Danville High junior recounts Normandy research fellowship to school board

Bailey Easton, an 11th-grader at Danville High School, told the District 118 Board of Education on Monday that she spent part of the summer researching African American soldiers’ contributions to D-Day through a competitive fellowship organized by the Albert H. Small Normandy Institute at George Washington University. She said the fellowship included research at the National Archives, presentations in France at D-Day sites and a final presentation at gravesites in the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach.

The experience “gave me such a strong connection and empathy” for the soldiers she studied, Easton told the board. She said her research focused on Private Leslie Milton Irvin, a Vermilion County native who was killed soon after landing on the beach, and that one of the most affecting moments was presenting at his grave as part of the trip’s remembrance activities.

The fellowship included a five-month research and seminar sequence, Easton said, with students meeting every other week and working on college-level lessons and primary-source research. She described using journals, military records and hand-drawn maps at the National Archives and said teamwork among the student cohort strengthened her research and presentation skills.

“Being in Normandy was breathtaking and life changing,” Easton said, describing visits to the five landing beaches and to the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach. She also described struggling with language while ordering food in rural France and highlighted how the project deepened her historical understanding.

Associate Superintendent Marquisha Parker introduced the board to Easton at the start of her remarks. Bretz, the high school principal, accompanied Easton to the meeting and noted her selection for the fellowship and subsequent community presentations. Board members praised Easton’s presentation and thanked her for representing the district in Europe.

Easton said she has already presented some of her research locally, including at the Vermilion County War Museum, and that additional community presentations were planned. The board offered congratulations and encouraged continued community engagement.

The board’s public remarks and questions following the presentation focused on Easton’s experiences and the district staff who supported her travel and research.