The Lake Hamilton School District is pleased to share the exciting news that Nikki Aitken, an 8th and 9th-grade library media specialist, and Shelly Wheeler, an 8th and 9th-grade visual art and gifted and talented teacher, have been selected to participate in the prestigious Arkansas Declaration of Learning program during the upcoming academic school year.
Nikki and Shelly are two of only 25 educators selected for this program out of the hundreds of applications received. They successfully completed an intensive week-long professional development training this summer, have worked one-on-one with an experienced mentor, and are prepared to implement the object-based and project-based skills with their students.
During the academic year, Nikki and Shelly will develop and test their dynamic unit and lesson plans - and launch a civic engagement project - that helps engage students in active learning.
"Arkansas is the first state in the country to implement the national Declaration of Learning program," Johnny Key, Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner has said. "And through the Arkansas Department of Education's partnerships with other organizations, we have enhanced student learning by providing access to historical objects that are rich in history. Together we are transforming Arkansas to lead the nation in student-focused education."