Glendale teacher, student to travel to Normandy for 70th anniversary of D-Day invasion

A Glendale High School teacher and student will travel to Normandy, France, this summer for an institute marking the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion by Allied forces on the territory’s beaches.

Beginning in late June, Glendale High history teacher Olivia Macaulay, along with student Zobeida Chaffee-Valdes, will travel with fellow students and teachers to Washington, D.C., for several days of lectures and visits to memorials.

Then they’ll venture to France to walk on the beaches of Normandy.

They were granted the opportunity to participate in the Albert H. Small Student & Teacher Institute by the Maryland-based organization National History Day.

Before students participate in the program this summer, they will read eight books on World War II, review interviews of WW II veterans and research the life of a fallen hero laid to rest at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

The students will lay down wreaths at the cemetery and present eulogies on soldiers.

“This program brings to life the importance of quality history education and shows reverence and respect to those who gave their lives for their country,” said Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day, in a statement.

“These students will emerge from this program with a greater understanding of the events and people who shaped their lives, and the world as they know it today,” she added.

Macaulay and Chaffee-Valdes will be one of 15 student-teacher teams participating from across the country and the only team involved in the institute from California.

Macaulay, who was not immediately available for comment, earned Glendale Unified’s Teacher of the Year award in 2012.

In 2006, she oversaw eight Glendale High students who participated in a 12-day Junior G8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
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Follow Kelly Corrigan on Twitter: @kellymcorrigan.

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