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Leah Heskett's students in Hoxie USD 412 visited national landmarks, including the Jefferson Memorial, in Washington, D.C., in June 2025. (Photo submitted by Leah Heskett)

At the foundation of everything Leah Heskett teaches lies a fundamental statement: “Our founding fathers and mothers were ordinary people that did extraordinary things to make our nation great.” 

Heskett’s seventh-grade civics and eighth-grade history students at Hoxie Junior High School, Hoxie USD 412, created 30-second videos this past spring to celebrate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence and to answer the essential question: “What does America mean to you?” 

“They showcased how we’re a great nation,” Heskett said. “They all found something they were proud of.” 

Some of the students’ themes ranged from Kansas’ role in agriculture to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s push for civil rights. The videos were part of the Eisenhower Foundation’s IKEducation program, K-12 cross-curricular programs “rooted in national standards and supported by best teaching practices and high-quality education materials,” according to the foundation’s website. One of her eighth-grade students placed second in the national contest with a video that describes the grit many individuals had to make “America the best country in the world.” 

“But this amazing union was not created overnight,” according to the student’s narration in the video. “To get here, there has been many lives lost, many late nights, disagreements, and countless resolutions. Most importantly, these people never quit.” 

Heskett said encouraging her students to be creative with videos engaged their learning of history on a different level. 

“History’s important because you have to make connections,” she said. “We as teachers play a vital role in that. I had a great fifth-grade teacher who made history interesting. We have to make it interesting.”   

Heskett said she uses a classroom-based assessment (CBA) rubric to evaluate her students’ projects that have Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER). 

“This rubric helps back up their research…so it’s not just their opinion,” she said. 

As part of the 250th anniversary celebration this past spring, Heskett created a U.S. landmarks game, using the same concept as the collegiate basketball bracket challenge each spring. The “winner” of this year’s challenge, she said, was the Korean War Memorial. One of her students made a video to provide information about what is often referred to as “The Forgotten War,” fought on the Korean Peninsula from June 1950 to July 1953. 

One of the most effective ways Heskett helps her students reinforce what they’re learning is to take them to Washington, D.C. every two years where they tour the U.S. Capitol, Holocaust Museum and several other historical landmarks. 

“It’s just making those connections outside of school,” she said. “Traveling with them has made teaching history so much fun. I just want them to make connections with so many things.”