The Teacher to Ranger to Teacher (TRT) Program connects National Parks with teachers from Title 1 (30% of students on free or reduced cost lunch) school districts. Teacher-Rangers help National Parks reach students from underserved communities and develop the next generation of park stewards.

Kristen Bergren

Teacher-Ranger Kristen Bergren incorporates National Parks into her third grade curriculum with an annual National Park Fair for students.

Our Teacher-Rangers

Kristen Bergren, a third-grade teacher in the Moline, Illinois school district, has been a Teacher-Ranger at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site since 2008.

Among her summer ranger duties, Mrs. Bergren created the HEHO! Activity Worksheets for Educators and Students [PDF file, 1.30 MB], a package of pre-visit and post-visit activities for classes planning field trips to Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. She also wrote National Park Fair: Kids Teaching Kids about our National Parks [PDF file, 1.13 MB], a guide for inspiring students and their families to discover America's best idea: our national parks.

NPS Photo

Teacher-Ranger Daniel Stevenson brings lessons and activities about Herbert Hoover to his middle school history classes.

Daniel Stevenson teaches 8th grade U.S. history in nearby West Liberty, about 10 miles from West Branch. In addition to his eight years of teaching experience, Mr. Stevenson is multilingual, speaking both Spanish and Japanese. In 2008 the West Liberty Community School District selected him to be part of a delegation to Mexico, where he visited several schools and taught short lessons about the United States and Iowa.

“Teaching history is a real joy for me,” said Mr. Stevenson. “The opportunity to talk and think about the past while making it alive for young people can’t be beat.” As part of his summer ranger duties, Mr. Stevenson revised and updated Herbert Hoover: From Iowa to the World (PDF file, 4,023 KB), a curriculum guide for middle school students.

Other Opportunities

Other professional development opportunities may be available through the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum.

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