Local student, teacher selected for Normandy research trip

By Megan Locke Simpson, Fort Campbell CourierJanuary 30, 2015

Local student, teacher selected for Normandy research trip
At right, Northeast High School sophomore Scott Moore reviews some paperwork in the binder he is keeping to track his research and assignments for the Albert H. Small Student and Teacher Institute "Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom." The research oppor... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- This summer, one local high school student will visit the beaches where 101st Airborne Division paratroopers landed more than 70 years ago as part of the D-Day invasion.

The Normandy visit will serve as the capstone experience for Scott Moore and teacher Whitney Joyner, who will be researching the history of a local service member who never made it home.

The experience is part of the Albert H. Small Student and Teacher Summer Institute "Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom." The institute selects 15 student-teacher teams each year to participate in the project, which requires months of research about World War II prior to the trip. Moore and Joyner will create a website, participate in online collaboration with other teams and complete weekly tasks and readings.

Starting June 20, Moore and Joyner will travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with all the teams and conduct research at the Library of Congress, as well as attend lectures and tour war memorials, before flying to Normandy where the pair will walk on the battlefields where the Allied invasion shifted the direction of Hitler's hold on Europe.

"When I found out, I was super excited," said the Northeast High School sophomore.

Moore, the son of 159th Combat Aviation Brigade Chief Warrant Officer 4 Scott Moore, is quite the history buff. The 15-year-old has already competed in the National History Day competition, also held in Washington, D.C.

Joyner is a gifted education teacher at Northeast Middle, and she has worked with Moore on other projects in the past.

"I have chosen him as my team member because I know that he is a young man who will use this experience to make the world a better place and spread the knowledge he gains to those he comes into contact with," Joyner said. "Scott has always possessed a deep appreciation for military history due to his personal connection to the military."

Moore's father has been in the military for more than 23 years with six deployments. It is a legacy that the military child hopes to continue, as his goal is to graduate from West Point. He is well on his way to achieving this dream, by participating a host of extracurricular activities, including football, wrestling and Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. On top of that, Moore is already taking Advanced Placement classes.

"Right now, I'm our sophomore class treasurer at school, so I'm on our student government," Moore said. "I'm in Boy Scouts outside of school … I like to play sports a lot and just do a bunch of extracurricular activities."

The reading and research portion of the Albert H. Small institute is expected to take up to 10 hours per week for six months as Moore and Joyner ready themselves for the Normandy trip.

"It's a pretty big commitment," Moore said. "I have a big binder that's got it broken down week by week. The institute that we're doing this with sends you about five or six books … to give you a bigger knowledge base for when you head over there."

The pair completed a rigorous application process in November, which included essays among other requirements. Both student and teacher will be participating in the program for the first time.

"It is definitely an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Joyner said.

While the pair will finalize which service member they plan to research within the next week or so, Moore is already looking ahead with plans to donate any research to Fort Campbell's Don F. Pratt Museum. In Normandy, Moore and Joyner will eulogize the selected service member and lay a wreath in honor of the fallen during a remembrance ceremony.

Joyner's main connection to Fort Campbell is teaching military children, and she said this trip should help enhance how she teaches history for these students in particular.

"My grandfather served in the Navy during World War II, and while I had the privilege of hearing his own stories of service and sacrifice, I am looking forward to connecting with his service on a deeper level," Joyner said. "I am also looking forward to the opportunity to bring back what I learn throughout my experience to my classroom and help my students form stronger connections to history."

Despite already growing up around the military, Moore is still eager to learn as much as he can in preparation for the trip.

"I'm expecting it to be pretty humbling," Moore said. "It's going to be pretty crazy going there and walking on the battlefields of where all our Veterans were."

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