Arnold teacher awarded grant
- Jason Wehnes, a history teacher at Arnold Public Schools, is a recipient of a Humanities Nebraska (HN) Educator grant. He received his grant for a Custer County Historical Project he has done with his freshman students for the past two years.
Wehnes said, “I applied for the grant to help buy necessary things for students to learn and complete their research.”
The Custer County Historical Project is a cross-curricular project between the Social Studies and English Language Arts Departments for freshman students at Arnold Public Schools.
“It aims to assist students with their historical research, geo-spatial awareness and writing skills by having them research, collect and write on their findings regarding themes of Custer County,” Wehnes said.
He added, “The cost of such books can quickly add up but are essential pieces to student research.” Digital sources can be useful tools for student research, however, traditional books are oftentimes written by experts in their field and go to in-depth explanations.
Wehnes noted the funds of the grant will not only go to the history department to fund the
Custer County Historical Project, but will also, “pay for a large plat map of Custer County to better help students understand the spatial organization of the county.”
According to Wehnes, The Custer County Historical Project will, “simultaneously benefit the newly formed Arnold Area Historical Museum in collecting digital sources which further benefits the community or those researching the area and/or family history.”
Wehnes added, “Although I applied for the grant, I want to make sure that Nicole Badgley is very much included as she is a vital part of this project and it could not be done without her and her work with students. It truly is a team effort!”