Newsroom Category: Teacher Education

Supporting history and civics in the classroom

October 1, 2025 — A children’s literature project for students with learning disabilities. A living history wax museum and City Hall field trip. A storytelling series. And a class-created book of civic rights and responsibilities.

These are the winning project ideas submitted by Alabama educators chosen as AHA’s 2025 Riley Scholars. This year’s winners are Abby Crews (Geneva), Jordan Franck (Florence), Amanda Ridge (Russellville), and Ashlie-Nicole Wehner (Huntsville).

The competitive Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to K-8 educators who excel at helping students engage with history and civics. Riley Scholars receive $2,000 in support of history- and civics-related classroom projects or for professional development opportunities.

Funded through the W. Edgar Welden Fund for Education, this scholarship is a tribute to the late Jenice Riley — a passionate educator and daughter of former Alabama governor and first lady Bob and Patsy Riley. Edgar Welden is a former AHA board member and a steadfast supporter of educational initiatives in Alabama. Since 2003, the Alabama Humanities Alliance has named 110 Riley Scholars and funded more than $114,000 in teacher scholarships.

If you’d like to help AHA continue supporting Alabama’s teachers and students, consider making a gift to support the Alabama Humanities Alliance.

 

Applications open for 2026!

Applications are now being accepted for AHA’s 2026 Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarships. Alabama educators are encouraged to apply by April 30, 2026.

The 2026 proposal theme is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.” All Riley Scholarship proposals should address how funds would be used to enhance teaching and learning about historical events and movements connected to different revolutions, reactions, and reforms in our history.

This year’s theme is inspired by (but not limited to) the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence in 2026. This is also the theme of AHA’s 2026 Alabama History Day competition.

 

Meet our 2025 Riley Scholars

Abby Crews, Mulkey Elementary (Geneva County)
Geneva City Schools | Fifth Grade

PROJECT: City Hall Field Trip and Living History Wax Museum
This multi-pronged project will take students on a field trip to Geneva’s new City Hall, which will include a city council simulation. Back at school, Crews will help students create a voting booth for school elections. Finally, students will participate in a Living History Wax Museum that gives them a chance to study history while enhancing their writing, reading, public speaking, and critical thinking skills.

 

Jordan Franck, Forest Hills Elementary (Lauderdale County)
Florence City Schools | Fifth Grade

PROJECT: Rights and Responsibilities Storytelling Series
One of the most common ways that students learn about the history of our country is through the art of storytelling. The goal of Franck’s project is to help students learn about history and civics through a new and robust library of history books. Novel studies will also be incorporated into the reading curriculum to help students personally connect with history and civics, to inspire them as future leaders.

 

Amanda Ridge, Russellville Middle (Franklin County)
Russellville City Schools | Sixth Grade

PROJECT: How Can I be a Golden Patriot?
Around 60 percent of students in Ridge’s classroom come from families that immigrated to the United States. This has inspired a hands-on idea for learning about U.S. history and civics. Students will begin by studying the book, For Which We Stand, a book that explains the origins of U.S. government, how it works, and how to engage with it. Students will then create their own book of civic rights and responsibilities, making copies to keep and copies to donate to local libraries.

 

Ashlie-Nicole Wehner, Jones Valley Elementary (Madison County)
Huntsville City Schools | Special Education, Grades 4-6

PROJECT: Three Bears Den
Can children’s literature help foster an understanding of rights and responsibilities among students with special needs? Wehner will lead a civics classroom project centered around Goldilocks and the Three Bears, leading discussions on the “Goldilocks Theory” of what is “just right” – our daily decisions to make the right choices and be responsible for our own actions. Scholarship support will enable Wehner to create a “Three Bears Den,” with resources and equipment to make learning more accessible for her students with a variety of learning disabilities.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning, impactful storytelling, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring Alabamians together and help us better understand the communities we call home.

Stony the Road We Trod

Last Wednesday, educator Cynthia Jackson sat in a pew at Birmingham’s historic Bethel Baptist Church, speaking quietly with Rev. Carolyn McKinstry, D.Div., a beloved author and minister who, as a teenager, had survived the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.

McKinstry had just spoken before a group of Alabama teachers, sharing about her childhood in Birmingham during the civil rights movement. Now, Jackson was talking directly with this inspiring foot soldier, a conversation swirling around Alabama’s past, present, and future.

