Over the summer of 2007, the Center for Historic Preservation received a merit award from the American Association for State and Local History. They received the award for the Heritage education project that the Center has been doing with the Muncie Public Library. The Center for Historic Preservation prepared Muncie History: A Handbook for Fourth Grade Teachers about Muncie History.

  The handbook provides students with knowledge of the history of their own community. History texts for fourth grade classes typically only focus on statewide and national themes and events. The handbook contains chapters on Muncie history through 1970. At the end of the chapters students can engage the text with vocabulary words and suggested activities that meet the Indiana State standards for social studies, English and math.

Teachers and principals within the Muncie Community Schools system are enthusiastic about the handbook. It has been distributed to more than 50 fourth Grade teachers and elementary school libraries in Muncie and Delaware County. The text is available on the Indiana Humanities Council's SmartDesktop website for teachers.

As a result of the Heritage Education project, the fourth grade teachers of Muncie and Delaware County now have a single resource that enables them to teach local history and develop in students a sense of place and community pride.