For the past six years, three teachers from Oak Hill Middle/High School have participated in the Landmark Moments Fellowship conducted by the Gallia-Vinton Educational Service Center in cooperation with the American Institute for History Education.

The intent of the program is to deepen comprehension of traditional American History through the use of primary sources, the study of historical events, issues, personalities, turning points, and interpretations of events by coeval contemporaries. Nathan Dugan (AP U.S. History), Michael Harden (7th grade Social Studies), and Philip Malone (8th grade Intervention Specialist) attend classes at the University of Rio Grande to receive instruction provided by national historians, scholars and master teachers that cover content and teaching strategies.  Dr. Denise Shockley, Gallia-Vinton Educational Service Center (ESC) Superintendent said, "The Gallia-Vinton ESC provides high quality professional development to area teachers. Through the Landmark Moments Fellowship, teachers have received instruction from national content experts and have been able to travel to various landmarks across the United States. These experiences are evident in the classrooms of our teachers as evidenced by increased student achievement scores and student presentations at academic festivals."

The program is directed toward Social Studies and teaching methods.  The group is made up of Social Studies teachers, Language Arts teachers, Intervention Specialists, and School Media Specialists from Gallia, Jackson, Vinton, Scioto, Lawrence, and Ross Counties.

Summer Field studies have given the teachers a better understanding and appreciation for the events and topics that are discussed in class.  Field studies have included sites of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, key places of the Civil Rights movement and many other famous landmarks.  “Summer field studies have given us opportunities to see and experience things that we would never be able to visit on our own.  We can bring our experiences back to the classroom and help better engage our students by bringing history to life.” Malone explained.  The professional field studies have focused on visiting the presidential libraries throughout the United States.  The past two years the ESC has led trips to the Richard M. Nixon and Ronald W.  Reagan Presidential Libraries in California and the Lyndon B. Johnson, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush Libraries in Texas. This year the concentration turns to Manifest Destiny and World War 2 as the group will travel to New Orleans and Hawaii.

As members of the Landmark Moments they also gain access to Cicero Systems.  Cicero is a website that covers important events and topics in American History. This site has proven useful when teaching as it provides multiple resources that can be used to increase student achievement. Dugan stated, "The strategies introduced by the Landmark Moments Fellowship to incorporate primary sources specifically into my AP U.S. History Class has been invaluable. The ability to learn from experts, and then present information given by them into my coursework has vastly improved my classes. Use of the Cicero website to gain a wealth of primary sources has allowed me to better address the cultural environment of historical eras."

Participating teachers are presented with a variety of resources when they attend the meetings and summer field studies. “The content in the program has been very helpful in giving more insight into the topics that we share with our students throughout the school year.  Lecture notes, resource materials and use of the Cicero website help us develop and guide our instruction throughout the year.” said Harden.

The Gallia-Vinton Educational Service Center is located on the campus of the University of Rio Grande. The ESC’s mission is to provide leadership and build services to enhance the capacity of schools and the community to support student achievement and collaborative endeavors.