Enthusiastic cheers of “OC” rang out in the East Room of the Nixon Library Thursday morning as more than 350 local third graders participated in an interactive journey through Orange County’s history. An additional 10,000 third graders across the county joined the annual OC Day of History program for a virtual field trip via livestream.
Stan Oftelie, local history author, and Chris Lowe, Trish O’Donnell Director of Education at the Nixon Foundation, guided the students through a live scavenger hunt featuring video and in-person messages from local civic leaders and other special guests including Dr. Stefan Bean, Orange County Superintendent of Schools, Henry DiCarlo, Emmy award-winning AMS meteorologist KTLA 5, Kristy Van Doren-Batson, granddaughter of Vans founder Paul Van Doren and Freddie Freeman, First Baseman for Los Angeles Dodgers and Orange County native.
The third graders were encouraged to shout out answers as history came to life in the interactive lesson that focused on teaching that history is all around us and individuals have the power to impact their communities. Following state curriculum, the students covered a broad range of local history and governance including maps, law and order, water and environmental management and the famous people and places of Orange County, all while earning pieces of a badge to be members of the Orange County Secret History Club. All participants received a copy of the book Nothing Rhymes with Orange to take a deeper dive into local history.
The annual OC Day of History is presented by the Richard Nixon Foundation in partnership with the Children’s Education Foundation of Orange County and the Gift of History program, an award winning multi-agency, countywide history program that creates civic pride, builds 21st-century skills, and promotes community engagement among third grade students. As described by Hilda Sugarman, Chair of the Gift of History, “This program brings community together with the pride of Orange County.”
To mark the occasion, Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner presented a proclamation recognizing April 25, 2025 as Orange County Local History Day. This is the seventeen year of the Gift of History program and its second year at the Nixon Library. The Gift of History program is an initiative of the Richard Nixon Foundation’s American Civics Academy, a strategic endeavor to teach elementary, middle and high school students about the fundamentals of American democracy, history, and civics.
Learn more at nixonfoundation.org/civics.
