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 gwti250@mountvernon.org
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 writes on the politics and social history of the American Revolution, early American republic, and British Atlantic world. His courses include “George Washington and His World,” taught annually at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. His honors include the Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Prize for Teaching Excellence and induction into the George Washington University Academy of Distinguished Teachers, as well as selection to the College Board AP U.S. History Development Committee (2018-23; Higher Ed Chair, 2021-23). He is co-director of the Albert H. Small Normandy Institute at GW and frequently leads K-12 professional development programs for organizations such as Humanities Texas, the George Washington Teacher Institute at Mount Vernon, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, with whom he has twice partnered to lead the NEH Summer Institute “The Making of America: Colonial Era to Reconstruction.”
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 brings 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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