Yesterday we traveled through lots, and lots, and lots of cornfields to get to Lafayette, Indiana. It was lovely to see all of the farms, tractors, silos and farm houses along the way as the trees started to show their first signs of the changing season. It was such a nice glimpse of Americana in the true heartland of our country!
We visited two schools today. The first school was Amelia Earhart Elementary, of course named after the famous American aviatrix. The school was named after her because she attended Purdue University, which is “just across the river” from Earhart Elementary!
We got to Earhart bright and early this morning and were greeted by third grade teacher, Ms. Kim Whitchurch. Ms. Whitchurch told us about a big unit that she teachers her class about me- The Statue of Liberty! Earhart also emphasizes citizenship curriculum in their school, so the Super Citizen Program could not be more perfect for fulfilling both of these goals! The first section of the Super Citizen Program is about me and my history. But, just as all other parts of the program, it is not only “history.” There are technology, math, and even P.E. lessons that are Lady Liberty-themed! And that’s just the first section of the program! Other sections include lessons that are Financial Literacy-themed, Character-Building, Honoring Veterans and others. Each of these sections have flexible, cross-curricular lessons designed to inspire the students to become Super Citizens!
Next we visited Edgelea Elementary where Principal Alicia Clevenger made sure everything was running smoothly! Edgelea is the biggest elementary school in the Lafayette Schools System! We had a great time with the 3rd & 4th graders, which made a big group by themselves! We were also glad to have special guests Mike Heinz and Mikel Livingston from the Lafayette Journal & Courier.
Thanks so much to Ms. Whitchurch and Ms. Clevenger for all your work in helping us and bringing us to Lafayette!
Tomorrow we go even further north to Merrillville, Indiana and Henry Fieler Elementary School!