“When my kids, my students, get to asking questions, how wonderful will it be when I can tell them, ‘well, I actually got to talk with Dr. Carolyn McKinstry, who survived the 16th Street Church bombing, and here’s what she told me,’” says Jackson, who teaches at W.F. Burns Middle School in Chambers County. “This is a living experience that I’ll be able to draw on when I’m back in the classroom. This is incredible.”

Stony the Road

Jackson was one of the educators participating in the Alabama Humanities Alliance’s summer field study, Stony the Road We Trod: Exploring Alabama’s Civil Rights Legacy. The immersive, residential experience enables Alabama K-12 teachers to visit sites of conscience, meet foot soldiers of the movement, and discover new resources and ideas for the classroom. Teachers selected for the workshop came from cities big and small — from Huntsville to Northport, Parrish to Opelika, and points in between.

View a photo album from Stony 2025.

 

Highlights of Stony 2025 included visits to:

 

Along the way, teachers visited archives to identify primary resources they could use in the classroom. On the final day of the residency, teachers even crafted potential new lesson plans and then presented them to each other for peer feedback.

“Stony the Road is a professional learning treasure for our state educators,” says W. Blake Busbin, Ph.D., Course of Study Administrator and Social Studies Education Specialist for the Alabama State Department of Education.

“The life-changing experiences it offers to its participants reveal the stories of people, places, and events that not only shaped local communities and Alabama but furthered America’s commitment to its 1776 promises contained in the Declaration of Independence,” Busbin notes. “The combination of content knowledge and pedagogy provided in the learning experience equips Alabama teachers to be leaders in teaching this integral history.”

Stony’s project director is Martha Bouyer, D.Min., an educator and civil rights scholar who was named an AHA Alabama Humanities Fellow in 2018. Dr. Bouyer has led various versions of Stony for AHA through the years, drawing on her experience as executive director of the Historic Bethel Baptist Church Community Restoration Fund.

“This kind of story-sharing is sort of the art of showing people why they should care about a thing,” Bouyer says. “That is where the humanities live, helping us to be in touch with the things that impact our lives.”

 

Bringing Stony back to the classroom

Teachers selected to participate in Stony received a stipend, professional development credits, and new resources for the classroom — including a half-dozen new books.

Participant Cynthia Jackson noted that each teacher received those books far in advance of the workshop, preparing her for what she’d see up close during Stony — and providing a rare chance to then speak with a few of those authors in person during the week.

Jackson even made a personal connection with scholar Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D., a history professor and author who gave a presentation on expanding the stories of the civil rights movement. Dr. Jeffries wrote Bloody Lowndes, about the 1960s freedom movement in Alabama’s Black Belt.

“When I was reading his book, one of the names I saw jumped off the page,” Jackson says. “Dr. Jeffries had actually interviewed one of my relatives, who lives in Lowndes County. So, I had the chance to talk with Dr. Jeffries about that and to share stories with each other about our Lowndes County connections. Getting to interact with authors like that is wild. It’s such an invaluable part of this experience.”

Stony indeed dives deeply into Alabama’s civil rights legacy. The residency isn’t just a primer for newer teachers of this history. It’s also a boost for the most experienced of educators.

Kristina Godsey, of Parrish, Alabama, teaches at Fairfield High Preparatory School. She’s taught for 20 years and serves as her school’s social studies chair.

“I signed up for this because there’s always something new you can learn,” she says. “The more I immerse myself in something, the more I’m going to understand it. What we’re doing here makes civil rights history personal, human. And when you look at it that way, and can teach it that way, it really resonates.”

 

Making Stony 2025 possible

The Alabama Humanities Alliance has now presented Stony at least a half-dozen times. This year, the nonprofit and nonpartisan organization is more appreciative than ever for all who made the experience possible.

Back in April, the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency terminated AHA’s 50-year partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities — and, with it, two-thirds of our annual budget. For more than half a century, AHA had used federal dollars appropriated by a bipartisan Congress to support statewide grantmaking and programming such as Stony and AHA’s beloved Road Scholars Speakers Bureau.

“This spring, we feared we would have to cancel this unique opportunity for Alabama’s teachers,” says Chuck Holmes, AHA’s executive director. “Thankfully, we didn’t have to do that because of generous contributions from individuals and institutional donors statewide, who value Alabama’s history and Alabama’s educators. We are so grateful to them all for ensuring Stony could proceed.”

