WOODLAND, Maine — On January 10, Woodland Consolidated School hosted special guest speaker Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap.
Dunlap visited the school as part Maine’s Civil War History for Schools program, in which a state archivist visits schools to talk with students about the impact that Maine had on the Civil War, and vice versa.
As part of his presentation to grades 5, 6 and 8, the secretary discussed lasting effects of the Civil War and other important events in history.
“History has a way of reaching out from the past, like a tentacle,” Dunlap said, giving real-world examples of history’s touch. From paper money to standard units of measurement, students learned that “every question has an answer” if you just learn to ask the questions. Specific to the Civil War, Dunlap addressed the relationship between Maine’s admission into the Union and the development of events leading to the war, as well as many stories about Maine citizens and war heroes.
He also talked about various artifacts relevant to the Civil War and Maine’s history that are stored in the State Archives. Teachers and students alike were inspired by the secretary’s words and expressed interest in seeing these artifacts firsthand. The school hopes to be able to take students to the State Archives in the near future.
Additionally, students learned that the secretary of state’s duties include safeguarding the original Maine State Constitution, preserving millions of precious historic documents, conducting state elections and testing motor vehicle operators. He oversees the Maine State Archives, the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
Dunlap also oversees programs such as the Maine Student Mock Election and the Eighth Grade Citizenship Award, in which students at Woodland Consolidated School participate.
