King’s Fork High School teacher Tanika Blunt was one of 47 educators selected to go to the third annual Friends of the National World War II Memorial Teachers Network and Conference.

Blunt will travel to Washington, D.C., with educators around the country to see presentations by educators and experts in World War II history. They will also have the opportunity to tour significant historical sites.

“I’ve been interested in World War II history before I started teaching. I have a deep passion for learning about history,” Blunt said.

Blunt has been teaching history for eight years, and this is her third year teaching at Suffolk Public Schools. She is currently teaching ancient world history to King’s Fork’s freshman students.

“I’m hoping to bring back a bunch of different resources to teach them about the past. I only teach ancient world history, but everything is repetitive,” Blunt said. “If I can relate that back to what their grandparents have been a part of, it might make more sense.”

Blunt’s love for history came from her grandmother and a love for the Harlem Renaissance.

“My grandmother always told me that if you don’t learn from past mistakes, how do you create a better future for yourself,” Blunt said. “I took that and ran.”

She hopes to instill that learning about history can help make sure to make the future better, and World War II is a great piece of history to use as a template for that.

The conference is more than a four-day commitment for Blunt. Along with attending the conference, Blunt has to implement a community service project in her classroom for a year, and she already has ideas of what she plans on doing.

“I want to get them involved in a mentorship program and actually mentor elementary students,” Blunt said.

Blunt wants to provide an outlet for the kids and make a difference in the younger children’s lives.

“That would mean the most to me,” Blunt said.