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Menlo Park Academy Teacher Among 30 Nationally Recognized Social Studies Educators

Menlo Park Academy (MPA) social studies teacher Frank O’Grady will be one of 30 teachers from across the nation to participate in Revolutionary Ideals, a National History Day-sponsored summer program dedicated to educators studying the American Revolution and Founders Era.

National History Day (NHD) is a project-based competition that frames students’ research through a thematic lens, inspiring learners to discover the story behind history. The 2020-2021 theme was Communication in History: The Key to Understanding. “I believe that NHD is a terrific challenge for our gifted learners at MPA. The NHD process helps our students to develop their ideas and voice— an important milestone, as NHD describes, in becoming an independent critical thinker,” O’Grady explains. This passion for teaching combined with nationally recognized expertise led O’Grady to successfully coach seven of his students to represent Ohio at the national NHD exhibition last year.

Mr. O’Grady joined the MPA in 2017 after introducing the National History Day curriculum to Rocky River middle and high school students. In the past, NHD selected O’Grady for summer teacher institutes to study WWII in Normandy, France, and WWII in the Pacific, in Oahu, Hawaii/Pearl Harbor. O’Grady is honored to participate in this year’s interactive opportunity stating that “one of the best things about these summer teacher institutes is the opportunity to network with history teachers from around the country.” O’Grady and 29 other history teachers from 18 states will travel to Providence, Rhode Island, to engage in activities organized by the Rhode Island Historical Society, with the ultimate goal of submitting lesson plans for an upcoming NHD publication.

Teachers are always looking for ways to expand their areas of expertise and pedagogy to create a supportive learning environment for their students. Menlo is fortunate that Frank O’Grady is a three-time NHD recognized teacher, continuing his education while inspiring excellence in his classroom.

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About National History Day

National History Day is a non-profit education organization based in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1974, NHD offers year-long academic programs that engage more than a half-million middle- and high-school students around the world annually in project research and presentation. Since 1974, NHD has sought to improve history education in schools. Regional and state-level competitions culminate in a national competition and educational experience in June.

About Menlo Park Academy

Menlo Park Academy is a public school that nurtures gifted children through an exemplary program and rewarding experiences that develop the whole child. It is consistently ranked as one of the top schools in Ohio. MPA offers a curriculum with innovative acceleration and differentiation options to the school’s 600 students, who hail from eight counties and fifty school districts in the Northeast Ohio area. MPA consistently receives high ratings from the Ohio Department of Education and is a regular recipient of the “Auditor of State Award.” In addition, Niche selected MPA as the No. 1 Charter Elementary School in Ohio and the No. 1 Charter Middle School in Ohio and ranked MPA among the top 10 Ohio public elementary schools for 2022.