The Alabama Humanities Alliance still has a long way to go to find sustainable funding that will ensure its grantmaking and public programming continue beyond 2025. To support the future of Alabama Humanities, donate at alabamahumanities.org/support.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning, impactful storytelling, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring Alabamians together and help us better understand the communities we call home. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

The Smithsonian arrives in Alabama

On a warm summer evening in Sylacauga, Alabama, more than 200 residents gathered to celebrate a momentous occasion — the opening of SPARK! Places of Innovation, a Smithsonian traveling exhibit, right there in Sylacauga’s Isabel Anderson Comer Museum and Arts Center.

The evening of June 26 represented nearly a year of preparation for the Comer Museum. It also offered a unique opportunity for Sylacauga to come together as a community and consider their shared past and future.

“The Comer Museum had such a clear vision for hosting this exhibit,” says Laura Anderson, director of partnerships and outcomes for the Alabama Humanities Alliance. “They have gathered Sylacauga-area residents around the notion that innovation is at the heart of their community’s shared future — not imagining whether they will encourage innovation, but in how many ways.”

From now through spring 2026, SPARK! Places of Innovation will tour six towns across the state — Sylacauga, Dothan, Brewton, Uniontown, Athens, and Fort Payne. Each host venue will make the exhibit its own — complementing SPARK!’s national perspective with local programming and conversations that reflect their towns.

The idea is to explore the people, places, and ideas that have always ignited innovation in our rural communities — and inspire us all to consider how we can shape our communities moving forward.

SPARK! comes to Alabama courtesy of a longtime partnership between the Alabama Humanities Alliance (AHA) and the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street. The exhibit’s statewide tour is made possible thanks to the generous support of a pair of sponsors, Innovate Alabama and The Daniel Foundation of Alabama.

“At Innovate Alabama, we believe innovation isn’t limited to city centers or tech corridors — it’s rooted in every corner of our state, including rural communities,” says Cynthia Crutchfield, CEO of Innovate Alabama. “That’s why we’re proud to support SPARK! as it travels across Alabama, highlighting the creativity and problem-solving that have long shaped our state’s story. This exhibit reflects our mission to foster innovation and entrepreneurship statewide and shows what’s possible when we invest in local ideas and talent.”

Learn more about SPARK!: alabamahumanities.org/spark.

 

SPARK! 2025-2026 Tour Dates

 

SYLACAUGA: THROUGH JULY 19, 2025
Isabel Anderson Comer Museum & Arts Center

DOTHAN: Aug. 1-31, 2025
Landmark Park

BREWTON: Sept.23-Oct. 23, 2025
Brewton City Hall

UNIONTOWN: Nov. 11-Dec. 13, 2025
Renaissance Center (C.H.O.I.C.E. Uniontown)

ATHENS: Jan. 3-Feb. 10, 2026
Athens-Limestone County Public Library

FORT PAYNE: Feb. 20-March 25, 2026
Fort Payne Coal & Iron Building (Landmarks of DeKalb County)

As SPARK! tours the state, the Alabama Humanities Alliance will offer a public info session at each stop, promoting local humanities programming and grantmaking opportunities. In Sylacauga, AHA presents “Get the Scoop” on July 16 at the B.B. Comer Memorial Library.

 

SPARK!-inspired teacher workshop and community reception

AHA also offered a SPARK!-inspired teacher workshop in Sylacauga, June 24-25, presented in partnership with Design Alabama. More than 30 educators came from across Alabama to consider new ways to ignite their own students’ imaginations.

“One of the reasons this workshop was so fantastic is that it was community-centered, locally connected to the place where it was offered,” says LaVerne McDonald, an educator in Talladega County. “Sylacauga and its mill village are where I grew up. Six generations of my family over time sharecropped, worked at the mill, experienced the loss of the mill and the loss of community that comes with it, and continued to call this area home. Innovations highlighted in this workshop make me optimistic for the future of the community and its youth.”

Indeed, highlighting local community-building was core to the Comer Museum and Arts Center’s plan for hosting SPARK!. During the exhibit’s opening reception, attendees didn’t just view the Smithsonian traveling exhibit — they also got a tour of the town’s former Avondale Mill’s site to consider its past, present, and future.

For more than a century, the mill was central to The Marble City’s identity and economy. In 2006, Avondale closed its doors; five years later, a lightning strike burned down the deserted plants. Residents wondered if the town could survive the loss.

