Registration Requirements
Who can register?
- Teachers MUST teach in a formal K-12 classroom or school setting.
- The program is limited to 40 teachers.
- A waitlist will be available if registration meets full capacity.
Questions? Please contact [email protected]
Schedule
| 8:30 a.m. | Check in & Coffee |
| 9 a.m. | Welcome - National WWII Museum, Introduction to GWTI 250 Debra Demers |
| 9:30 a.m. | George Washington's Leadership: Inventing the Presidency Dr. Denver Brunsman |
| 10:30 a.m. | Break & Snacks |
| 10:45 a.m. | Crafting the "Perfect Leader" Emily Finch Classroom Application, Mount Vernon Resources Debra Demers |
| 12 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1 p.m. | Exhibit Exploration – Gallery work |
| 1:50 p.m. | Legacies Dr Bradley W. Hart |
| 2:30 p.m. | From the Collections to the Classroom WWII Education Staff |
| 3 p.m. | Reflection: How will you use this in the classroom? Debra Demers Final Thoughts, Evaluations |
| 3:30 p.m. | Freedom Theatre Film (optional) |
*Lunch is included.
Meet the Guest Speakers
Dr. Denver Brunsman
Denver Brunsman is Associate Professor and Chair of the History Department at George Washington University, where his courses include “George Washington and His World,” taught annually at Mount Vernon. His book, The Evil Necessity: British Naval Impressment in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World (2013), received the Walker Cowen Memorial Prize for an outstanding work in eighteenth-century studies in the Americas and Atlantic world. He is also a coauthor of a leading college and AP U.S. History textbook, Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People (2016; 2020) as well as the e-books, Leading Change: George Washington and Establishing the Presidency (2017) and George Washington and the Establishment of the Federal Government (2020). A retired Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves, his honors include membership in 2014-15 fellow class at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, induction into the George Washington University Academy of Distinguished Teachers (2016), and selection to the College Board AP U.S. History Development Committee (2018).
Dr. Bradley W. Hart, PhD
Bradley Hart is the Senior Historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. Hart received his PhD in history from Churchill College at the University of Cambridge, and is the author of two books, including Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States (2018), recipient of the 2019 German Studies Association Sybil Halpern Milton Memorial Book Prize. Hart has also published numerous articles on interwar politics, diplomacy, and intelligence history. His current research focuses on information warfare in World War II. Before joining the Institute, Hart taught at California State University, Fresno, and worked as an international affairs fellow on Capitol Hill.
Meet the Educators
Debra Demers
Debra Demers joined George Washington's Mount Vernon as the Teacher Learning Coordinator in April of 2022. She is a former GWTI alum and always aspired to join the team and live her passion for Washington’s legacy at Mount Vernon. Debra is a retired Reading/Literacy Coach with many years of teaching in both New York and Virginia, including eight years at the University of Buffalo and Buffalo State College. She holds a Ed.M. in Reading from the University of Buffalo and a B.A. in Psychology and Elementary Education from SUNY Potsdam. She bring her love for children's literature and history to The George Washington Teacher Institute, as she connects great books for teaching about the 18th century.
Emily Finch
Emily Finch is a 7th year Social Studies teacher with extensive middle and high school experience, currently teaching High School Civics and AP Government and Politics. A Mount Vernon Teaching Fellow Alum (2024), Emily has deep expertise in George Washington’s leadership precedents. She leverages her role as a Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) Education Technology TLA—training educators on AI and tech integration—along with her work partnering with various historical organizations to build K-12 virtual historical collection libraries accessible nationwide. Emily’s background ensures this PD delivers both compelling historical analysis and immediately usable, forward-thinking strategies that are relevant across all grade levels.
Angelle Meltz
Angelle Meltz is the Teacher Outreach Specialist in the Education Department at The National World War II Museum. Angelle manages the Teacher Ambassador program that provides teacher training on behalf of the Museum nationwide, as well as oversees nationwide outreach initiatives to the educator community.
Sarah Wehlage
Sarah Wehlage is the Assistant Director of Teacher Programs in the Education Team at The National World War II Museum. Sarah oversees the programming and resources that the Museum provides to support teachers through professional development training, outreach, and curriculum and instructional resources.
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