garfield Elementary School. She lives in Ames.
FAIRLAND -- Kristin Carter and Kelly Killion, residents of Afton, teach fifth grade at Fairland Elementary School.
GROVE -- Natasha Jackson, a resident of Grove, teaches fifth grade at Washington Elementary School in Miami.
HOMINY – Cherith Aven teaches fifth and sixth-grade social studies and science at Horace Mann Elementary School. She lives in Mannford.
JENKS – Stephanie Norsworthy, a resident of Bixby, is a fifth-grade special education teacher at West Intermediate School in Jenks.
MANNFORD – Cherith Aven, a Mannford resident, teaches fifth and sixth-grade social studies and science at Horace Mann Elementary School in Hominy.
MIAMI – Natasha Jackson, a resident of GROVE, teaches fifth grade at Washington Elementary School.
MOORE – Tammy Robinson teaches fifth grade at Bryant Elementary School. She lives in Tuttle.
MUSTANG – Abby Keever teaches fifth grade at Mustang Trails Elementary School. She lives in Yukon.
NORMAN – Cari Manzer is a fifth grade teacher at Adams Elementary School in Norman. Her hometown is El Reno.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Greg Eskridge is a music and drama teacher at the Wilson Arts Integration Elementary School in the Oklahoma City Public Schools District.
Susie Stephenson teaches fifth grade at Apollo Elementary School in the Putnam City Public Schools District.
OWASSO – Emily Wilson, an Owasso resident, teaches fifth grade at the Discovery School, a charter school in Tulsa.
PONCA CITY – Shelly Braden teaches fifth grade at Woodlands Elementary School.
SAPULPA – Sapulpa resident Amanda Carter teaches fifth-grade science and social studies at Robertson Elementary School in the Tulsa Public Schools district.
SHAWNEE – Kristi Carter teaches fifth-grade social studies and science at Sequoyah Elementary School.
TULSA – Amanda Carter teaches fifth-grade science and social studies at Robertson Elementary School in the Tulsa Public Schools District. She is a resident of Sapulpa.
Melinda Carver is a library media specialist at McKinley Elementary School in the Tulsa Public Schools District.
Lindsay Hughes teaches fifth grade at McKinley Elementary School in the Tulsa Public Schools District.
Kay Leslie is a library media specialist at Peters Elementary School in the Union Public Schools District. She lives in Broken Arrow.
Kristyne Salley is a fifth grade teacher at Briarglen Elementary School in the Union Public Schools District.
Rachel Smith is a fifth grade teacher at Sequoyah Elementary School in the Tulsa Public Schools District.
Leah Willey teaches fourth and fifth-grade special education at Briarglen Elementary School in the Union Public Schools District.
Emily Wilson, an Owasso resident, teaches fifth grade at the Discovery School, a charter school in Tulsa.
TUTTLE -- Tammy Robinson, a Tuttle resident, teaches fifth grade at Bryant Elementary School in Moore.
YUKON -- Abby Keever, a Yukon resident, teaches fifth grade at Mustang Trails Elementary School in Mustang.
Amy Morey teaches fifth grade at Shedeck Elementary School.