On Saturday, April 18th, three GHCDS faculty attended the invite-only Genealogy in the Classroom course, put on by American Ancestors and supported by local organizations. In the session they discussed how doing genealogical research can be used for single skill lessons or expanded into month-long cross-curricular projects. From timelines and photos to other historical documents, such as draft cards, the teachers learned from hands-on experience what sorts of documents are available to learn from. Also at the workshop were local representatives from the St. Croix Landmarks Society, education department, and the Caribbean Genealogy Library, located on St. Thomas.
Our teachers raved about the course and what they were able to gain from attending.
"The collaboration was great, we walked away with so many tools and fresh ideas, but we were also able to share some of the work we have done in the classroom over the years. The speaker was excited to hear about our experience with genealogy in the classroom, as some of what he spoke about we have already done with our students!" said Laurie Bohlke, 6th grade core teacher. The attendee's appreciated the use of local historical examples that were also culturally relevant.
(In the photos are Sonja Sundaram, Dustin Axe (program instructor), Laurie Bohlke, and Stephanie Chalana Brown (Dept. of Ed.). Also in attendance but not present in the photo was GHCDS English Teacher Jahlilah Prentice.)