On Hallowed Ground: Gettysburg in History and Memory

John Kelly Shelburne will spend one week this summer at a professional development opportunity for K-12 educators in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The residency, funded through the Division of Education Programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities, will feature guest faculty and lecturers as educators research and discover the events that marked a turning point in American history.


“Some happy news I wanted to share. Back in January, I applied for two professional development seminars this summer. On Friday, I learned that I was accepted into both, though you can only attend one. This upcoming July, I’ll be spending a week in Gettysburg, PA studying the battle of Gettysburg with other K-12 educators from around the country. Super excited and honored to get a chance to participate in this amazing opportunity.”

“The three-day Battle of Gettysburg was, in its time, the single most destructive and traumatizing conflict to have ever occurred on U.S. soil; had it not been for what happened here the history of the United States would almost certainly have unfolded in a very different way. This Landmarks program focuses on both the history of the battle itself and on the many ways in which it has been commemorated over the years, with special emphasis placed on how the intersections of formal history and cultural memory shape the way we see the battle, ourselves, and our democracy.” – On Hallowed Ground: Gettysburg in History and Memory | The National Endowment for the Humanities (neh.gov)

Shelburne will bring a unique background to the residency at Gettysburg. As the Media Arts instructor at Mississippi School of the Arts, John Kelly Shelburne teaches 11th and 12th grade residential high students the art of creative filmmaking. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania has been the site of numerous documentaries and cinema shots, portraying the history of the famous 1863 Civil War battle that shaped American history. Shelburne is sure to see this opportunity in a different light as an active teaching artist as he interacts with other educators from across the country.