Hamilton: Here we go!

WHAT A START TO A SCHOOL YEAR!

Harding High School has been selected as a participant for EduHam, an educational program sponsored by the Gilder-Lehrman Institute and the Miranda Family Foundation.... which means 200 Harding students are GOING TO SEE HAMILTON.

When I heard that Hamilton was coming through Minneapolis, I immediately started looking for ways to bring my students to see it. In October 2015, the Rockefeller foundation partnered with Hamilton to bring 20,000 Title I Schools to attend a special matinee performance of Hamilton. The Gilder-Lehrman institute has continued this tradition, and 250,000 students from Title I schools will have an opportunity to research Hamilton and attend a special performance.

I submitted an application and was selected as one of the participating schools (Cue panicked screaming and crying). This summer, Molly Keenan (a terrific history teacher at Harding) and I worked to create an adapted curriculum, select the 200 students who would come and create an action plan.

For a student to get a ticket to Hamilton, they need to receive a specific 3-5 day curriculum based on the Founding Era, and create a 2-3 minute original performance project rooted in three primary source documents. Oh, and this is all due the second week of school.

We've just begun the curriculum and students are really excited. I don't think it's really hit them that this is a ridiculous once in a lifetime experience. They did perk up when I pulled up Ticketmaster and showed them the cost of one ticket ($200+) and reminded them they would see the show for a "Hamilton" ($10).

I am so excited to embark on this endeavor.... all while still teaching my other classes and starting the school year. Here we go!