No matter how we say it, we definitely mean it!

It is our privilege to collaborate with and serve nearly half a million people through a dozen innovative, high-quality humanities programs like Chautauqua, Journey Stories, Maryland History Day, One Maryland One Book, and Practicing Democracy. The Maryland Humanities Council offers more than 650 events each year…that’s a whole lot of education, enlightenment, inspiration, and entertainment!

You are the vital ingredient that catalyzes the conversations we need in the classroom, meeting room, or living room. Together, through the humanities, we can examine our past, navigate our present, and envision our future.

On behalf of our amazing staff of 12 and our dedicated, 25-member volunteer Board of Directors, please accept our deepest gratitude for being part of the Maryland Humanities Council family. We couldn’t do this without you.

Phoebe Stein Davis, Executive Director

P.S.: Please help us start strong in 2013 with a tax-deductible gift. Click here to give.

by Kim Popetz
This past summer I was talking with a Maryland Humanities Council staffer when she mentioned that the One Book One Maryland author would be headed my way in the fall to speak at an event.  Having read The Cellist of Sarajevo six months prior I could barely contain my excitement, but not just because I loved the book.

For the past three years I’ve worked with students at Huntingtown High School (HHS) in Calvert County. I had just learned that my partner teacher, Jeff Cunningham, received permission to revive a defunct class called Historical Investigations. He asked for help in providing the students of that class with projects that would give them the opportunity to delve deeply into history and really develop their research skills. I suggested The Cellist as a great opening project with a unique opportunity for the students to talk with the author at their own school. Jeff agreed and introduced the students to the book as soon as class began in the fall.

If you haven’t yet read The Cellist of Sarajevo (and you should) it is the fictionalized account of the real cellist who played Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor 22 days in a row to honor the deaths of 22 neighbors by bombing during the war of Bosnia-Herzegovina. He does this in an extremely public way, sitting in the crater left behind by the bomb putting his own life at risk from snipers. In the book, his act connects the disparate lives of three others trapped in Sarajevo and provides a focal point for the story.

Students in Calvert County get their books signed by author Steven Galloway.

On October 2nd the author, Steven Galloway, participated in an event at HHS that included a preview of a play based on the book by the theatre students and a haunting performance of Albinoni’s Adagio. Most of the students from the Historical Investigations class were there and had the chance to hear Mr. Galloway discuss how he developed the book; how the people of Sarajevo received it; and his view on the value of what the cellist did for his community.
It was this last piece that guided class the following day. Excited by the ideas they encountered the previous evening, students participated in a wide ranging discussion about war, art and the true meaning of civilization. We tied these ideas to a conflict more familiar to them—the war in Afghanistan—and discussed in depth an idea that Mr. Galloway had put forth: (to paraphrase) any dictator worth his salt immediately imprisons all of the artists and journalists upon seizing power. We discussed the Taliban, their suppression of art, the rise of a new arts community in Afghanistan and the relationship between art and civilization.

• Read “Everybody Dies, but Not Everybody Lives” by Antoine Rushing, Honors student at Towson University, about his experience reading The Cellist of Sarajevo.

The students are currently wrapping up research papers related to The Cellist of Sarajevo. Some have looked at separating truth from fiction in the novel. Others are exploring the historic events that led to the siege of Sarajevo and some are doing character analyses. Given the enthusiasm generated by the One Book One Maryland Event I am just as intrigued to read what the students will say in their papers as I was reading The Cellist of Sarajevo for the first time.

Kim Popetz is the Director of Education at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum in Calvert County. She works on a variety of projects with the local public school system including the 2013/14 Historical Investigations class led by Jeff Cunningham. The students of the class will work on a variety of projects throughout the school year beyond The Cellist including analysis and research of objects from an archaeological site in Baltimore which will culminate in a small, local exhibit and research projects with the Calvert County Historical Society.

The countdown to Chautauqua 2012 has begun, with only a month until MHC’s popular free living history performance series begins at its first location at Garrett College!  Michele Baylin, MHC’s Communications Manager, spoke with Alan Gephardt, who will portray Francis Scott Key at the Elkton, Easton, and Germantown locations.  We hope it provides some insight to audience members prior to Chautauqua performances.

