Emily Lewellen, Alan Birkemeier
Brown County High School teacher Emily Lewellen and Columbus teacher Alan Birkemeier of Brown County have been chosen to participate in projects memorializing fallen Hoosier heroes of World Wars I and II.
Lewellen is one of 18 educators from across America selected to participate in “Memorializing the Fallen,” a teacher professional development program from National History Day. Lewellen was chosen to study World War I in Europe.
Lewellen’s group will attend virtual lectures, participate in discussions and research a service member who never returned home. Lewellen’s service member is Pvt. Ray Griffin of Brown County. Griffin was a member of the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]“World War I is often glossed over as simply a stepping stone to WWII,” said Lewellen. “With that glossing over comes the brushing aside of important stories that would help students connect with the past. Through the Memorializing the Fallen program, I will learn firsthand the stories of the men and women who fought and died in the trenches and battles of WWI, allowing me to humanize this history for my students. I am incredibly excited to learn this impactful history and apply it in my classroom, as well as in my community.”
Lewellen and other educators will make stops in France at cemeteries, including the one where Griffin is buried, and will visit WWI battle sites and monuments. On the final day of the program, June 28, teachers will attend the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles at the Palace of Versailles in France.
Birkemeier, who teaches at Central Middle School in Columbus, is among eight middle and high school educators who traveled to Washington, D.C., to learn a World War II service member’s story through a program titled “Understanding Sacrifice.” They also are researching the life and sacrifice of their chosen service member.
“This program allows me to shine a light on an unknown Hoosier hero and honor him by making his story known,” said Birkemeier. “Then the program will take these fallen heroes and use their stories as a lens to develop deep, meaningful World War II education.”
Birkemeier’s group also is going to Europe to continue their studies. Each member will deliver a eulogy to their fallen hero at their burial or memorial sites. Birkemeier’s will be at Luxembourg American Cemetery where his service member, Staff Sergeant Francis L. Raub of Indianapolis, is listed on the Wall of the Missing.
Birkemeier welcomes information from anyone who knew Raub. Email him at [email protected].
Alyssa Stanley, Matt Stanley
Two Brown County educators have received Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowships for 2019.
Alyssa Stanley, a seventh-grade English/language arts teacher at Brown County Junior High School, and Matt Stanley, a guidance counselor at Jackson Creek Middle School in Bloomington, were both chosen for the highly competitive grant program. About 500 applications were received for fewer than 100 awards.
Fellows each receive a $12,000 grant to support a project of personally and professionally fulfilling activities.
The Stanleys’ project is “Mindfulness and Mountains Multiplied.” The couple will enroll in formal training in mindfulness meditation designed for educators and spend six weeks in national parks with their school-aged children, developing personal practices.
Many of this year’s fellowship awards will enable teachers to travel.
“For more than 30 years now, we at the endowment have learned how important it is for educators to have the time to create and explore. They have shared with us that they return to their schools with a greater commitment to their students and to the vocation of education,” said Sara B. Cobb, the endowment’s vice president for education.
