Our Commitment to Education

It was Teacher Appreciation Week 2018 when AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate and First Book recognized over 2,000 educators in the First Book Network. Each educator received the Educator’s Guide Great Moments in World History: Global Stories Where Chocolate Sparked Discovery, Innovation, and Imagination!

Great Moments in World History: Global Stories Where Chocolate Sparked Discovery, Innovation, and Imagination! was developed to help students take a journey in time to see how chocolate played an integral role in world history. Through this engaging, interactive guide, students understand the story of America and the world “through the unique lens of chocolate,” learning how chocolate played a transforming role in trade, commerce, medicine, the military, and culture.

To formulate the lessons in this guide, the team at National Geographic Books and David Borghesani, Chocolate History Research Manager, Mars Wrigley Confectionery, received support from a variety of iconic historic American sites including Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop at the Old North Church & Historic Site, Boston; Fort Ticonderoga, New York; George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Virginia; the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Virginia; Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, Virginia; and Old Salem Museums & Gardens, North Carolina.

The Educators Guide is a STEM-based, 14-week curriculum published by National Geographic Books in partnership with Mars Wrigley Confectionery, Food Historians and leading foodways experts from historical sites across North America, and is a major step in fulfilling Forrest E. Mars, Jr. and the Mars Family’s long-standing legacy in support of the mission of education.

Stay tuned for future endeavors from AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate and First Book, include partnering to provide fun, informative and inspiring experiences for the education community at national conferences, and a program of virtual classroom lectures and Q&A series for students of the First Book teachers with David Borghesani.