Today, the former Avondale Mills site is transforming into the home of the East Alabama Rural Innovation and Training Hub (EARTH). This transformative and innovative workforce development program, physically rooted in the town’s rich history, will help East Alabamians prepare for careers and industries that might not even exist yet.

“SPARK! is such a wonderful exhibit for us to host right now,” says Judy Green, director of the Comer Museum and Arts Center. “Everyone who came to SPARK!’s opening reception got to tour the new site and see 3-D renderings of what could rise from the ashes there. This is an exciting time and SPARK! helps us all continue to consider new ideas and solutions for our shared future here in Sylacauga.”

***

About the AHA-Smithsonian partnership
Since 1997, the Alabama Humanities Alliance has brought more than a dozen Smithsonian traveling exhibits to smaller towns statewide — nearly 70 communities, and counting. Alabamians who might never have the chance to visit Smithsonian museums in our nation’s capital are treated to museum-quality exhibits right here in their home communities. AHA works in partnership with the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street and Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. alabamahumanities.org/spark

About Innovate Alabama
Innovate Alabama is Alabama’s first statewide public-private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation, with a mission to help innovators grow roots here in Alabama. Innovate Alabama was established to implement the initiatives and recommendations set forth in the Alabama Innovation Commission’s report, including smart policy solutions that will create a more resilient, inclusive, and robust economy to remain competitive in a 21st-century world. With founding CEO Cynthia Crutchfield leading the charge, Innovate Alabama includes a board of 11 innovation leaders appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey, collaborating across sectors to advance industries, drive technology, and facilitate an environment where innovation and entrepreneurship thrive. innovatealabama.org

About The Daniel Foundation of Alabama
The Daniel Foundation of Alabama’s mission is to strengthen communities within Alabama and improve the quality of life for citizens from all regions of Alabama. We believe this can be achieved through support of effective organizations that are focused on building a healthy and well-educated population, living in a vibrant community. danielfoundationofalabama.com

 

AHA names two new Riley Scholars

The Alabama Humanities Alliance has named Madison County educators Shatia Howard and Alana McNeil as AHA’s 2024 Riley Scholars. The competitive Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to K-8 educators who excel in teaching history, civics, and geography. Since its origins, Riley Scholars have received funding to support creative history- and civics-related classroom projects.

Funded through the W. Edgar Welden Fund for Education, this scholarship is a tribute to the late Jenice Riley — a passionate educator and daughter of former Alabama governor and first lady Bob and Patsy Riley. Edgar Welden is a former AHA board member and a steadfast supporter of educational initiatives in Alabama. Since 2003, the Alabama Humanities Alliance has named 106 Riley Scholars and funded more than $100,000 in teacher scholarships.

Applications are now being accepted for AHA’s 2025 Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarships. Alabama educators are encouraged to apply by April 30, 2025.

More info

Riley Scholars flyer

Application form for 2025

 

About our 2024 Jenice Riley Scholars
AHA Executive Director Chuck Holmes presents educator Shatia Howard with her Riley Scholarship, at Lakewood Elementary in Huntsville. 

 

Shatia Howard, Lakewood Elementary School
Huntsville City Schools | Kindergarten

Project: Diverse Friends, Happy Hearts

Student enrichment through promoting a deeper appreciation for diversity through literature. By introducing students to a range of cultures and backgrounds, students will enhance their social-emotional learning, empowering them to become more empathetic and compassionate individuals. By cultivating empathy, Howard aims to shape a more harmonious and inclusive future adult. Funding will help support purchasing books, supplies, and a buddy bench.

 

Alana McNeil, Farley Elementary School
Huntsville City Schools | 3rd Grade

Map reading is an essential life skill that modern students may need help with. In this project, students will learn how to read and use maps. Participants will integrate their math, reading, language, cooperative learning, and critical thinking skills. Funding will help support the purchase of maps, learning center supplies, and map puzzles.

 

Help us award more Riley Scholarships

Beginning in 2025, AHA will double the scholarship amount that Riley Scholars receive to support their efforts in the classroom and beyond. If you’d like to help us reward excellent Alabama educators, consider making a gift to AHA.

