Horace Mann insurance agent, Tyler May (left) announced last week that Mack Lyon teacher Jared Meyer (right) will be the recipient of a Horace Mann-Abraham Lincoln Fellowship.

Mack Lyon Middle School Social Studies teacher Jared Meyer, will be the recipient of a Horace Mann-Abraham Lincoln Fellowship to study the 16th president of the United States. Horace Mann insurance agent Tyler May made the surprise announcement and presentation to Meyer at the school during morning announcements on Wednesday, April 27. The news was broadcast to the entire school.

The Fellowship Program includes round-trip transportation, lodging and most meals for the week-long institute.

Since 2006, Horace Mann and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) have teamed up to offer 50 teachers a fellowship to study the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The fellowship is open each year to any* full-time teacher of kindergarten through 12th grade of any discipline in the United States. The curriculum is geared toward teachers of students in grades 4 to 12. No special knowledge of history or Lincoln is required. Fellows attend one of two, five-day sessions at the ALPLM in Springfield, Ill.

Fellows get behind-the-scenes knowledge of the library and museum and enjoy visits to other historical sites — New Salem, Lincoln’s home, Lincoln’s tomb, and the Old State Capitol.

Fellows also hear from experts on Lincoln’s life and the Civil War era. Past topics have included a look at Lincoln the lawyer, Lincoln as president, political cartoons in the classroom, Civil War medical practices, and “Ghosts of the Library.”