OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma fifth- and eighth-grade teachers can apply now for fellowships to attend the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute in summer 2025.
The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence coordinates the selection of educators from the state to participate in the renowned teacher institute, which is held in and around the restored capital city of 18th-century Virginia.
To apply, educators can visit OFE.org. The deadline is 5 p.m. Jan. 21. The fifth-grade teacher institute will take place June 1-6, 2025, while the eighth-grade teacher institute will be June 8-13.
The fellowships cover program activities, airfare, lodging and most meals. Each educator also receives a $300 stipend for classroom materials.
As they explore Colonial Williamsburg, the world’s largest living history museum, participants will be immersed in early American history. They’ll meet character interpreters of 18th-century people and take part in hands-on activities and reenactments. The teachers will meet daily with a facilitator to discuss interactive teaching techniques and develop creative lesson ideas.
“My students will benefit greatly from my week-long educational training at Colonial Williamsburg,” said Jenifer Bynum, an educator at Choctaw-Nicoma Park Schools who attended the teacher institute in June. “The firsthand experiences and in-depth knowledge I gained will allow me to bring history to life in the classroom. I can share vivid stories and details about Jamestown and Yorktown, providing a more engaging and tangible understanding of early American history.”
Oklahoma’s fifth-grade teacher institute is open to fifth-grade social studies/ history teachers and resource teachers, such as school librarians or gifted-talented teachers, who plan to teach U.S. history in their schools in 202526. Their sessions will focus on the daily life of colonial Virginians and the transition from subject to citizen that occurred during the Revolutionary War period.
Oklahoma eighthgrade classroom teachers who will teach U.S. history as part of their social studies curriculum can apply for fellowships to attend the program for secondary teachers. Their sessions will examine how the concept of American identity began in the colonial period and continues to evolve and transform with each generation.
The fellowships are available to public and private school teachers. Participants are asked to share materials, skills and experiences with fellow teachers upon their return.
The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a nonprofit that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools, has coordinated Oklahoma’s participation in the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute since 1993. The program is made possible through the leadership and support of the late Oklahoma City businessman Edward C. Joullian III. Joullianwas an active supporter and former board member of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and an OFE trustee. Joullian’s family, along with a group of loyal donors, continues to support the fellowship program, which has served 1,180 Oklahoma teachers since 1993.
