US official teaches Valley students about nation’s birthday on ‘History Rocks!’ tour

CHANDLER — Representatives from the U.S. Department of Education are visiting a school in each state to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary on the “History Rocks! Trail to Independence Tour.”

The tour, which started in December 2025, made its Arizona stop Friday at the Chandler campus of Legacy Traditional School, an Arizona charter school network.

David Barker, assistant secretary for postsecondary education, talked to the students about the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.

“What I remember about the bicentennial, the 200th birthday, is that it really reminded people of all of the values that we share in this country and help people to be proud of their country. And I think the same thing will happen this summer with the semiquincentennial,” he said.

Barker also spoke about the American Revolution and how the country was founded, mentioning how Arizona was directly involved in the fight.

“In 1776, the year of the Declaration of Independence, Juan Bautista de Anza pioneered the trail from Arizona to California, helping in very early times to help tie what became the United States of America together. So, Arizona really is a part of this story,” he said.

How was Chandler school picked for ‘History Rocks!’ tour

Jen Gerber, director of school operations for Legacy Traditional School, said the U.S. Department of Education reached out to the school to select it as the Arizona tour stop.

“Our school focuses a lot on character development and citizenship, so, this fits right in with our background. … I hope [the students] can take away being excited about history — both the history of the United States as well as Arizona history,” she said.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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