Archive for the ‘Washington Portraits’ Category

Since we know how crazy things can get in the principal’s office at the beginning of the school year, we have decided to make lives easier! As you all know, your school can get a FREE oil painting of Rembrandt Peale’s “Porthole Portrait of George Washington” to hang in a highly visible place in your school building as well as our Celebration Kit chock full of lesson activities and a flag flown over Mount Vernon. All you had to do was have your principal write us a letter, right? Well now it’s even easier- print out the letter on this webpage, fill out the mailing and contact information, have your principal sign it, and drop it in the mail. Not to sound like an infomercial, but… How easy is that!?!

For our Teachers’ Institute Alumni, we have recently put together a slideshow to help you with peer presentations and conferences. This gives a broad overview of the education programs that Mount Vernon provides to all teachers. Enjoy!

As bulletin boards get refreshed and schools are squeaky cleaned, why not redecorate your main entrance or library? We can help! Mount Vernon is pleased to be distributing beautiful oil portraits of George Washington by Rembrandt Peale, accompanied by our Celebration Kit featuring a flag flown over Mount Vernon and teaching resources, for FREE to any school that would like one. Just have your principal send us a request on letterhead with the school’s street address, where the painting will hang, and a contact email address. What a fabulous way to start the school year! Check out our Portrait Map on the right hand side of this page to see other schools that have already received their portraits. And yes, that is former First Lady Laura Bush presenting the very first portrait in the picture above.

This summer, the new George Washington Teaching Ambassador for the state of Oklahoma, Jan McClaren, came to Mount Vernon to attend two of our Teacher Institutes, and returned home full of ideas and George Washington-love. This two-year Teaching Ambassador program, funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, makes it possible for Jan to travel the state of Oklahoma teaching students about George Washington’s leadership and showing teachers the FREE resources available through the Mount Vernon Education Department. Jan already has requests coming in from teachers all over the state who want her to come to their own classrooms. A teacher favorite is her lesson plan where students choose a presidential candidate from a selection of anonymous resumes of leaders (including Washington, FDR, and even Hitler!) and then campaign for their candidate. No surprise that George Washington has won many of the classroom elections!

The governor of Oklahoma has been drawn into the excitement as well, and last week our Director of Programs, Nancy Hayward, was asked to present a copy of Rembrandt Peale’s Porthole Portrait of George Washington to the state of Oklahoma. Also present were our Oklahoma partners in this initiative- from the left, Kelly Curtwright, Director of Social Studies Education, Oklahoma Dept. of Education, Dan Provo, Director of the Oklahoma History Center, Nancy Hayward, Mount Vernon Director of Programs, Jan McClaren, Teaching Ambassador, Governor Brad Henry, Jean Hendrickson, Executive Director of Oklahoma A+ Schools, and Roslynn Wade, Program Director of Oklahoma A+ Schools.

To learn more about the Teaching Ambassador program, see Jan’s schedule of events across the state, and read about Jan’s adventures in Oklahoma schools, be sure to check out George Washington Wired Oklahoma!