The Garden State Veterans Legacy Program (GSVLP)
The Garden State Veterans Legacy Program (GSVLP) is an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration's Veterans Legacy Program to memorialize and honor the nation's veterans by discovering, preserving, and sharing their individual life stories and service.
The GSVLP supports 30 New Jersey K-12 teachers in creating curricula that teaches students how to do original research on the lives of Veterans from their communities.
Teachers will learn professional historical research methods including:
- Mapping techniques using Graphic Information Systems (GIS) to create visual representations of veterans' lives.
- How to create short-form digital stories that transform Veteran research into compelling video narratives.
- Oral history research techniques.
All of which results in biographies, written tributes, or other content on the lives of local Veterans that will be uploaded into National Cemetery Administration's Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) and displayed in a public exhibit at Montclair State University.
GSVLP highlights:
- $3,700 stipend per teacher.
- 8 units of Professional Development Credits (at no cost).
- 3-day, 2-night field trip to Beverly National Cemetery (Beverly, NJ), Finn's Point National Cemetery (Pennesville, NJ), Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery (Wrightstown, NJ), and Washington Crossing National Cemetery (Newtown, PA) to learn how to use cemeteries as a history teaching tool. Transportation, hotel, and meals are covered. Field experience will be during the week of August 9-13, 2027. Exact dates TBD.
- 4 one-hour online professional development workshops on curriculum development.
- All teachers who complete the program will have at least 2 classroom-ready lesson plans they can use with their students.
Interested? Apply here.
Application Deadline: December 29, 2026