Learn more about AHA’s Riley Scholarships. Or contact Laura Anderson, AHA director of partnerships and outcomes: landerson@alabamahumanities.org or 205.558.3992.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we connect Alabamians to impactful storytelling, lifelong learning, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

History Day at Mt. Meigs

“Alabama History Day has given me light in this dark part of my life. It gave me an example of how throughout history, people have made a way in spite of hard times.” 
—G.M., a student at L.B. Wallace School for adjudicated youth, Mt. Meigs, Alabama 

 

G.M. was one of 30 students at the L.B. Wallace School who participated in a first-of-its-kind Alabama History Day program. Students had the chance to research topics of their own choosing — and then creatively share their findings — just as all other Alabama students do at school, regional, and statewide History Day contests each year.

This barrier-breaking program for adjudicated youth at Mt. Meigs — an Alabama Department of Youth Services (DYS) campus mostly comprised of 16-to-19-year-old boys — was the result of a collaboration between the Alabama Humanities Alliance, the Alabama Writers’ Forum, and DYS.

Over a 10-week program this school year, students at Mt. Meigs participated in a Writing Our Histories program, led by Susan R. DuBose, Ph.D., a leading historian and educator in Alabama. Dr. DuBose and the school’s teachers helped students learn the core principles of primary research and how to develop speaking skills to present their research to a panel of judges.

“The dedicated DYS teachers and staff, along with Dr. DuBose, created an environment where our students could connect with history and learn in ways they had never experienced before this program,” says Tracy Smitherman, Ed.D., superintendent of the Alabama DYS School District. “The students enjoyed it, the exceptional teachers and staff loved it, and as the superintendent, I love that this program inspired them to love learning.”

The Alabama Humanities Alliance and Alabama Writers’ Forum collaboratively developed the Writing Our Histories curriculum — building on the AWF’s well-established Writing Our Stories program, which also takes place on DYS youth campuses. Over the program’s first 25 years, 63 anthologies and 19 chapbooks have been published, showcasing the work of approximately 1,500 students.

The 10-week Writing Our Histories pilot program culminated in an Alabama History Day contest on October 4, on the Mt. Meigs campus. Students presented their research as exhibits that colorfully highlighted what they’d learned on topics ranging from World War II and the Civil War to Alabama athletes and the civil rights movement. Students confidently and enthusiastically talked about what they’d learned, answering questions from Alabama History Day judges who work professionally as educators, historians, and authors. Teachers from other DYS campuses also attended to observe and bring the experience back to their own classrooms.

“Alabama History Day has brought me to the perception to always move forward and to keep your focus on the right opportunity,” one student, K.M., shared. “As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ’The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ These words hold true through all times, for there have been occasions when good things during hard times have been accomplished through perseverance and hope. I want to thank everyone for providing me with a chance to advance my growth as an independent individual.”

Alabama History Day will “move forward” at Mt. Meigs, too. The pilot program had such a significant and positive impact on participating youth this fall that an agreement is already in place to carry Alabama History Day into 2025 and beyond with the Alabama Department of Youth Services.

Idrissa N. Snider, Ph.D., at the Awards Ceremony for Alabama History Day 2024 at Mt. Meigs.

“We take great joy in offering programs that empower all Alabamians to be storytellers and humanities champions, at every stage in life,” says Idrissa N. Snider, Ph.D., Alabama History Day coordinator at the Alabama Humanities Alliance. “We want every child to succeed, no matter their circumstances, and we have seen firsthand how empowering and transformational the History Day program can be to students from different backgrounds and parts of our state.”

Alabama History Day is the state contest of National History Day, a history competition that engages middle school and high school students in robust and creative historical research. To learn more about History Day — and how your school, classroom, or student can participate, visit alabamahumanities.org/alabama-history-day.

Learn more about the partnering organizations for Alabama History Day at Mt. Meigs:

AHA names three new Riley Scholars

BIRMINGHAM / November 14, 2023 — The Alabama Humanities Alliance has named educators Lexia Banks, Abby Crews, and Willie Davis III as its 2023 Riley Scholars. The competitive Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to K-8 educators who excel in teaching history, civics, and geography. Each Riley Scholar receives $1,000 to support creative history- and civics-related classroom projects.

Funded through the W. Edgar Welden Fund for Education, this scholarship is named in memory of the late Jenice Riley — a passionate educator and daughter of former Alabama governor and first lady Bob and Patsy Riley.

Since 2003, the Alabama Humanities Alliance has named 104 Riley Scholars and funded more than $100,000 in teacher scholarships. In 2023, at least 162 Alabamian students will benefit from these scholarship their teachers have received.

