Erie Medal of Honor Curriculum Project

Under a grant from the General Electric Foundation, the Medal of Honor Foundation has worked with the Erie and Wattsburg Area School Districts in Pennsylvania and a group of educators for more than two years to establish Medal of Honor-related lesson plans drawing upon the ideals of courage, sacrifice and selflessness embodied in the Medal of Honor, and their application in daily life to promote character development and responsible citizenship.   

The program has been enhanced by the addition of video teleconferencing with a Medal of Honor recipient addressing a student assembly or classroom and interacting with the students in a questions and answer session.     

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Medal of Honor Recipient Al Rascon Observes Student Exercise Using Medal of Honor Curriculum	Erie Project - Student Display

A prototype kit was rolled out in the above districts on September 28, 2009. The Foundation’s best-selling book, Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty and the “living history” videos and other research material are used to support the program, which has potential nationwide application. Initial metrics have been very positive and indicate favorable results from both educators and students. A quote from one student read, “The most important thing I learned is that a hero has no certain face. You can be looking at a hero without knowing it because they are everyday people.”       

Erie Project - Curriculum Kit Cover	Erie Project Rollout - Composite	Erie Project Rollout - Pillars of Learning

In May, the Erie Project team briefed the Pennsylvania State Board of Education and the program is now being considered for statewide implementation. In the meantime, the program is in the intial stages of implementation in Huntsville, Alabama and the Aurora School District of Denver, Colorado.   

Erie Project Briefing to Pennsylvania State Board of Education

Later this year, the Project Team will brief the Pennsylvania Council for Social Studies annual convention and the National Council for Teachers in English.