Greetings. I am Wesley Hedgepeth, President of NCSS. For those of you who don’t know me yet, I live in Richmond, Virginia, and teach ninth grade World History as well as AP government and politics courses, US and comparative. I also lead my school’s model United Nations program. Before joining the Board, I served as the President of VCSS, our affiliated council in Virginia. I look forward to getting to know each of you throughout the coming year and beyond. 

Hopefully you are enjoying your summer thus far - you sure did earn it. Each summer, I seek my three Rs - Rest, Reflection, and Renewal. I imagine some of you might do that as well. For me, the three Rs usually involve late morning cups of coffee while meandering through my garden, meaningful professional development and travel, as well as reading at least a few good books. To start, my husband and I traveled to southeast Asia in June. The highlight of that trip was most certainly our visit to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It’s the largest religious structure in the world, dates back to the twelfth century, and has a history of being both a hindu and buddhist temple. 

While reflecting on my journey to this exact moment, I’m filled with an enormous amount of gratitude. I’d first like to express my sincerest gratitude to Doctor Shannon Pugh, NCSS President 2022-2023. As she completes this coming year as immediate past president, she also will complete a decade of service on the Board. Thank you for your leadership and service, Dr. Pugh. I am grateful that we will benefit from your expertise for another year. 

I’m also grateful for past presidents Steve Goldberg, Gayle Thieman, India Meissel, Terry Cherry, and the late Peggy Jackson, for their encouragement for running for the board. Thank you to my colleagues at VCSS as well, whose support I wouldn’t be here without. I’d also like to thank the former NCSS board of directors and NCSS staff for their continued support of our association. Last, but most certainly not least, my fellow social studies educators: Thank you for your tireless efforts, passion, and dedication to your students and to the social studies education profession. Your work truly makes a difference, and the world is a better place because of you. 

Looking forward, I want to congratulate our new Vice President Dr. Tina Ellsworth. I’d also like to welcome Carly Donick, Heather Nice, Deborah Robertson, and Marc Turner to the NCSS Board of Directors. In addition, congratulations to Alex Cuenca for his reelection to the Board. My focus for July is on renewal and I encourage you to seek renewal however it manifests in your life. What renews you? For me, renewal often involves professional development. NCSS is gearing up for our Summer Leadership Institute on July 10th and 11th. Personally, I cannot wait to welcome Social Studies leaders from all over the country, and world, to my hometown of Richmond, Virginia. 

As 2023 progresses, I plan to continue strengthening NCSS through continued implementation of our strategic plan. All of my actions as President will be guided by our mission to advocate and build capacity for high quality social studies by providing leadership, services, and support to educators. 

In addition to SLI, Annual Conference Co-Chair Laura Simmons and I are busy planning our 103rd Annual Conference in Nashville this December. With the theme Social Studies: Working Together in Harmony for a Better Tomorrow, our conference planning committee seeks to promote inclusive social studies education. It is important that all voices are heard, and only when all voices are included are we truly at harmony as a society. These voices make up regional, national, and international narratives that can be often tied to local stories. Our conference seeks to elevate these local narratives, believing that much of the social studies begins in our individual communities. Learners need to see themselves in our collective story. 

We also believe that social studies can be strengthened by seeking diverse partnerships and new connections, both inside and outside of the education sector and beyond political and physical borders. 

Finally, we ask, what is the future of the social studies? This is a critical time, and the social studies faces many challenges, yet we’re poised for a comeback. The theme of harmony, inclusion, connections and collaboration will continue to be throughlines of my presidency. 

As I close, I’d like to hear about your three Rs. What do they look like in your life? I’m currently reading The Identity-Conscious Educator: Building Habits and Skills For A More Inclusive School by Liza Talusan. What are you reading? Share your recommendations with me on Twitter. I’m @wehedge. In addition, please always feel free to contact me at whedgepeth@ncss.org. Happy summer!