G
Editor’s Notebook
Lynne M. O’Hara
eneral Douglas MacArthur said, “a true leader has the
had on them. Pat Ramsay, the NHD in Arkansas coordinator and
by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.”
Several of NHD’s generous partner organizations have contributed
confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough
decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs
of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one
Leadership & Legacy in History is a new theme for National
History Day. It asks students to consider what it means to lead
an event (as opposed to just being present) and what it means
to leave a legacy (and not just an obituary) behind. This theme
asks students to examine the qualities of leaders and explore
the creation of their legacies.
The 2015 Theme Book includes the annual theme narrative
and topics list, as well as a series of articles and lessons that
combine the experience of NHD teachers and coordinators
with the resources of our partner organizations.
Several NHD coordinators have assisted in the creation of
materials for this book. Jeffrey Hawks, the Education Director at
the Army Heritage Center Foundation and coordinator of NHD in
Pennsylvania, wrote an article assisting students in finding topics
in military history. Cheryl Caskey, the coordinator of NHD in
Kentucky, paired with Naomi Peuse, a former NHD coordinator,
to create a middle school lesson plan that uses Chronicling
America’s resources to consider American public opinion
regarding entry into World War I.
Several NHD teachers have shared their classroom expertise
with us this year. Abigail Kuhn and Kevin Wagner have developed
lesson plans to help teachers explore the theme of Leadership and
Legacy in History in both US and world history classrooms. Gita
Morris and Julie Noble discuss strategies for helping students with
learning disabilities work through the NHD learning process.
NHD is a leader in quality professional development for both
students and teachers. Two student-teacher collaborative learning
teams from the 2013 Normandy Institute class explain to us
what they have learned and the impact that the institute has
China Institute participant, examines the legacy of Mao Zedong as
studied by 16 teachers exploring China in the summer of 2013.
articles to this year’s theme book. The Jimmy Carter Presidential
Library and Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning
Center at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation have both
contributed articles examining the role of two twentieth century
presidents, their leadership while in office and the legacies
they developed after leaving the White House. The Educational
Outreach Staff at the Library of Congress has created a graphic
lesson plan, focusing on strategies for analyzing visual sources
from the wom