Commemorating America250: Teaching About Influential Women in U.S. History

Dr. Melaney Sanchez (United States to France) dedicates much of her efforts as an elementary teacher-librarian to designing interactive learning experiences to connect her students to American history. Living and working in southern Maryland, Melaney seeks collaborators – including those within her school, district, parent-teacher association, and beyond – to bring hands-on learning experiences to her students. 

For the past two years, Melaney has coordinated field trips to Washington, DC for students across all grade levels (more than 600 students!) at Mt. Harmony Elementary School. After the first field trips in 2023-2024, Melaney worked with National Park Service rangers to publish 30 student-authored books based on their experiences. Throughout the process, Melaney and her students noticed something curious – individual women appeared less often than their male counterparts. As a result, Melaney focused the second year of her project on the roles and representation of women in U.S. history – especially those working in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. 

This past school year, Melaney collaborated with her school’s art teacher and DC-based National Park Rangers to organize six field trips and a culminating student art show for the community. Before each field trip, students received sketchbooks focused on the monuments they would visit. Guiding questions helped them reflect and develop plans for their art projects, which were tailored for each grade level. Pre-Kindergarten students created cherry blossom crafts. Kindergarten through third graders created a travel guidebook focused on historical women. Fourth and fifth graders created sculptures of proposed monuments they would add to the National Mall to recognize women’s contributions, while learning about common building materials and symbolism used in monument design. The older grades also delved deeper, using PebbleGo’s standards-aligned and age-appropriate articles to learn more about inspiring women from U.S. history.

Students displayed their artwork at the school’s second annual National Mall Night, a showcase attracting more than 700 community member attendees. Select student artwork is also currently on display at the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality House.

For many students, the National Mall field trips were just a starting point. Kids urged their parents to take them back to the National Mall. They checked out library books on historical events and prominent figures. “The way that this inspires kids to truly be a part of the real world connected to history, you can’t stop them,” said Melaney, of the ripple effect of the field trips and art projects.

Collaboration and Future Planning

Melaney’s National Mall field trips and lessons would not be possible without the collaboration of National Park Service rangers. In May, she co-presented a session for the Trust for the National Mall’s Teach 250 series of webinars on preparing teachers for America’s 250th commemoration in 2026.

She has also welcomed virtual guest speakers to her classroom from the U.S Mint, the Women’s Suffragist Monument Foundation, and the WWII Women’s Memorial Foundation, all to discuss how they are advancing the stories of American women past, present, and future.

Melaney plans to focus next year’s National Mall Night on liberty and legacy. In the lead up, she’ll teach students about the three branches of government and hopes to visit the Capitol Building and Supreme Court during their annual field trips.

“I have no doubt that when these students move onto middle school and high school and study these topics in greater depth, that they’re going to be experts in it and go for it in great ambition, [rather than] someone who feels like history is happening to them,” says Melaney. “These students, because of this relationship with the National Mall and National Park Service, are true stewards of our country, of our history, of the art that’s involved in these monuments. It’s unbelievable what can happen when you open that door to your students.”

National Resources in Your Backyard

While Dr. Melaney Sanchez’s students benefit from being neighbors to the capital, experiential learning about American history is not limited to students in the DC metro area! Seek out National Parks, museums, historical preservation societies, and foundations. Many of these groups across the country offer education programs and online resources to bring America’s rich history to your classroom. A great place to start is the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places collection or the America250 commission’s curated lesson plans and activities.

Another way to get started? Explore Fulbright Teacher Exchanges! Melaney credits her Fulbright Teacher Exchange as an eye-opening experience in which she witnessed the amazing work fellow teachers were doing. “Fulbright Teacher Exchanges was a huge catalyst for me to dream bigger and not just say I’ll hang up posters. I’m going to make sure [my students] are global citizens.”

Dr. Melaney Sanchez participated in the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, United States to France. Her work has been covered by NBC4 Washington and TheBayNet.com