The National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) has announced its 2017 award winners.  Among them are the following VGA members. Congratulations to all!

The George J Miller Award for Distinguished Service to Geographic Education- The Council’s highest award, presented for lifetime service in geographic education

• DONALD ZEIGLER, Old Dominion University, Virginia Beach, VA 

The Brunn Creativity Award for Geography Education- Presented to K-12 educators who demonstrate innovation and outstanding creativity in the teaching of geography

• CHRIS BUNIN, Albemarle High School, Charlottesville, VA
• ANDREW DOJACK, William Monroe Middle School, Stanardsville, VA
• JULIE STAVITSKI, Jack Jouett Middle School, Charlottesville, VA

The K-12 Distinguished Teaching Awards- Recognizes excellence in geography teaching at the primary and secondary levels

• ANDREW DOJACK, William Monroe Middle School, Stanardsville, VA
• JULIE STAVITSKI, Jack Jouett Middle School, Charlottesville, VA

There are still a few spots left on the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) 2017 “GeoTrip” to Cuba, which Johnny Finn will be leading this July 2-10. Details are here:

ncge.org/cuba-geotrip-

Virginia’s Board on Geographic Names (VBGN) will  be hosting this year’s Council of Geographic Names Authorities (COGNA) conference in Richmond, Virginia, May 8-12, 2017.  The conference provides a forum for the exchange of common-interest information with respect to the official designation of geographic names and this year’s theme is “The Old Dominion and Beyond: Four-Hundred Years of Settlement and Naming”. Several state authority representatives and members of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) will be in attendance and the USBGN will meet to decide upon several name proposals as part of the conference programming. COGNA encourages scholars, students and anyone interested in the naming process to submit paper proposals related to this year’s theme to T. Wayne Furr, COGNA’s Executive Secretary, at twfurr@cogna50usa.org. COGNA provides a supportive environment for undergraduate and graduate students to present academic papers.

FLYER

Additional information can be found at COGNA’s website, http://cogna50usa.org/.

National Geographic Education has an exciting opportunity for you to get your students involved with exploration! Check out (and sign up for!) our Explorers Festival Challenge.

We're looking for local teachers interested in studying a National Geographic Explorer in their classroom. All participant classrooms will receive a unique video message from their Explorer, and select teachers will be invited to a celebration of exploration at the National Geographic headquarters. One classroom will even have their work documented by a National Geographic videographer!

Time is running out, so be sure to sign up by April 30th. If you have any questions, please contact us at certification@ngs.org.

NOTE: This is only open to VA, MD and DC teachers!

Read  more about the challenge including how to participate and what you get

A VGA-sponsored trip for teachers to Cuba will be led by Johnny Finn. Apply soon, as slots will fill quickly. Find more information, including fees, tentative itinerary, and application on flyer. Application deadline is April 28.

Check out You Decide: Presidential Decisions, an interactive experience in which students take on the role of the President of the United States and make complex decisions based on real situations faced by President Gerald R. Ford during his 1974-1977 presidency: the signing of the Helsinki Accords, the condemnation of South African apartheid, and Operation Babylift. The interactive experience also includes an educator guide to engage students in grades 6-12 with the interactive both in and out of the classroom. The guide includes information about the role of the facilitator, as well as game play setup for independent play, small group play, and whole class play. Activity ideas and discussion questions are organized into before, during, and after play.

Decisions is an excellent companion to the social studies classroom, particularly any study of the Cold War era. It also highlights the importance of human rights to President Ford, and can lead to discussions about these rights and how presidents can advocate for issues that are important to them. The focus on decision-making in this interactive offers a way to introduce a powerful process that can be used in students’ own decision-making, or in analyzing decisions they may read about in historical context or in current events.

Join Monticello archaeologists for a one-day workshop on July 18^th or 19^th from 8:00am – 5:00pm. Participants in each session will engage in archaeological field excavations at an early-19th-century slave quarter, participate in artifact processing, learn about archaeological analysis, and discuss classroom applications of archaeological methods and data. Registration cost is $10, which includes one-day access to the Monticello grounds, a Teacher Resource Packet, sample classroom activities, and refreshments. Space is limited to twelve participants per day, so reserve your spot today! Documentation of workshop completion will be provided; check with your school system for professional development eligibility. This program is designed for professional educators. Questions? Contact Beth Sawyer: esawyer@monticello.org.

Reservation Link: https://www.monticello.org/site/visit/events/archaeology-teacher-workshop

 THE OLD DOMINION & BEYOND
Four Hundred Years of Settlement and Naming

Hosted by The Virginia Board on Geographic Names and to be held at the Library of Virginia.

For more information , see flyer

Library of Virginia | Saturday, April 29, 2017

“Richmond, Evolution of a City” is the topic of the 14th annual Alan M. and Nathalie P. Voorhees Lecture, presented by speakers Marianne M. McKee, Lyle Browning, and Leslie Courtois. The Fry-Jefferson Map Society hosts this free annual lecture series. For more information, please contact Dawn Greggs at dawn.greggs@lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3813. To register please visit: http://bit.ly/Voorhees17.

See also: flyer