Brandon Forshey, a teacher at Beechwood High School in Ft. Mitchell is one of only 120 teachers selected for a National History Day® (NHD) spring professional development program. This course focuses on using online Library of Congress resources to develop and support historical arguments and is a feature of NHD’s membership in the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Consortium.
Thus far in the program, with several weeks still remaining, Forshey has completed readings, engaged in discussion boards with peers, and joined live programs with historians and curriculum specialists. He has focused on the Temperance Movement in the early 20th century, and the communication dynamics in place in the United States that led to Prohibition (the 18th Amendment) and the ensuing repeal of a nationwide ban on alcohol (the 21st Amendment to the Constitution).
Brandon Forshe
Forshey said he has very much enjoyed this learning experience, because he is doing exactly what Forshey encourages his students to do: find a part of history that interests them and enthusiastically dig deeper into the content.
“This series has opened new avenues of research through the Library of Congress’ massive database and other online sources, encouraging active research and teacher collaboration even during this atypical school year,” Forshey said. “These same resources and skills will become assets in the classroom as students begin their own semester research projects in the next few weeks, allowing us to research more and dig deeper into each source we find.”
In his first year at Beechwood High School, Forshey has an an immediate impact on the school community, principal Justin Kaiser said.
“From his dedication to developing rigorous AP World and US History courses, to his collaboration with his departmental colleagues, Brandon has raised the bar.” And Kaiser added, “We always say ‘We Are Beechwood’— well, Brandon embodies it.”
The teachers chosen for this honor represent NHD’s 58 affiliates across the country and around the world, and the National History Day program in Kentucky selected Mr. Forshey. NHD affiliates include all 50 states and the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and international school programs in China, South Asia, and South Korea.
“The skills and strategies Mr. Forshey is developing through this series will benefit his students over the course of their academic and professional careers,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “As a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member, NHD is incredibly fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity for teachers, especially now as teachers and students continue to address challenges of non-traditional learning settings required by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
For several months, Forshey works with his peers around the country and National History Day staff to build knowledge for teaching with online Library of Congress resources. Upon completion of the series, he will have demonstrated the ability to share with his students key strategies for researching, supporting, and presenting historical arguments bolstered by these primary sources.
Forshey plans to share something else with students in the Beechwood community: his love of soccer. He will join the boys’ soccer team as an assistant coach in the fall of 2021.