Click here to view and print a 2012 Chautauqua Schedule.  We’d love to read your comments about your experiences as an audience member who has attended a Chautauqua performance. What historical characters did you find the most engaging, enlightening, or unexpected?

(MB) How long have you been appearing as Francis Scott Key? What drew you to him?

(AG) I have been interpreting Mr. Key since 1988 or 1989. It was quite serendipitous that I came to do this. I was raised in Edgemere, in the North Point community where the Todd’s Inheritance is. One summer day in 1989 I was riding my bike near Todd’s, when the then-owner, Elmer Cook, a high school teacher whom I knew, waved me over and told me about a historical festival to be held at Fort Howard in September. In high school, I had been very active in theatre and acting. He asked me if I would be interested in doing a five minute talk as Key at the event. I agreed to do it, and the rest is history, after a fashion!

(MB) How do you prepare for a living history performance?

(AG) To prepare, I read and reread the information I have acquired about him. I always recite the four verses of the poem before I perform because I usually finish with them. There have been a few times when I have suddenly blanked, and so I always try to remember to recite.
(MB) What (if any) is the biggest misconception the public has about Francis Scott Key?

(AG) The biggest misconception about Key is that he was called “Francis,” or “Sir Francis.” People seem to forget that he was an American, not a Brit, and therefore would not have been a knighted person. He was not called “Francis” by close friends and family. He was called “Frank.” Of course, in his day, strangers would have addressed him as “Mr. Key.” People will speak to me/him familiarly, and it bothers me. We are so casual today that we are on an immediate first-name basis. In his time that was not the case, and so when I am portraying him I can only imagine how put off he would be to be addressed by his first name by perfect strangers!

(MB) Is there another historical figure that you’d like to portray?

No, at the moment there is no one else I wish to portray. If I could portray an American President that would be fun, but I don’t resemble any of them, so…

——————————–
Alan Gephardt has worked in the public history field for over twenty years and is currently a Park Ranger for the National Park Service, splitting his time between Hampton National Historic Site and Fort McHenry in Baltimore, and James A. Garfield National Historic Site outside Cleveland.  He earned his Bachelor’s degree in history at Towson University and his Masters at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Mr. Gephardt will join four other actor/scholars as he portrays Francis Scott Key at the Maryland Humanities Council’s Chautauqua 2012:  Maryland and the War of 1812, running July 5-13 at six locations in Maryland.

Watch a documentary about Francis Scott Key, with Mr. Gephardt voice as Key:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UBi2d5fb5M4#!

This spring, MHC was honored to take part in a partnership with the Towson University Electronic Media & Film Department’s Corporate Video Class, under the deft hand of Dr. David Reiss. Teams of students were paired up with nonprofits to create short video presentations which tell each organization’s narrative. Not only does this provide essential educational and real-world experience for graduating seniors, but creates dynamic content that we hope will raise awareness about our work across the state.

It was a challenge to choose from our many worthy programs, but we focused efforts on three:  MHC’s Chautauqua living history series, One Maryland One Book, our state-wide reading and discussion program, and Maryland History Day.  Our filmcrew interviewed partners and participants in Calvert, Montgomery, Carroll, and Cecil counties and Baltimore City.

Our gratitude to our student filmmakers, Edward Shirk and Sam Parker, and their professor, Dr. Reiss. Our thanks also goes out to MHC staff, especially Jayme Kilburn, all of our amazing interview subjects. Photographs used were taken by Ken Stanek, the College of Southern Maryland, and National History Day.

Take a look and let us know what you think! Has an MHC program opened your ears, your eyes, your mind?  Tell us about it!

Each year, thousands of students statewide work diligently with their dedicated social studies teachers on projects for the Maryland History Day Competition. Often we hear from students, parents, and teachers, about the positive effect History Day has in the classroom and in student’s lives, teaching them important skills needed later in life and fostering discipline and critical thinking skills. As a result, many kids get a boost of self-confidence by completing a long-term, challenging task.

On March 26^th, we received this lovely thank you note from RaeLynne Snyder, a teacher at Patterson Park Public Charter School, who was recognized with the Central District History Day Teacher of the Year Award. We think her account easily demonstrates the power of History Day.

Thank you, RaeLynne, for allowing us to share your letter of thanks. Do you have a History Day story to share?  Please share your thoughts by commenting below, or send us an email at info@mdhc.org.  We’d love to hear from you.

