With the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America looming in July, the U.S. Department of Education has launched a 50-state History Rocks! Trail to Independence tour. On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, the tour landed in Alma, Kansas, at the Wabaunsee USD 329 high school.
According to a Department of Education release, Katie Gorka, U.S. Department of Education Senior Advisor for Civic Education, visited Wabaunsee Senior High School as part of the tour.
275 students in sixth through twelfth grades participated in interactive games designed to deepen their understanding of American history, civics, and the important role Kansas has played in our nation’s history. The event opened with remarks from Wabaunsee Principal Jan Hutley and Superintendent of Wabaunsee Schools Dr. Troy Pitsch, followed by Gorka. Students explored the themes of civic engagement, patriotism, and the shared responsibilities of citizenship.
“We had multiple speakers from Ms. Gorka to the American Legion,” Pitsch said. “We had a local guest speaker, a local historian who talked about Wabaunsee County’s significance to American history, which centered around Bleeding Kansas and the abolitionist movement, especially here in Wabaunsee County.
Wabaunsee County was the farthest west link of the Underground Railroad.
“They had some interactive games that the students were involved in,” Pitsch said. “Our Scholars Bowl team took on our teacher team on history questions.”
Pitsch said the teachers won narrowly.
“Kansas reflects the spirit of hard work, independence, and civic responsibility that has long defined our nation,” said U.S. Department of Education Senior Advisor for Civic Education Katie Gorka. “As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, History Rocks! helps students connect those values to the American story and see how they can carry them forward in their own communities.”
In late 2025, the U.S. Department of Education, alongside the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), Turning Point USA, Hillsdale College, and more than 40 leading national and state-based organizations, announced the launch of the America 250 Civics Education Coalition.
“This landmark initiative is dedicated to renewing patriotism, strengthening civic knowledge, and advancing a shared understanding of America’s founding principles in schools across the nation,” a release said.
The History Rocks! initiative is a key component of the U.S. Department of Education’s America 250 celebrations, coordinated with the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, a national partnership with the America First Policy Institute, Turning Point USA, Hillsdale College, and more than 50 national and state organizations. This coalition is dedicated to advancing civic education and expanding opportunities for students to learn about the ideas, individuals, and events that define the American story.
Pitsch said it was an honor to be chosen as the Kansas stop on the History Rocks! tour.
“Not only were we representing our school district in our community, but to a certain degree, we were representing the state in this, and so that was a huge honor, and the kids knew it, and they were thrilled to be a part of that,” Pitsch said. “But further it was, you know, this awareness of this, you know, American exceptionalism and just how special our freedoms are.”
