Austintown to pilot history program for nation’s schools

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

Austintown schools Superintendent Vince Colaluca and history teacher Ron Johnson will travel to the George Washington Presidential Library in Mount Vernon, Va., this week for the unveiling of local artwork that also will be used as an educational tool at the middle school.

The 7-foot-tall portrait, titled “Divine Providence,” by local artist Ray Simon, uses allegorical symbols to portray the first U.S. president’s life and the founding of the nation.

Accompanying software allows students to hunt for dozens of other metaphors pertaining to Washington’s life and the Revolutionary War, which are hidden within the painting.

Students can also hear narrations about their meanings, which meet national history education standards.

Austintown Middle School will be the first to pilot that program, according to a release from the district.

The district plans to develop a “complete online platform” for classrooms across the country to use the painting.