Valdez Museum and Historical Archive

Purpose: Supporting Lifelong Learning The Valdez Museum and Historical Archive is a major historical resource for local schools. Students especially enjoy the lighthouse, miner's cabin, and turn-of-the-century parlor exhibits. The museum will use this grant in a two-year project to strengthen and add structure to its local history education program, so it represents the local heritage more accurately, better integrates into the local school curriculum, and is more readily available for future use. The museum will establish a teacher advisory group to help prepare and evaluate activities for students and to advise on how the museum's facilities, Web site, and other resources can be more accessible and useful to educators. The museum will also create a scope and grade-level sequence for local history, spreading out the complex stories of events such as the Gold Rush and the 1964 earthquake over multiple grade levels. The museum will develop and implement a program evaluation process that will enable it to modify and enhance its programs on an ongoing basis. Through this project, the museum seeks to fulfill its goals of helping students improve their basic academic skills, become more inquisitive, and develop a stronger sense of belonging to their community.