Aug. 29, 2005

The Michigan Historical Center Foundation today announced the recipients of the 2005 Odyssey Award, honoring educators who excel at teaching Michigan history.  Elementary teachers from Carleton, Midland, Sand Lake and Troy will receive the prestigious award during the Odyssey 2005 All-Star Celebrity Gala on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing.

Reservations are now being taken for the Odyssey 2005 All-Star Celebrity Gala, where guests will have the chance to stroll down the red carpet and through the "Walk of Fame," meet celebrity impersonators and dance to the music of Global Village, get a sneak preview of the new "A Soldier's Life" exhibit coming to the Michigan Historical Museum, sample an array of hors d'oeuvres, bid on a variety of silent auction items, and see the presentation of the Odyssey 2005 awards. The cost for this evening of fun and glamour is $100 per person.  Proceeds are used to expand the Michigan Historical Center's award-winning education programs, which reach more than 70,000 Michigan students every year.  For more information or to make reservations, visit www.michigan.gov/odyssey or call (517) 373-2565.

"The Odyssey gala is an opportunity to give these dedicated, outstanding educators a well deserved round of applause - for inspiring their students to enjoy learning and for helping Michigan's future leaders discover our state's rich history," said Michigan Historical Center Foundation Board Chair Deb Muchmore.  "Thanks to Odyssey's supporters, the program has also helped the Michigan Historical Center to significantly expand its education programs to include a broad range of learning experiences."

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and First Gentleman Daniel G. Mulhern are co-chairs for the Odyssey 2005 All-Star Celebrity Gala.

Odyssey Award recipients, who will each receive a plaque and $500, were selected based upon their depth of knowledge about Michigan history, creativity in teaching Michigan history and demonstrated leadership in helping others learn about Michigan history, both in their local school district and in the community. 

Recipients of the 2005 Odyssey Award are:

Jennifer Goedtel - Shroeder Elementary School in Troy

A fourth-grade teacher at Shroeder Elementary since 1987, Goedtel initiated and organized an annual Lumberjack Day for all fourth-grade classes, giving students a chance to relive this era in Michigan history through period costumes, food and music; storytelling; literature and role-playing.  Other learning activities she has implemented include a game where students earn points by researching the history of Michigan cities as they move game pieces around a Michigan map, a project that involves constructing and wiring models of Michigan lighthouses, and a tour of the Ford Rouge Plant following a lesson on Henry Ford and the assembly line.

Jessica Reder - Floyd Elementary School in Midland

Reder teaches fourth grade at Floyd Elementary, which serves a population of disadvantaged students who rarely get the opportunity to learn about the rest of the state.  When the school district was forced to eliminate field trips due to budget constraints, Reder spearheaded a fund-raising effort that allowed her students, as well as many of their parents, to tour the State Capitol and the Soo Locks.  In teaching Michigan history, she integrates literature, to help students see the development of our state through the eyes of fictional characters, and technology, with students using computers to conduct research and create timelines and videos.

Michele Vandervelde - Sand Lake Elementary School in Sand Lake

Vandervelde, a fourth-grade teacher at Sand Lake Elementary since 1986, is the Michigan history expert in her school district.  A timeline with pictures of key historical events circles her classroom, where students learn about their state through activities like building models and creating PowerPoint presentations about Michigan lighthouses and taking a field trip to climb the Muskegon Lighthouse.  Vandervelde's students learn about their state's maritime heritage by receiving e-mails from Great Lakes freighters and tracking their location on a map, seeing a presentation by a local freighter crew member and a display of products shipped via the Great Lakes, and measuring the length of the Edmund Fitzgerald in the alley alongside the school.

Thomas Wiltse - Sterling Elementary School in Carleton

An elementary teacher in Carleton for the past 15 years, Wiltse plans the school district's annual fourth-grade Pioneer Day, where over 250 students dress in period clothing and learn about the pioneer era while enjoying historical re-enactors, displays, music and food.  His students experience the thrill of paddling a voyageur canoe on a Michigan river and, along with their families, build replicas of Michigan forts.  Wiltse - whose classroom features a display of artifacts such as photos, maps, clothing, antlers, traps and animal pelts  - has written two original plays about Michigan history, which help teach both his students and the audience.

Award recipients will be invited to share their ideas and expertise with other educators via the Odyssey Web page at www.michigan.gov/odyssey.

The Michigan Historical Center Foundation is the private, not-for-profit organization that supports the work of the Michigan Historical Center, an agency of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).  Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, HAL also includes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Film Office and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.  For more information about HAL, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.