Oregon 150

News Announcements

Thursday, 8 January 2009
Oregon 150 Youth Legacy Symposium--Project 2059: The Future is Ours to Create
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
What's Your Story? The Governor Would Like to Hear It

Message from State Superintendent Susan Castillo:

Oregon is set to celebrate its 150th birthday in 2009. How are you planning to celebrate?

Since a celebration this big only comes along every 50 years, it’s a special opportunity to appreciate the past, celebrate the present, and imagine the future. I’m especially excited that our schools and youth are invited to play a key role in this special celebration.

In cooperation with the Governor’s Oregon 150 nonprofit planning organization, I am asking Oregon educators to contribute to a legacy curriculum project by submitting your favorite lesson plans on Oregon history, civics and geography. I am particularly interested in lesson plans that go beyond traditional Oregon historical studies like the Oregon Trail and Lewis & Clark and delve into Oregon’s standing in the world during significant national events. Click here for topic examples PDF

. All lesson plans must be tied to Oregon content standards.

If selected, your lesson plan will be featured on the Oregon Department of Education website and honored as official “OR 150 curriculum” for use throughout the state during the 2008-09 school year. After the sesquicentennial celebration, the State Archives will preserve the OR 150 curriculum in perpetuity serving as a snapshot of what defined and inspired us in 2009.

To submit your lesson plan for consideration use the template MS-Word

below and email to: susanne.smith@state.or.us eMail

.

Click here to access current Legacy Curriculum lesson plans.

Rarely do our classrooms have such occasion to share and reflect on what defines and inspires us – on all those qualities which make us uniquely Oregon. I hope classrooms across the state will take advantage of this wonderful learning opportunity.

For more information about our state’s sesquicentennial celebration go to: www.oregon150.org.

Susan Castillo

OTHER OREGON 150 OPPORTUNITIES

The following are just some of the commemoration activities designed to incorporate the uniqueness of every community and individual in the state. From a statewide day of volunteerism to an interactive story board that allows each person to document their Oregon experience, each sesquicentennial project is designed to build community while celebrating our shared cultural heritage.

Take Care of Oregon Day: May 16th, 2009 is the official state volunteerism day. Oregonians in every corner of the state can join the official “Take Care of Oregon” project designed to give back to commemorate Oregon’s 150th Birthday. Citizens will also have the option of creating their own community projects during 2009. Some of these projects might include clearing trails, painting a school, or cleaning up a pioneer cemetery. Find the need in your community and organize around that.
Oregon Stories: Just as Oregon is a land of varied landscapes, so too are its people and their stories. Submit your personal testimonial on what being an Oregonian means to you. Here is a toolkit designed to help you tell your story. Tell it in a format that works for you - submit a photo, play, video, use your imagination. Many of these stories will be aired on public radio and television during 2009.
Travel Oregon 150: A joint project with Travel Oregon encouraging Oregonians to break out of their daily routine and get out and see the diverse landscapes, people, and places of your home state.
Oregon 150 Partner Projects: This program enables communities to develop sesquicentennial projects specific to their community and interests to commemorate Oregon’s birthday. For examples of official OR 150 partner projects and how to qualify click on link above.