Historic Site teacher receives Key to the City

Courtesy photo Brian Mayhew, center, poses with his principal, Shay Matthews, left and AIG Director Resa Hoyle. Mayhew was recently given a key to the city for his work at the Fort Scott National Historical Site.

While trying to become a better teacher, Brian Mayhew provided a valuable service to the Fort Scott National Historic Site (NHS). His service has earned him the Key to the City of Fort Scott, according to Bill Fischer, NHS historian.

Mayhew, an Academically/Intellectually Gifted (AIG) teacher based at Gardner Park Elementary School in Gastonia, N.C., recently received the Key to the City of Fort Scott for his service as a National Park Service (NPS) Teacher-Ranger-Teacher at Fort Scott National Historic Site (NHS) during the summers of 2010 and 2011, according to an NHS press release.

The "long overdue" recognition was presented to Mayhew on behalf of the Fort Scott City Commission by his principal, Shay Matthews, and his AIG director, Resa Hoyle, at a school-wide staff meeting that included the 12 other AIG instructors that serve more than 30 schools in the district, the release stated.

Fort Scott NHS Superintendent Betty Boyko, in a letter to Matthews, said that Brian "was an energetic, positive force" who "contributed significantly to helping us fulfill our mission."

Mayhew said that he "was honored and humbled" to receive such recognition for the14 weeks that he served as the Fort Scott NHS Teacher-Ranger-Teacher over two summers.

"I cherish every second I was able to spend in Fort Scott," Mayhew said in the release.

The Teacher-Ranger-Teacher (TRT) program is an collaborative extended professional development opportunity for educators from K-12 schools to learn about the resources and educational materials available through the Natioal Park Service, while at the same time providing parks with the expertise of teachers to inform and shape park education programs and services, the release states.

Mayhew spent the summer of 2012 serving as a TRT at Denali National Park in Alaska.

"If I had the opportunity to pick a place to work for the summer again, I would choose Fort Scott over Denali, because of the amazing people and friends that I made," Mayhew said.

That statement is an example of why Mayhew was chosen to receive the key, according to Fischer.

"That's a very strong statement of support that validates why the City Commission looks on Brian as an ambassador worthy of receiving the Key to the City of Fort Scott," Fischer said.