 

About our 2023 Riley Scholars

Lexia Banks, Magic City Acceptance Academy (Birmingham)
7th Grade, Charter School

Project: 7th Grade Trip to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
The trip will elevate the school’s Social Movements unit by commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing through a tour of the BCRI. Students will leave with a better understanding of Alabama’s history and how it impacts their future.

 

Abby Crews, Mulkey Elementary School (Geneva)
5th Grade, Social Studies

Project: Living History Wax Museum
Students will select a person of positive influence who has significantly contributed to society from the Living History Wax Museum exhibits. After researching, learners will prepare biographical presentation boards, dress as their selected icon, and present a short speech to family and community members. Participants will increase their proficiency and skills in reading, writing, public speaking, and critical thinking.

 

Willie Davis III, Charles F. Hard Elementary (Bessemer)
Kindergarten 

Project: A Community of Helpers
Students will listen to “read-alouds” and receive visits from community helpers to inform them about public service occupations. Learners will increase their appreciation for civil servants through art, literature, and more as community helpers inspire them.

 

Support our teacher scholarships

Alabamians are invited to support these Riley Scholarships through our W. Edgar Welden Fund for Education.

To contribute:

To learn more about the Riley Scholarships, visit alabamahumanities.org/jenice-riley-memorial-scholarship. Or contact Laura Anderson, AHA’s director of partnerships and outcomes, at landerson@alabamahumanities.org or 205.558.3992.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance

Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we connect Alabamians to impactful storytelling, lifelong learning, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

Introducing Alabama History Day teacher ambassadors

BIRMINGHAM / November 9, 2023 — The Alabama Humanities Alliance proudly announces the appointment of Rebecca Heaton and Cheryl Burch as Alabama History Day teacher ambassadors for North and South Alabama. In their roles, Heaton and Burch will serve as key points of contact for teachers and educators interested in participating in Alabama History Day.

Rebecca Heaton, teacher ambassador, North AL.

Heaton and Burch will support the efforts of Alabama History Day coordinator Idrissa N. Snider, Ph.D., in expanding outreach to both rural and urban areas across the state. Their collaborative outreach includes Alabama History Day and Donuts — a new initiative providing accessible school visits to facilitate helpful discussions about Alabama History Day.

Rebecca Heaton, AHA’s teacher ambassador for North Alabama, brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her involvement with History Day dates to 2008, when she covered stories about the competition as a journalist in Fairbanks, Alaska.

In 2018, Heaton directed the Alaska History Day Competition and served as a program coordinator for the Western History Association. She lives in Huntsville, where she’s pursuing a public history and architecture degree.

Cheryl Burch, teacher ambassador, South AL.

Cheryl Burch, AHA’s teacher ambassador for South Alabama, has a strong background in education. Her journey with History Day began as an 8th-grade Ancient World History teacher at Phillips Preparatory Academy. Burch’s dedication led her to sponsor History Day at Phillips, where she earned Alabama’s Patricia Behring Middle School Teacher of the Year award.

Building upon her expertise, Burch assumed the role of National History Day Master Teacher, conducting training workshops for NHD educators. Burch is enjoying her recent retirement, splitting her time between Mobile and Simpsonville, South Carolina.

This dynamic duo will play a crucial role in strengthening the impact of Alabama History Day, increasing engagement in broader communities, and bringing history to life for students across the state.

To learn more, visit alabamahumanities.org/alabama-history-day. Or contact AHD program coordinator Dr. Snider at isnider@alabamahumanities.org or 205.558.3996.

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we connect Alabamians to impactful storytelling, lifelong learning, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

New learning series for Alabama educators

This Huntsville workshop is one of nine AHA is offering to educators statewide in ’23-’24.

 

BIRMINGHAM / July 6, 2023 — The Alabama Humanities Alliance announces its 2023-2024 SUPER Teacher workshop schedule. The workshops will occur across Alabama, starting on July 11, 2023, and ending on April 27, 2024. Educators seeking to gain new information and perspective on Alabama topics will receive professional development credit after diving deep into curriculum-relevant topics through directed readings, critical discussions, film viewings, lectures, writing exercises, field trips, and cultural experiences.

