SHS Student and Teacher Team Selected for National History Day Sacrifice for Freedom Student and Teacher Institute
SHS Student and Teacher Team Selected for National History Day Sacrifice for Freedom Student and Teacher Institute
Posted January 17, 2020
SHS student Kate Dickerson and SHS history teacher Craig Wood are one of only 16 student/teacher teams in the country selected for
National History Day’s Sacrifice for Freedom®: World War II in the Pacific Student and Teacher Institute.
Kate and Mr. Wood will join other students and teachers on the mainland, as well as from Hawai’i and American Samoa, in the study of World War II’s Pacific Theatre.
Over the next six months, students and teachers will read books and selected materials, engage in online discussions, and research a Silent Hero®, a military service member who died in World War II and is buried or memorialized at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.
In June, all 16 student and teacher teams will meet in Oʻahu where they will walk in the footsteps of history, and learn firsthand about the impact of World War II in the Pacific. The experience will culminate with the completion and presentation of the teams’ Silent Hero eulogies and profiles, which will be featured on NHDSilentHeroes.org, as well as the websites of the sponsoring organizations. Kate’s great grandfather was a prisoner of war and survived the Bataan Death March.
“We are grateful to be working again with our friends and partners from the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites to offer this extraordinary opportunity,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “The students and teachers selected for this year’s institute represent many different parts of the country. Through this invaluable academic experience, I hope participants gain a deep appreciation for those who served and sacrificed in the Pacific Theater of World War II, as well as a thorough understanding of the essential role Hawai‘i played in those operations.”
“This year, our nation will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is vitally important to provide opportunities for teachers and students to study the history of the war in the authentic settings provided in Hawai‘i,” said Dr. Shauna Tonkin, Director of Education and Visitor Experience at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. “The Pearl Harbor Historic Site partners are honored to be part of this unique program that creates personal connections to the past, and inspires teachers and students to keep the stories alive.”
Applications for the second annual Sacrifice for Freedom®: World War II in the Pacific Student & Teacher Institute were submitted by 129 teams from across the country. The 16 teams selected for the 2020 institute represent American Samoa, California, Georgia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
