Jesse, thanks again for the invitation to visit the club. Your kids were welcoming and enthusiastic and it was a pleasure to meet all of them.

I had a great time with Jesse and his Memoir 44 Club. Energy and enthusiasm filled the resource room where they were meeting yesterday. What really impressed me was the critical thinking that was apparent in the process. The kids were so involved in strategic play that competition sort of took the a backseat. The battlegrounds are set up realistically, so most likely the student results will align with the actual results of the battle. The teams play each side of the battles, so everyone gets the advantages that historically were there.

Along with the board game, Jesse has enhanced content learning through guest speakers who are veterans and primary source photos some of which show children as young as 10 years-old who were actually involved in the battles as snipers. I think this really brings home the fact that kids their age are directly affected by war on many levels.

The battle concepts that the students are learning should help them understand other conflicts that they will study later in their school years. I encourage all of you to visit Jesse’s club. I believe his professional development through his mini-grant is truly reflected in student achievement. My photos don’t do justice to the action and communication that was taking place, but Jesse says he has a couple video clips that he can share. Bill, your tech guy may be able to help with the upload of those clips.

Carrie