Portland, Astoria: U.S. Teachers Meet at Trails End to Prepare For Lewis & Clark Rediscovery Project
Wednesday, July 11 2001
July 11, 2001^MOSCOW – More than 50 K-12 educators representing more than 20 school districts from nine states along the 8,000-mile Lewis and Clark Historical Trail are in Portland and Astoria until July 20 for a first-hand look at trail's end. ^They are preparing for the Lewis & Clark Rediscovery Project, to examine what remains along the overland trail and document what has changed since the1804-06 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean, and back. This group of school districts distributed along the trail eventually will present stories, data reports, images, artwork and maps to contrast life, then and now.^Assuming roles of the famous expedition members — historians, cartographers, naturalists — the educators are in Portland for one week and another week in Astoria and Fort Clatsop honing their technology skills and refining curriculum plans for their local school districts.^Out of their work will come photo archives from the trail, as well as science, math, art, history, social studies, literary, and technology-based curriculum to be shared with the nation and the world for the 2003-06 Lewis & Clark Bicentennial commemoration.^The Oregon visit is part of a five-year K-12 professional development project for teachers, led by the University of Idaho College of Education’s Scott Graves and Potlatch Idaho School District’s Bob Kearney. The project, funded by a $7.5 million U.S. Department of Education Technology Innovation Challenge Grant, capitalizes on this significant historical event to encourage innovative technology use in public schools.^Teachers from New Jersey, West Virginia, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon already met last summer learning how to search the Internet and use sophisticated programs including Global Positioning Systems (GPS), which pinpoints exact locations on the planet, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). With GIS, teachers and students can layer data such as water quality, soil conditions and other scientific information along the historic trail onto digital maps of interest to scientists.^"Students attending school along the trail will become experts on the Lewis and Clark journey, and keen observers about changes along the trail,” said Bob Kearney, project co-director. “Our kids are using digital cameras to document the trail today. Teachers this summer will learn to make web sites including 360-degree digital panoramas along the trail."^Participants are master teachers selected by their districts, who will train other teachers in their schools in strategies and technologies they learn.^“We also are encouraging teachers and students to take advantage of the many resources available to them in their own communities,” says co-director Scott Graves. “Learning doesn’t have to occur only in the classroom. Historical societies, forest service offices, chambers of commerce, local libraries and museums often are wonderful historical resources. Working together, students can gain insights into their own community histories and create provocative web sites or CD-ROMs."^James P. Ronda, author of “Lewis and Clark among the Indians,” will join the group in Astoria. Ronda‘s book documents the historic party’s disappointment to learn there was no easy water passage to the West, as then-President Thomas Jefferson had hoped. It also documents travails during their winter at Fort Clatsop with its disagreeable weather ^This month's participants, by state (from East to West) and school are: ^NEW JERSEY^FLEMINGTON Karen O’Neill and Bonnie Berenger, Hunterdon Central Regional High^WEST VIRGINIA^ BENWOOD Christine Vargo, Union Junior High^ MOUNDSVILLE Stephanie Robinson, Moundsville Junior High^ WHEELING Jan Madden, Sherrad Elementary^MISSOURI^ST. CHARLES Laura Montgomery, Francis Howell High; Peggy York, Francis Howell Middle; Michelle Dawson, Castillo Elementary ^IOWA^COUNCIL BLUFFS Denise Cunningham, Melissa Langston, Mike Addison, Kim Junior High ^SOUTH DAKOTA^EAGLE BUTTE Peggy McLellan and Wes Heidlebaugh, Eagle Butte School District; Richard Janak, Eagle Butte High^LOWER BRULE Bill Williams, Shawn Winthers and Richard Ireland, Lower Brule High^MONTANA^ CONRAD Jennifer Schlepp, Utterback Middle ^CUT BANK Mark Ayers, Cut Bank Middle ^ DENTON Cindy Mapston, Denton School^ FAIRFIELD Charlie Brown, Fairfield High ^ SHELBY Tammerah Robertson, Shelby Middle ^ VALIER Jeredene Mayfield, Brady Public Schools^^IDAHO^KAMIAH Todd Nygaard, Kamiah High; ^Sharon Jacobs and Amy Woods, Kamiah Middle; Kamiah Elementary^LAPWAI Tami Church and Georgiana Kerby, Lapwai Junior/Senior High; Marilyn Walker, Lapwai Elementary^LEWISTON Cheryl Flory and