SUPER Teacher workshops provide a collaborative forum in which educators (in grades 4-12) can exchange ideas, gain fresh perspectives, and learn new approaches to teaching. Participants develop a multidisciplinary approach to the humanities and enjoy many significant benefits, including stipends and Continuing Education credits — all at no cost to them or their schools.

“Educators statewide and for decades have appreciated SUPER workshops for their focus on rich and relevant stories — stories that inspire new ways of teaching and learning for work and life,” says Laura Anderson, AHA director of partnerships and outcomes. “We aim for this series of topics and partnerships to serve not only teachers and students, but also communities.” 

 

AHA’s 2023-2024 SUPER Teacher workshop series:

Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events
July 11-12, 2023
Birmingham
This workshop will help educators explore potential learning opportunities they can present to students participating in Alabama History Day. The 2024 National History Day theme allows participants to explore and examine Alabama history that proved to be turning points in history, such as Birmingham’s civil rights sites. Lead scholar: Debbie Hester, Alabama History Day Teacher Ambassador.

*There are no remaining slots available for this workshop. 

 

African American Folklife in Alabama
September 7, 2023
Montgomery
Presented in partnership with the Alabama Folklife Association, this workshop will provide scholar-led presentations on Black cemeteries, folktales of religious conversion, and how to incorporate enslaved person narratives into the classroom. Lead scholars: Shari L. Williams, Ph.D., executive director of the Ridge Macon County Archeology; Trudier Harris, Ph.D., distinguished research professor of the department of English at the University of Alabama; and Alan Brown, Ph.D., professor of English at the University of West Alabama.

 

Crossroads: Change in Rural Alabama
September 22, 2023
Cleveland
This workshop will provide expert-led documentation and celebration of rural Alabama communities over time and inspire consideration of the future. A guided tour of the Smithsonian traveling exhibit of the same name will be part of the experience. Lead scholars: Tina Mozelle Braziel, Ph.D., director of the Ada Long Creative Writing Workshop at UAB; Allison Upshaw, Ph.D., assistant professor of music at Stillman College; and Julia Brock, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama.

 

Birmingham’s Early Middle Eastern Community
September 30, 2023
Birmingham
In this workshop participants will answer the question, “Who were early immigrants to Birmingham from the Middle East?” by exploring a similarly themed exhibit currently on display at Vulcan Park and Museum and hearing from descendants of some of the area’s early immigrant families. Lead scholar: Annie DeVries, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Samford University.

NOTE: This workshop is designed for, and open to, the general public, as well as educators.

 

Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing, and the Power of Knowing Our Roots
2023-2024
Huntsville/Birmingham/Columbiana/Livingston/Mobile
This series of half-day workshops is based on the award-winning novel, Homegoing, by author Yaa Gyasi, a Ghanian American who grew up in Huntsville. Special guest speakers will be featured at each stop on the five-city schedule, with the series led by Zanice Bond, Ph.D., professor of English at Tuskegee University.

NOTE: This workshop is designed for, and open to, the general public, as well as educators.

 

Educators interested in attending AHA’s SUPER Teacher workshops can find links to application forms at alabamahumanities.org/super-teacher.

For questions or to learn more, contact Laura C. Anderson at landerson@alabamahumanities.org.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. AHA promotes impactful storytelling, lifelong learning and civic engagement. We provide Alabamians with opportunities to connect with our shared cultures and to see each other as fully human. Through our grantmaking, we help scholars, communities and cultural nonprofits create humanities-rich projects that are accessible to all Alabamians — from literary festivals and documentary films to museum exhibitions and research collections. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

 

Four Alabama teachers named Riley Scholars

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. / Nov. 21, 2022 — The Alabama Humanities Alliance has announced four recipients of its 2022 Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship. Winners receive a $1,000 scholarship to support creative classroom projects that enhance students’ understanding of history and civics.

Since 2003, the Alabama Humanities Alliance has named 101 Riley Scholars and funded more than $100,000 in teacher scholarships. These competitive scholarships are named in memory of Jenice Riley — daughter of former Alabama governor and first lady Bob and Patsy Riley — and they recognize K-8 educators who share Jenice’s passion for teaching and extraordinary commitment to enhancing the quality of education in Alabama.

 

This year’s winners are:

Adriana Shirley, Blossomwood Elementary (Huntsville)
Project: Alabama the Beautiful (4th Grade)
Through this project, students will get a hands-on opportunity to explore communities beyond their own. After conducting research on different counties across Alabama, students will create 3-D “suitcases” that will include information and artifacts relevant to their respective counties. Students will then then take their school community and local leaders on a virtual “road trip like no other” to showcase what they’ve learned.

