Batesburg-Leesville teacher joins state Revolutionary War lesson effort

A Batesburg-Leesville Middle School teacher serving as South Carolina’s 2026 Teacher of the Year is participating in a state effort to bring Revolutionary War history into classrooms.

Corey Bedenbaugh, an eighth-grade South Carolina history teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Middle School, was identified in a July 18, 2026, South Carolina Department of Education release as a teacher representative and spokesperson for the initiative developed with the American Battlefield Trust.

What the history initiative includes

The state education department says the effort provides free, standards-aligned materials customized around South Carolina’s role in the American Revolution. The materials include four lesson plans: Revolutionary SC, Revolutionary People of South Carolina, Along South Carolina’s Liberty Trail and a Charleston virtual field trip.

The lessons are designed to connect students with battles, people and historic sites tied to the state’s Revolutionary War experience. The department also says the materials use local history to examine how the conflict affected communities across South Carolina.

Bedenbaugh said in the state announcement that the lessons can make the subject more immediate for students by showing that the fight for independence took place in South Carolina. The release documents his participation in the statewide effort but does not describe a completed rollout at Batesburg-Leesville Middle School.

Bedenbaugh’s statewide role

Bedenbaugh’s participation is part of the broader ambassador role connected to his Teacher of the Year designation. The South Carolina Department of Education announced his selection on April 24, 2025. That announcement is background, not the new development described here.

State materials say the honoree’s responsibilities include representing South Carolina educators, promoting the teaching profession, mentoring teachers, speaking with educators and students, working with Teacher Cadets and Teaching Fellows, and leading the State Teacher Forum.

A South Carolina Department of Education roster updated July 28, 2026, continues to list Bedenbaugh as the 2026 Teacher of the Year affiliated with Lexington School District Three. The Council of Chief State School Officers profile independently identifies him as a Batesburg-Leesville Middle School teacher who teaches eighth-grade South Carolina history.

Why it matters locally

For Batesburg-Leesville residents and Lexington School District Three families, the development connects a local middle school teacher to a statewide effort focused on history education and teacher visibility.

It also distinguishes Bedenbaugh’s regular eighth-grade teaching assignment from the additional public work he is carrying out as South Carolina’s Teacher of the Year. The available state materials document his participation and ambassador duties, but do not provide evidence of measurable teacher-recruitment results or a completed local curriculum rollout.

Sources

• South Carolina Department of Education: Revolutionary War history initiative
• Batesburg-Leesville Middle School staff directory
• Council of Chief State School Officers: Corey Bedenbaugh profile