AP Lit Students to National Willa Cather Center

Hello! My name is Marisa Zornes, and I’m a teacher at Lincoln High School. During my time as an AP Literature and Composition teacher, my classes have studied the works of Jane Austen, Zora Neale Hurston, and many other distinguished authors. It wasn't until this past summer that I realized that I was overlooking one of the most acclaimed authors of the last century and an essential representative of the state of Nebraska - Willa Cather.

During the summer of Willa Cather's 150th birthday year, I had the incredible opportunity of attending the National Willa Cather Center's annual Teacher Institute. It was an incredible five-day visit filled with archival studies, literature discussions, and immersive tours of places that influenced Cather and her novels. My five days in Red Cloud, NE challenged and changed my outlook on Nebraska's place in literature. Ever since the teacher institute, I have been on a mission to share Cather's legacy and writing with my students.

During the fourth quarter of the 2023-2024 academic year, my AP Literature and Composition students will read and study "My Ántonia" by Willa Cather. At the conclusion of the novel, my students and I will visit and explore the National Willa Cather Center. Our field trip will consist of archival studies guided by Cather scholars, immersive tours of Red Cloud and its countryside, and a chance to experience Cather's life in the very place she spent her childhood.

All funds donated will go directly toward admission fees needed to utilize the center's services and experiences for our students and chaperones. Any additional funds will go toward other trip expenses. I am confident that this field trip will not only boost our students' pride in the state of Nebraska, but also in our state's pivotal role in literature. Requesting $243 plus cost reimbursement.

Thank you for your consideration in donating to our field trip.