In a time of fraying community and interpersonal relationships, rural school and community leaders are in search of research-based approaches to help build connections and sustain relationships among their students and community members. This paper describes the process of how, during the height of the pandemic, rural leaders from a community museum and local school came together to use local history and knowledge to design a museum exhibit and a K-12 curriculum about the pandemic and vaccines. We describe the process by which the museum exhibit titled, “Shots Felt Round the World: Dr. Maurice Hilleman and the Montana Origins of the Fight Against Pandemics” was developed to communicate the impact of pandemic diseases and vaccines on rural and indigenous communities across Montana. We explain the ways in which the exhibition utilized a place-conscious approach (Azano et al., 2021) to invite visitors to view the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine development through local histories of infectious disease and healthcare. The paper also describes how the K-12 curriculum titled, “Hilleman: Connecting Culture to Scientific Curiosity” was created in tandem with the exhibition by the museum’s Teacher Advisory Council (consisting of local Science, Math and Elementary teachers), to introduce students to the life of Dr. Maurice Hilleman, a Montanan who grew up on a ranch outside Miles City and became one of the greatest vaccinologists of all time (Tulchinsky, 2018). The K-6 and 9-12 lessons were designed to connect students to local history and knowledge and promote student learning through the integration of math, science, history, and critical thinking. In every aspect of this project, the human experience was emphasized as the issues of pandemic disease, inequality, scientific discovery, and technological innovation were addressed. While the subject of vaccines is politically charged, the emphasis on local history and knowledge allowed both museum and K-12 audiences to find common ground and learn about the subject through a local lens. This paper brings together findings from two recent studies documenting the process and impact on students and community members and describes how these efforts are serving to strengthen rural school and community school connections. The paper concludes with recommendations for how other rural schools and communities can use local knowledge to contribute to cross-community connections and vitality.

Azano, A., Brenner, D., Downey, J., Eppley, K., & Schulte, A. (2021). Teaching in rural places: Thriving in classrooms, schools, and communities. Routledge. Tulchinsky T. (2018). Maurice Hilleman: Creator of vaccines that changed the world. In T. Tulchinsky (Ed). Case studies in public health. Elsevier Press.