Mission
Education is an important mission of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. Pacific Historic Parks supports the development of educational programs in cooperation with the National Park Service.
The objective of PHP in supporting Park Service educational programs is to promote an understanding of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent War in the Pacific, while helping to provide a greater appreciation of the people involved in that critical history.
Click here to download a PDF copy of our Educational Brochure.Some of the opportunities include:
School Group Interpretive Tours
School groups are encouraged to visit World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, featuring the USS Arizona Memorial, as a way to provide students with hands-on learning experiences.
To schedule a school group visit, please contact the Pacific Historic Parks Education Director, Paul Heintz.
Audio Tour
The story of Pearl Harbor is filled with incredible tales of courage and perseverance, and the World War II Valor in the Pacific Audio Tour brings these stories to life.
For a nominal fee, students can rent an MP3 audio headset that takes them to over 20 destinations and provides explanations of the various artifacts and displays found at the USS Arizona Memorial. Teachers can preview the audio tour by navigating to the Interpretive Tours web page and clicking on Student Audio Tour. For access to the complete audio tour script, please contact our Education Specialist for the password.
USS Arizona Memorial Junior Ranger Guidebook
The somber and tragic events of the attack on Pearl Harbor can be difficult for children to understand. Pacific Historic Parks and the National Park Service created the Junior Ranger guidebook for children 7 to 12 years old. The primary purpose of the booklet is to guide young students through the events of the Pearl Harbor attack. The booklet features activities, including Opana Radar Station, Battleship Row, Code-Breaking Magic, Wartime Civilian Life and Memorials and Memories.
A copy of the booklet can be obtained for free at the visitor center's front desk. Upon completion of the booklet, young visitors receive an honorary National Park Service Junior Ranger badge. Teachers can request a sample copy of the Junior Ranger Guidebook for classroom use by contacting the Education Specialist. A second, expanded adventure booklet is available for sale in the park bookstore or online.
Witness To History Distance Learning Program
For those who are not able to visit this national park, the Witness to History videoconferencing program provides students and educators, nationally and internationally, with a unique and invaluable distance-learning opportunity dedicated to the history of December 7, 1941.
Click here for more information.
Professional Development for Teachers
Teachers are the key to perpetuating the history and memory of Pearl Harbor. It is for this reason that Pacific Historic Parks emphasizes professional development for teachers. In partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities, Pacific Historic Parks sponsors an annual Summer Workshop for teachers from the U.S., Japan, and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The goal of this workshop is to compare and contrast how Pearl Harbor and World War II is introduced and taught in classrooms.