Teachers from Kentucky and Missouri recently attended an intensive four-day teacher institute at George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia near Washington, D.C.

Invitations to participate in the 2015 George Washington Teacher Institute were given to 13 Missouri and 6 Kentucky teachers from a pool of applicants across both states.

Two of the six Kentuckians attending in September were from Olmstead School. They are librarian Jennifer Wilcutt and middle school social studies teacher Kathleen Bailey.

This was the first teacher institute where Kentucky teachers were given the opportunity to apply. Each teacher completed a rigorous grant writing process to be considered. The institute included day-long sessions on the personal/public life of George Washington, slavery at Mount Vernon, and our country during the Revolutionary War.

Scholars from across the country, including the nation’s top George Washington expert—Professor Denver Brunsman—led the institute sessions. Participants spent time touring the estate and engaging in collaborative learning experiences to bring back to their students and colleagues.

In addition to the two Logan Countians, Kentucky teachers were from Bath, Henry, Oldham and Wayne counties.

Olmstead students then studied George Washington and his era.