Mrs. Jo Ann Cato Gillespie, a teacher at Vista Heights Middle School and Mrs. Amy Byrd and Claudia Romero, teachers at Palm Middle School, are three of only 120 teachers selected for a National History Day® (NHD) spring professional development program. This course focuses on using online Library of Congress resources to develop and support historical arguments and is a feature of NHD’s membership in the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Consortium.
The teachers chosen for this honor represent NHD’s 58 affiliates across the country and around the world, and the National History Day program in California. NHD affiliates include all 50 states and the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and international school programs in China, South Asia, and South Korea.
“History Day is a big deal in Moreno Valley and we are so proud that three of our teachers were selected in this program,” said Moreno Valley Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Martinrex Kedziora. “Our students benefit from the dedication and determination of Mrs. Cato Gillespie, Ms. Romero, and Mrs. Byrd.”
For several months, Mrs. Jo Ann Cato Gillespie, Ms. Romero, and Ms. Byrd worked with their peers around the country and National History Day staff to build knowledge for teaching with the online Library of Congress resources. Upon completion of the series, they will have demonstrated the ability to share with her students key strategies for researching, supporting, and presenting historical arguments bolstered by these primary sources.
“Mrs. Cato Gillespie, Ms. Romero, and Mrs. Byrd epitomize the commitment we have to lifelong learning and professional development we have in the district,” added MVUSD School Board President Darrell Peeden. “I applaud their work on and selection into such a distinguished program.”
“The skills and strategies Mrs. Cato Gillespie, Ms. Romero, and Ms. Byrd are developing through this series will benefit her students over the course of their academic and professional careers,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “As a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member, NHD is incredibly fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity for teachers, especially now as teachers and students continue to address challenges of non-traditional learning settings required by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
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