Sponsors & Contributors

Adam Arthur has taught social studies in the Des Moines Public School District for 5 years and currently teaches Advanced Placement Government and Politics at Abraham Lincoln High School. Adam also works as an instructional coach on the AP Government and Politics Knowledge in Action project which is a project of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. He has a bachelor’s degree in all social science from the University of Norther Iowa with an endorsement in Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics. In his free time Adam enjoys being outdoors, playing disc golf, and spending time with his fiancé and pit bull “Aero”.

Canada Snyder has taught social studies for 16 years and currently teaches AP and IB classes at Des Moines' Central Academy. She has a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Iowa and master of science in education from Drake University with an emphasis in curriculum writing. Canada enjoys reading history books-especially anything on Lincoln-scrapbooking, listening to music and spending time with her husband and two children. Canada has won the Belin Blank Award for Excellence in Teaching and has participated in teacher study tours in China and Germany.

Joseph Nydle teaches AP Government and AP Human Geography at Hoover High School in Des Moines. Prior to teaching, Mr. Nydle worked various roles in electoral politics, advocacy, and public policy. His passion for informed civic action and love for working with youth inspired him to transition to the classroom. It is his goal to consistently create engaging and challenging lessons with a relevant context. Mr. Nydle lives in Des Moines with his wife and their dogs.