35th Annual Western Heritage Day to Teach Children Texas History

An estimated 4,500 elementary students will be on campus Thursday, April 20 for the 35^th 一年一度的西方传统日.

1981年，学院成员Dr. 乔治·纽曼博士. B.W. 阿斯顿,博士. 劳伦斯·克莱顿博士. Randy Armstrong planned a small Founders Day celebration at HSU to celebrate its history. 第二年, the group decided to expand the event to teach children about western culture as it might have been in Abilene during the 1800s.

今天，西方遗产日包括许多活动, 展位, 示威活动, and cultural activities aimed at teaching new generations about the integrity, 荣誉, 字符, and hard work of frontier women and men left as a legacy for generations of West Texans.

詹姆斯的石头, 总统的特别助理, sees Western Heritage Day as a catalyst for campus unity.

“It takes the help of faculty, staff, and students,他说. “President Bruntmyer has so reinforced the fact that we are family, and there may be no greater event representative of the Hardin-Simmons family atmosphere than Western Heritage Day.”

当学生参观校园时, they will have the opportunity to see the Six White Horses and the World Famous Cowboy Band. They can learn to wash clothes using a washboard or visit the chuck wagon for a snack. Texas historical figures will come to life as HSU Theater students walk around dressed up and in 字符. Students will also observe 示威活动 including trick roping, 绗缝, 编织, 启动生产, 还有帽子制作.

Animals have always been an important part of Western Heritage Day, 让孩子亲身体验乡村生活.

“一些学生, 即使是在西德克萨斯的背景下, 从来没有抱过小动物或见过马吗,斯通说. “We want to provide 参与ment with living creatures that represent God’s creation.”

Students will be immersed in agricultural life as they pet small farm animals, 观察剪羊毛, 参观Ft. 格里芬长角牛群.

Along with these yearly exhibits, a few new stations will be included this year. 历史学教授、博士. 蒂芙尼芬克, will be teaching students about the cultural contribution of Hispanics, and a group of local students from Ballet Folklorico will teach students traditional Mexican folk dancing.

Texas Parks and Wildlife will also be teaching students about buffalo soldiers and the contributions of African Americans on the frontier.

“These new 展位 help reinforce HSU’s commitment to cultural 参与ment while also expanding our reach in the learning environment,斯通说.

The event has also expanded its reach in terms of attendance. When Stone took leadership of the event in 2013, about 2,400 students attended. 今年已有超过4300名学生注册.

每年, more teachers plan their Texas history lessons to incorporate the field trip to Western Heritage Day.

“We want to reinforce what teachers do in the classroom by offering an event that encourages learning but is also fun and engaging. 还有什么地方比HSU更适合这样做呢?斯通说.

除了这些活动, 许老师邀请老师, parents and classes to extend their experience by bringing a sack lunch and enjoying the western atmosphere as they enjoy a picnic in Walton Grove next to the pond.

Stone says that while engaging learning is the ultimate goal of the event, 它也可以作为一个有价值的招聘工具. Many freshmen bring the block of wood they made at the HSU branding pit with them when they enroll at HSU.

“It provides another layer of partnership with Hardin-Simmons. When elementary school students are on our campus they can learn, 参与, 把自己想象成HSU牛仔,他说.

The event is free to all Big Country Daycares and Primary-Aged Students & 学校，但是需要注册. To register your student, group, or class, please complete the WHD班级/团体报名表. Teachers will be able to find additional information on the WHD Teacher’s Handout soon.

HSU faculty, staff, and students who wish to volunteer for this event can complete WHD义工表格.

To discover some of the legacy of this special day, please view the video with Dr. 乔治·纽曼 http://pesi.ntbw.net/news-and-events/event/westernheritage/.

For additional information, please contact 詹姆斯的石头 at  westernheritage@ntbw.net.

Hardin-Simmons University’s Western Heritage Day is made possible by gifts from the Guy Calwell Endowment for Western Heritage and the Lee and Lou C. 埃文斯西方遗产基金会.