This week educators from the Oklahoma History Center are making their way to Marietta schools for living history programs. Throughout the spring, museum educators have traveled from border to border offering unique programs for students of all ages, thanks in part to grants from the Oklahoma Humanities Council and the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board.

"Living history allows educators to bring history to life for students, help reinforce teachers' instruction and provide the chance to engage with the past in a unique way," said Director of Education Jason Harris. For some 30-40 minutes students listen to stories of the Wild West, the Oklahoma land runs, the Civil War, the Dust Bowl, the Oklahoma oil fields and more, and then jump on the opportunity to ask questions to gain first-hand insight into some of these memorable events. Combining clothing, stories and language allows museum educators to convince even the toughest audience, providing them with both educational background and entertainment. One of the goals, according to Harris, is to prime the pump and create a sense of interest that leads to further reading, research and knowledge.

Thanks to sponsoring partners, the Oklahoma History Center will continue to offer outreach programs through the remainder of the school year at no cost to schools. If you would like more information please contact the Oklahoma History Center Education Department at education@okhistory.org or 405-522-3602.

Dr. Eric J. Schmaltz, associate history professor at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva will be at the Sod House Museum Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. to present an overview and presentation on "Germans from Russia in South America: New Research Frontiers."  Schmaltz serves as scriptwriter and historical consultant for the upcoming Fargo, North Dakota-based Prairie Public Broadcasting documentary film on the German-Russian experience in South America.

For this project, he traveled to Argentina with producers and film crew in October 2013. He will present a brief history of the migrations, settlement patterns and contributions of German-Russians in Argentina and Brazil beginning in the late nineteenth century. Moreover, he will reflect on more recent developments affecting South America's German-Russians and how this documentary project and other current outreach efforts taking place worldwide among them appear to be intimately connected with broader and quite dramatic early twenty-first century technological and research trends. The film will premiere in summer 2015.

Schmaltz teaches modern European and world history, producing various publications and translations for the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) in Bismarck, North Dakota, and the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection at the North Dakota State University (GRHC NDSU) Libraries in Fargo.  

Schmaltz serves as coexecutive director of the endowed Northwestern Oklahoma State University Institute for Citizenship Studies and as senior editor of its journal "Civitas." He is also GRHS "Heritage Review" editor, AHSGR journal editorial board member, and member of the Board of Academic Advisors at the Center for Volga German Studies at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon.

The Sod House Museum is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society and is located southeast of Aline on State Highway 8. The museum is open Tues.-Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with admission. For more information contact Renee Trindle at 580-463-2441 or email sodhouse@okhistory.org