John Fisher, Lewiston High; Steven Branting, Jennifer Junior High^MOSCOW Hugh Maxwell and Linda Bradway, Russell Elementary; Lori Maxwell, Lena Whitmore Elementary^PECK Mindy Pollock, Peck Elementary^POTLATCH Gary Lam, Potlatch Elementary; Jeff Nitcy, Jim Haddock and Ken Beidler, Potlatch Junior/Senior High^PIERCE Kristen Victorine, Pierce Elementary^OROFINO Pam Danielson, Orofino Junior High^^WASHINGTON^KENNEWICK Sue Hevland, Nancy Sauer and Gail Wintczak, Canyon View Elementary; Vicki Mitchell, Southgate Elementary^OREGON^ASTORIA Colleen Keenan, Lewis and Clark Elementary; Matthew Hensley and Michael Baker, Astoria High^PORTLAND Anne Boswell, Gaylen Brannon and Judi Lampi, Harriet Tubman Middle^For more information on the Lewis and Clark Rediscovery Project, see http://rediscovery.ed.uidaho.edu/.^Media Contacts: Mary Ann Reese, UI College of Education, (208) 885-2841, mreese@uidaho.ed; Shelley Heimgartner, project manager, Lewis & Clark Rediscovery Workshops, (208) 885-7105 or cell phone (208) 301-2020, shelleyh@uidaho.edu^Note: News media are invited to events listed on attached tip sheet ^-30-^July 11, 2001^NEWS TIPS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO^LEWIS & CLARK REDISCOVERY WORKSHOP^^CONTACT: Mary Ann Reese, UI College of Education, (208) 885-2841, mreese@uidaho.edu; or Shelley Heimgartner, project manager, Lewis & Clark Rediscovery Workshops, (208) 885-7105 or cell phone (208) 301-2020, shelleyh@uidaho.edu^^NOTE: For complete July 9-20 workshop schedule, see http://rediscovery.ed.uidaho.edu/activities/summer2001agenda.html ^^GLOBE DATA FROM LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL^Schools participating in the Lewis and Clark Rediscovery Project are members of GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment), a worldwide network of students, teachers, and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment. Students and teachers from over 10,000 schools in more than 96 countries are taught to collect data and use sophisticated software. They generate layered maps of interest to scientists studying water quality and soil properties, and they document environmental changes over the years. Scientists use GLOBE data in their research and provide feedback to the students to enrich their science education. For more information visit the web at www.globe.gov or http://globe.ed.uidaho.edu/, or contact Mike Odell, UI Co-Director of GLOBE at (208) 885-6786, mirodell@uidaho.edu or Scott Graves (208) 885-4957, sgraves@uidaho.edu; or Bob Kearney, (208) 885-5344, bkearney@uidaho.edu^^EDUCATOR’S POSTER DISPLAY IIN PORTLAND^Educators from all participating K-12 School Districts along the Lewis and Clark Trail will present displays of their proposed trail-related school projects on Tuesday, July 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Lloyd Center Double Tree Inn in Portland. For more information contact Shelley Heimgartner, project manager, (208) 885-7105 or cell phone (208) 301-2020, shelleyh@uidaho.edu; or project co-directors Scott Graves (208) 885-4957, sgraves@uidaho.edu; or Bob Kearney, (208) 885-5344, bkearney@uidaho.edu. From July 9 to 13 all three may be reached at the Doubletree-Lloyd Center in Portland (503) 281-6111. ^^JULY 17 AUTHOR JAMES RONDA SPEAKS, JOINS FIELD TRIP IN ASTORIA^James P. Ronda, author of “Lewis and Clark among the Indians,” will speak on “Lewis and Clark, Many Voices, Many Stories,” on July 17, 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Astoria Red Lion Inn. From 3:15 to 5 p.m., he will join a field trip to Fort Clatsop. For more details contact Shelley Heimgartner, project manager, (208) 885-7105; cell phone (208) 301-2020, shelleyh@uidaho.edu; or project co-directors Scott Graves (208) 885-4957; sgraves@uidaho.edu; or Bob Kearney, (208) 885-5344, bkearney@uidaho.edu. From July 14-20, all three can be reached at the Astoria Red Lion Hotel at (503) 325-7371.^^JULY 13-15, SALT-MAKING ALA LEWIS AND CLARK IN SEASIDE^Matthew Hensley, Astoria High School teacher and member of the Lewis and Clark Rediscovery Project Workshops will play the role of the historic expedition’s Sergeant William Bratton, in a 24-hour re-enactment of the way the original party extracted salt from the sea. At the end of U Street in Seaside, from 6 a.m. Friday, July 13, to 6 a.m. Sunday, July 15, he and other role-players of Joseph Fields and George Shannon, members of the 1804-6 expedition, will build a rock fire pit and boil sea water for making salt. They will be in period dress. For information on this or other historic enactments at Fort Clatsop, contact Janice Elvidge at the Ft. Clatsop Historical Association, (503) 861-2471, ext. 221, Janice_elvidge@nps.gov^^ MAR-7/10/01-L&C Rediscovery -- ED^^^
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