October’s Arkansas Celebrates America250 Content: Foundations of Arkansas

Memo Information

Memo Number

LS-26-020

Memo Date

10/13/2025

Memo Type

Informational

Unit

Office of Learning Services

Regulatory Authority

Response Required

Attention

Assistant Principal; Assistant Superintendent; Communications Manager / Director; CTE Coordinator (COOPs and regular school districts); Curriculum Coordinators; District Coordinators (ALE; Homeless; ESOL; SDFS & Foster); Early Childhood Coordinator; Gifted & Talented Coordinators; Parent Involvement Coordinators/Facilitators; Principals; School Counselors; Superintendents; Teachers

Primary Contact Information

Name

Amber Pirnique

Phone Number

501-682-5764

Amber.Pirnique@ade.arkansas.gov

Memo Text

In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Arkansas Department of Education continues its statewide initiative, Arkansas Celebrates America250 (ACA250). This month’s theme, Foundations of Arkansas, highlights the heritage, early exploration, and roots of community life that shape Arkansas’s place in the American story.

Through the Journey Across Arkansas dashboard, educators, students, and families can access standards-aligned, ready-to-use materials that connect classrooms to Arkansas’s history. October’s content invites learners to:

Celebrate Arkansas’s unique story through the enduring traditions, languages, and ways of life of Indigenous peoples and early Arkansans that continue to shape our state and contribute to the American story.
Connect with our nation’s history by exploring Arkansas’s first peoples and their influence on early exploration, trade, and diplomacy that helped form the foundation of America.
Contribute to our state’s future success through enrollment in archaeology and architecture programs, employment in skilled trades that support preservation efforts, and enlistment in service that honors and protects the places that shaped Arkansas’s beginnings.

Map Expedition: Ready-to-Use Lessons

These self-guided or teacher-directed lessons explore the Quapaw, Osage, and Caddo tribes, as well as the impact of Spanish and French explorers and the Louisiana Purchase. Activities encourage students to examine artifacts, study early settlements like Arkansas Post, and trace the Trail of Tears across Arkansas. These flexible lessons can be used in-person, virtually, or in hybrid settings.

Compass Expedition: ACA250 Resource Roundtables

Make the most of the Journey Across Arkansas resources by attending a one-hour virtual A250 Resource Roundtable. These sessions, which are offered throughout the month, are designed to:

Navigate the dashboard resources and align to standards.
Share strategies for integrating ACA250 themes into HQIM and lesson plans.
Offer time for collaboration and networking across districts.

Navigator Expedition: Ornament Project

The Ornament Project showcases student creativity and community pride. Schools are invited to submit up to three ornaments: one each from grades K–4, 5–8, and 9–12, reflecting the theme Arkansas Celebrates My Community. Ornaments will be displayed on a holiday tree at the Arkansas State Capitol from mid-November through early January. Please share this information with your Fine Arts Educators as we invite every district and school across the state to participate.

Stay Connected

The Arkansas Department of Education invites you to join us in celebrating America’s 250th anniversary by making ACA250 a shared experience for students and communities across the state. Together, we can prepare and inspire Arkansas’s next generation to connect with their heritage, celebrate our traditions, and contribute to the future.

For more information, visit https://america250.ade.arkansas.gov. Share highlights and questions at america250@ade.arkansas.gov, and celebrate online with #ACA250.