University of Idaho students and Moscow Middle School students collaborated in April to explore the stories of lesser-known figures in American history through a shared reading project. The initiative centered on “The Small and the Mighty” by Sharon McMahon, which was selected as this year’s Common Read, and formed part of the nationwide America250 campaign.
The collaboration aimed to foster community connections while marking the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States. Through discussions about unsung heroes like Rebecca Mitchell—who established Idaho Falls’ first schoolhouse and church before becoming the first woman elected chaplain of a state legislature—students examined how individuals have shaped American society.
Doctoral student Lena Udekwu from the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences developed the idea for integrating America250 into classroom activities. “Our primary goal is to provide opportunities for communication and community building while celebrating America’s 250 years,” Udekwu said. “We focused on this theme of unsung heroes to explore and develop ideas for teaching that included book discussions between undergraduate students and middle school students, as well as a podcast on themes derived from the Common Read.”
Middle school librarian Paige Mangini worked with Udekwu to create a podcasting component where middle schoolers produced interviews with local leaders at University of Idaho’s library studio. “’The Heroes Without Headlines’ podcast is completely created, directed and edited by the [middle school] students,” Mangini said. “The Common Read guides the whole project… The podcast is all about shining a light on local changemakers in our community and sharing their stories.”
U of I instructor Erin Corwine said, “For us, this project is meant to build community between the middle school students and U of I education students, and to support the middle school students as they develop and facilitate book club discussions with their peers.” Middle school student John added that they hope “to create a long-lasting ripple effect to benefit our town, as well as to create a new community within our school, where people can talk openly.”
Participants reported feeling inspired by both historical examples from McMahon’s book and their own collaborative experiences. LJ Aguirre said, “I was one of those kids that didn’t like school, but reading these stories… lets me know I’m on the right track.” Gabriella Swanson added her motivation: “I had so much help with all my math classes in middle school… I want to duplicate that and pass it on.”
