SUITCASE & sPEAKING PRESENTATIONS
Help students connect with the past by using artifacts to understand the daily life and culture of different eras of local residents. Presentations include original and reproduction artifacts, images, maps, and activities for children to examine.
presentations are:
- Led by a professional museum educator who comes to your school
- Designed to help educators supplement classroom teaching
- Available for scheduling year round
- Adaptable for all abilities
Suitcase Presentations
Storytelling - Pre K through 1st Grade
Bring history to life with your students! MVHS has a wonderful historical children’s library and we’d be happy to tailor a story telling program for your class. Just let us know what you are learning about and we will organize a program complete with activities and lessons.
- PreK – 1st Grade
- 30-minute Program
- Up to 25 Students per presentation
Pioneer Life - 2nd Grade +
Explore the daily lives of the pioneer settlers who came to the Mahoning Valley in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Original and reproduction artifacts, primary source documents, maps, and games help to see how times have changed in the last 200 years.
- 2nd Grade +
- 60-minute Program
- Up to 25 Students per presentation
Native Americans of the Valley - 2nd Grade +
Learn about the first people to live in the Mahoning Valley thousands of years ago. This program features original and reproduction artifacts, maps, images, games, and clothing to help discover how the region’s Native Americans lived.
- 2nd Grade +
- 60-minute Program
- Up to 25 Students per presentation
An Old Fashioned School Day - 2nd Grade +
Turn your classroom into a one room school house. Students will use slates and McGuffey Readers to experience a school day in the mid-19th century.
- 2nd Grade +
- 60-minute Program
- Up to 25 Students per presentation
The Underground Railroad - 4th Grade +
This program highlights the region’s important influence during the early and mid-19th century. A museum educator will introduce students to area leaders, politicians, and abolitionists along with those risking everything to find freedom from slavery. This program features a PowerPoint slide show presentation and interactive primary source elements.
- 4th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
- Up to 25 Students per presentation
A Journey Through Local Industry - 4th grade +
Students will dive into primary source materials as they discover the vast and important industrial history of the Mahoning Valley. From the early days of canals and coal mining to the height of the steel industry, students will see maps, images, documents, and videos to trace the trends and changes all while looking towards the future of local industry.
- 4th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
- Up to 25 Students per presentation
Civil War Exploration - 4th grade +
Travel back to one of our nation’s most trying times. Students will explore five areas of Civil War history guided by a museum educator: slavery, soldier’s life, civilian life, politics, and the aftermath. Each station features local history stories, artifacts, images, maps, and much more.
- 60-minute Program
- Up to 30 Students per presentation
The 1960's: Music as History - 8th Grade +
Students will explore the impact of music as a tool of political, social, and Civil Rights power during the 1960s. Themes explore the counter-culture movements, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movements, and Women’s Rights.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
- Up to 30 Students per presentation
To Schedule a Presentation
Thanks to a generous grant from the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, we are able to offer free suitcase presentations and speaking presentations for the 2023-2024 school year!
Presentations are scheduled on a first come – first served basis. The schedule books up quickly during the fall (September-November) and spring (April-May).
Suitcase Presentations can be done across multiple days to accommodate entire grade levels and are available for public, private, and parochial schools in Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana counties.
Spaces are limited and scheduling is open now for the 2023-2024 school year – request your dates and programs soon!
speaking Presentations
April 1865
The Civil War nears its end, the Confederate Capital of Richmond falls, the Army of Northern Virginia surrenders, President Lincoln is killed. Learn why April 1865 was one of the most important months in American history.
- Eighth Grade +
- 60-minute Program
The Civil War in the Valley
The Civil War in the Valley: Explore the impact of the Civil War on Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley – How did the region respond to the outbreak of war? What was the political atmosphere like as the country split apart? How were communities affected by the conflict? These questions, and many more, will be answered in a presentation that includes primary sources, photographs, and artifacts for an introductory look at this tumultuous time period in local, regional, and national history.
- Eighth Grade +
- 60-minute Program
Civil War Headlines
How was the Civil War covered locally? What events made the front pages here in the Mahoning Valley? Travel back in time with historic local newspapers to discover how the Civil War shaped daily life in and around Youngstown.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
David Tod and the Civil War
David Tod was the Governor of Ohio during the Civil War. Learn about the man who helped to raise troops from the Mahoning Valley and lead Ohio through this country’s most difficult years. His early life, Valley roots, and political influence are set against the background of national disunion and war
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
Founding Mothers: Great Women in Mahoning Valley History
Catherine Dougherty Hillman, Margaret Van Horn Dwight, Dora Schwebel, and Mary Ann Campana… The lives of these women are woven into the history of the Mahoning Valley. Learn about the women who lived, worked, and learned here – and how their stories and struggles helped to shape and change the Mahoning Valley
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
Founding Mothers: Part 2
From religious organizations to charitable groups, educators to business leaders; the history of the Mahoning Valley is full of remarkable women who defied the odds and left indelible marks on our daily lives. This second part of Founding Mothers further explores the influence of women in Valley history with a focus on women’s groups.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
The Lincoln Assassination
A single gunshot changed the face of the Civil War: President Abraham Lincoln was dead in a conspiracy to over throw the United States Government. Discover the people involved, their legacy, and how the event forever changed the nation.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
The Pivotal Right – A History of the Women’s Suffrage Movement
Learn about the brave and outspoken women who fought to gain voting rights in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Their struggle, persecution, and prosecution are set against the backdrop of national history and the greater Civil Rights movement. Women of note include Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone, and Carrie Chapman Catt.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
Propaganda and Social Justice
This presentation looks at the history of propaganda as told through the Civil Rights and Social Justice Movements. Students engage in critical thinking when placing the pieces’ political and social impact against the meaning, time period, and artist’s perspective.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
Religious Multiculturalism in the Mahoning Valley
Explore the history and culture of the folks who call the Mahoning Valley home as told through the eyes of religious congregations.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
UnCaged – Extraordinary Women of the American Civil War
This presentation highlights the courageous and bold women who shattered social norms and busted traditional gender spheres during this nation’s darkest hours. Case studies will highlight such women as Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Elizabeth Keckley, and Laura Keene. These women felt compelled to transform their lives for the betterment of both themselves and their nation. Their lives centered on The Cult of Domesticity, or True Womanhood, and was defined by four pillars – purity, piety, submissiveness, and domesticity. Women were seemingly bound by these laws, but the political turmoil of the era began to open doors previously locked.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
The War Within: Mary Todd Lincoln’s Triumph and Tragedy as First Lady
Mad? Miserable? Misunderstood? Mary Todd Lincoln was a remarkable woman who faced unspeakable tragedy, learn about her life and impact as First Lady.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program
Immigration History of the Mahoning Valley
An overview of our Valley’s local immigration history: Why did people immigrate to the Mahoning Valley? When did immigration start? What countries were they from? What were the largest immigrant groups to settle here? Where did they work? How did our local population grow? Included are interesting pictures, charts, statistics and a map of ethnic neighborhoods to help us appreciate our diverse ethnic heritage.
- 8th Grade +
- 60-minute Program