Outside the Classroom:
A Journey to AfricaTown

Hello Everybody! 

Most of you know me as Ms. Van Erden, some of you know me as the sponsor for the African-American Cultural Club, and I suspect a few of you know me as the person in room 113 with the jar of Jolly Ranchers. And then there's a couple of you who still call me Mrs. Dervin or Mrs. Erazmus, and that's ok because those are compliments. 

In a day or two, I'm going to get into my car and begin a long drive to, first, Cleveland, Mississippi (662 miles), and then, second, to Mobile, Alabama (307 miles). I'll be traveling alone, but I'd like to invite you along with me through this blog. 

So why am I going to drive a total of 970 miles by myself? To learn History! And this is how it started...... 

Earlier this year, I learned about a workshop offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). You might have actually accessed the NEH on your chromebook, especially in one of your history classes, because the NEH is the independent federal agency that's dedicated to supporting the humanities (the study of history,  culture, and society) so that we can better understand who we are.  The workshop is called From Clotilda to Community: The history of Mobile, Alabama's Africatown, and I was super-excited to learn about it! I filled out an application, wrote an essay, anxiously waited about 6 weeks, and the kind people who are presenting the workshop responded: "Yes! You can attend our workshop!"

I can't wait to learn more, and I'm excited to bring you on this adventure with me. 

If you want to ask me questions or just say hello, email me at jvanerden@cusd201.org or judi.vanerden@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!!