A key to the city; Visiting teacher receives recognition for work at Fort Scott National Historic Site

Chief Ranger Kelley Collins (left) and Superintendent Betty Boyko (right) congratulate Mary Jane Hansel on receiving the Keys to the City of Fort Scott.(Submitted Photo)

Mary Jane Hansel, a teacher at Nathan Hale Magnet School in Tulsa, Okla., was presented with a certificate and the keys to the city of Fort Scott during the annual Candlelight Tour at Fort Scott National Historic Site.

Making the presentation for Mayor Jim Adams and the city commission was Chief Ranger Kelley Collins. Hansel was back at the Old Fort as a Candlelight Tour volunteer earlier this month.

She was recognized for her eight-week long service this past summer as the historic site's Teacher-Ranger-Teacher and as a goodwill ambassador for the city.

The TRT program is a National Park Service initiative to help students connect with their national heritage. Selected teachers serve as park rangers who are fully integrated into the site staff. Besides welcoming guests at the visitor center and providing tours, Hansel, a Tulsa native, participated in special events and the Trailblazers youth day camp. She also reviewed the historic site's education program and made recommendations for improvement based on her 30-plus years of teaching experience.

Teacher-Ranger-Teachers return to their home schools at the end of the summer invigorated with new ideas and practical experiences that help link students and local communities with their National Park System of about 400 units across the nation and in U.S. territories.