Hello All-

I just wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for all that you do to make History Day happen.  I want to share with you how much this competition has meant for me and my students.

It all started for these current eighth graders at the end of the 2011 school year. I sent home with their final report cards an invitation to the 2012 History Day competition. They received the theme and were asked to think about a topic they might be interested in for the fall.

When the students returned in September we walked over to the southeast anchor branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library system. They received a tour and database training by the youth librarian. The students learned how to look up books that pertained to their topics. Some topics were eliminated very quickly when the students saw how few books were available.  Some students found many books and hurriedly rushed out into the library holding the paper where they had scribbled down the name of the books that they were looking to find. They found out very quickly that it was actually that strange group of numbers that was going to be their ticket to success in the library. They came away from that day knowing how to go to the shelves and find a book using the system created by the Library of Congress.

Eventually it was our time to make it down to the main branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. We had a tour and a training in the Periodical section. This was a hard day for the kids. How were these huge, dusty, green books (The Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature) going to be of any help to them? The print was small, they had to decipher strange abbreviations and they were forced to rely on the librarian to be able to find the material for them.  I came away from this day disheartened, until I found out later that a group had become quite obsessed with the Periodical department and had asked their parents to take them back there several times since our training.

It was the second trip back to the main branch where I really saw the difference in my students.  They had used the EPFL database from my classroom to look up books on their topics, so when we went to the library they already knew what they were looking to find in the shelves. The librarians were ready for us and we were ready for them. The students were set free, lists in hand to find the books they had looked up before coming. We took over the second floor, my class, all sitting peacefully, surround by dozens of books. They were combing through them, deciding which ones to keep and which ones to leave. The librarians were astonished. These are eighth graders? We were told that we were invited back anytime. Everybody felt accomplished that day, teachers, students and librarians. Every group came away with a stack of books.

A few days later the language arts teacher stops me in the hallway- “I just wanted you to know that during silent reading today- Jason was reading a book on Joseph McCarthy- I assume that has something to do with you.”

There were so many amazing moments along the way. Brandi contacted a professor from Georgetown University, on her own, and the professor agreed to meet her at our school for an interview.  Brandi conducted the interview and used it in her paper. Brandi now knows how to contact people in a professional manner, has conducted an important interview, has learned how to cite and use that interview in a paper. Does it get any better than that?

In a time when social studies instruction is being marginalized and treated like it is an unworthy child in the education system- it is very validating to see how much the children learn from this History Day process.  I not only know how important social studies instruction is, I can prove it. I have thirty children who have completed projects that rival anything that they have done in their middle school career. And, yes, they did it with their social studies teacher. Marquel stopped me on the way out of class one day. He said “Ms. Snyder, this project has been a pain in the butt, but man did I learn a lot.” And Brandi said on the day of the competition “Ms. Snyder, I had no idea how much fun today was going to be. This whole experience has been totally epic.”

I agree Brandi. I agree.

I feel I would be remiss if I did not mention my award before I go. I cannot possibly articulate how much it meant to be recognized in front of my students and my peers.  Thank you so much. It is deeply, deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

RaeLynne Snyder
Middle School Social Studies
Patterson Park Public Charter School

Since the shooting in Tucson, Arizona that claimed six lives and injured many others including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, it seems the loud, contentious, acrimonious mode of communication made popular by talk show hosts and news entertainers on both the right and left is slowly losing its punch. (more…)

The tradition of Thanksgiving has been alive and well in the US since the pilgrims celebrated surviving their first brutal winter in New England. Since then it has become customary to gather with friends and family, over turkey and pumpkin pie, and reflect on what we are appreciative of.
(more…)

We at MHC make it a point to partner with libraries and other organizations across the state to promote our One Maryland One Book community reading program. These organizations host reading and group discussions so folks all over Maryland can gather and discuss ideas, thoughts and feelings about Outcasts United. How nice is it to meet with your friends and neighbors and talk about what you’ve read and how what you’re reading relates to you and your life? (more…)

And if you commute through Mt. Vernon, you’ve surely noticed the big white tents around the George Washington monument. (more…)

We had the privilege of speaking with Warren St. John, author of the 2010 One Maryland One Book selection, Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, An American Town, to talk about his Maryland book tour, keeping up with the Fugees, and how communities all over America are changing. (more…)