Education News for May 2025

The Jubilee Singers

This primary source is an 1873 engraving of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, known for their moving spirituals. The Fisk Jubilee Singers were first organized in 1871 to raise money for Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Their early repertoire centered on spirituals, but also included some songs by famous American composer Stephen Foster. After a tour of Europe in 1873, the group earned enough money to send back to Fisk to construct the university’s first-ever permanent building. The building was named Jubilee Hall, and it is still standing today.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers continue to perform today. They were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and won a National Medal of Arts in 2008.

This source could be used to discuss Reconstruction and the Freedmen’s Bureau’s efforts to educate formerly enslaved individuals.

This source is relevant to Tennessee State Social Studies Standards 5.44, 8.72, TN.35.To find more primary sources related to the Fisk Jubilee Singers, visit our website’s Civil War and Reconstruction page.

Tennessee's Statehood Day Celebration 2025

Tennessee turns 229 on June 1! To celebrate Tennessee’s Statehood, the Tennessee State Library & Archives is partnering with the Tennessee State Museum and Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park to host a variety of free, family-friendly events on Saturday, May 31. Attendees can see the constitutions, participate in a scavenger hunt, meet characters from the past, play historic games, listen to live music, receive giveaways, and much more. Join us for a day of fun to celebrate Tennessee becoming a state!

Tennessee Constitutions
The Tennessee State Library & Archives will put all three of the state’s original constitutions on display to the public in commemoration of Statehood Day. The constitutions are typically protected in a vault, but all three versions will be in the Library & Archives’ lobby for viewing on May 31.

Please check our website for more details on the Tennessee Statehood Day Celebration on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Summer Reading 2025

Hoorah for summer and all the fun! Your local public library is gearing up for Summer Reading! This year’s Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) theme is Color Our World. Be sure to reach out to your public library to discuss grade-appropriate reading lists, reading challenges, the READsquared app, and all the ways libraries work to prevent the summer slide.

Your local library has marketing materials they can share with schools to promote their Summer Reading programs for all ages, including parents! Keep encouraging your students to read, learn, and keep those brains working over the summer until they return for the 2025-2026 school year.

Please contact your local public library for more information on Summer Reading 2025.

Message from the Education Outreach Newsletter Editor

Teachers, we are truly impressed with all the amazing work you’ve done this year! This summer, take some time to visit our Activity Bank for mini-activities, digital breakouts, etc., in planning for the 2025-2026 school year.

When school resumes in August, keep in mind that we’ll have our DocsBoxes available, including some new DocsBox Companion videos that were introduced this school year. We will start up another statewide workshop series in September. Look for an email in early August with all of our offerings for the 2025-2026 school year.

Thank you for all the important work you do to serve our communities in Tennessee! Feel free to reach out to us at education.tsla@tnsos.gov if you have suggestions for additional programming. We appreciate your input.

Have a wonderful summer!

Janis Perry

Summer Workshops - Tennessee Historical Society and Teaching with Primary Sources Southern Region at MTSU

Teachers, please join the Tennessee Historical Society and Teaching with Primary Sources Southern Region at MTSU, which is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation, for their summer workshop offerings. Participants are introduced to Tennessee History Day, a year-long, project-based curriculum that engages students in grades 6–12 in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics.

Participants are also exposed to the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources program, which helps teachers use the rich reservoir of digitized primary source materials to design challenging, high-quality instruction.

Workshop dates & locations:
July 8 - Knoxville: Mabry-Hazen House

July 16 - Gallatin: Cragfont State Historic Site

July 18 - Bartlett: Davies Manor Historic Site

Click here for more details and to register.

Our mission is to exceed the expectations of our customers, the taxpayers, by operating at the highest levels of accuracy, cost-effectiveness and accountability in a customer-centered environment.

sos.tn.gov/tsla/education