 

Sharon Neal, Prince of Peace Catholic (Hoover)
Project: All About Alabama (4th Grade)
Each year, students in Neal’s class research famous Alabamians and dress up as “wax versions” of their historical subjects to present their findings. To expand students’ research opportunities, this scholarship will enable the purchase of new books about Alabama’s people, landscape, and history. It will also allow Neal to acquire additional teacher resources to enhance the school’s fourth grade history curriculum.

 

Melissa Motes, Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies (Mobile)
Project: Student Historians Becoming Local Documentary Producers (8th Grade)
This project will equip students with the tools they need to translate their historical research into short documentaries. Films will focus on either the history of indigenous communities in Mobile or the history of Barton as a school. Students will become historians and storytellers as they explore the impact of immigrant groups and the importance of local archaeological sites.

 

Willie Davis III, Charles F. Hard Elementary (Bessemer)
Project: Let’s Explore the World Together (Kindergarten)
The purpose of this project is to introduce students to a diversity of cultures they likely haven’t experienced before. Students will learn about different countries, ways of life, celebrations, and traditions through discussion, literature, international cuisine, and other humanities-rich tools. The goal is to put students on the path to becoming global, well-informed, and empathetic citizens.

 

Next year’s Riley scholarship competition will open in Spring 2023. For more information about the Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship, visit alabamahumanities.org/program/jeniceriley-memorial-scholarship.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. AHA promotes impactful storytelling, lifelong learning and civic engagement. We provide Alabamians with opportunities to connect with our shared cultures and to see each other as fully human. Through our grantmaking, we help scholars, communities and cultural nonprofits create humanities-rich projects that are accessible to all Alabamians — from literary festivals and documentary films to museum exhibitions and research collections. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

Exploring the leadership of Fred Shuttlesworth, 100 years after his birth

BIRMINGHAM / October 6, 2022 — Fred Shuttlesworth was the fulcrum of the civil rights movement in Birmingham — and a frequent target of the Ku Klux Klan for his freedom fighting. On Saturday, October 15, dozens of Alabama educators will join in a public workshop that reexamines Shuttlesworth’s authentic, action-driven style of leadership.

“Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth: Actionist for Justice” is a SUPER Teacher workshop presented by the Alabama Humanities Alliance, in partnership with Alabama Public Television. Participants will also get a sneak peek of the new APT documentary, Shuttlesworth, which debuts this December — 100 years after the civil rights icon’s birth.

This Birmingham workshop is open to the media. Registration required.

When: October 15, 2022 | 9 a.m.-noon
Where: Bethel Baptist Church | Birmingham
What: Half-day workshop for Alabama educators
Website: alabamahumanities.org/program/super-teacher

The lead scholar and presenter for this event is David Holmes, Ph.D., dean of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Lipscomb University. Dr. Holmes has authored books and articles about African American language and literature, sermons and speeches of the civil rights movement, and the prophetic legacy of such speeches and the pastors and laypersons who delivered them.

Participating teachers will earn continuing education credits, a $50 stipend and copies of A Fire You Can’t Put Out: The Civil Rights Life of Birmingham’s Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth by Andrew Manis, and Where the Sacred and Secular Harmonize: Birmingham Mass Meeting Rhetoric and the Prophetic Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement by David Holmes.

AHA’s SUPER Teacher program offers workshops throughout the state each year that help educators become more knowledgeable, confident, and effective teachers in the classroom.
Learn more: alabamahumanities.org/program/super-teacher.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. AHA promotes impactful storytelling, lifelong learning and civic engagement. We provide Alabamians with opportunities to connect with our shared cultures and to see each other as fully human. Through our grantmaking, we help scholars, communities and cultural nonprofits create humanities-rich projects that are accessible to all Alabamians — from literary festivals and documentary films to museum exhibitions and research collections. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

About Alabama Public Television
Alabama Public Television is a state network of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). We’re committed to enriching the lives of Alabamians through programming that educates and entertains the citizenry and by providing high-quality instructional content for schools statewide. APT also acts as Alabama’s storyteller, presenting the state’s unique heritage and cultural contributions while traveling the road taken through history on the journey to becoming the Alabama of today. Learn more at aptv.org.