The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History



The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Preserve America announce the 2008 History Teacher of the Year.

Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States and Honorary Chair of the Preserve America initiative, presented the 2008 national "Preserve America History Teacher of the Year" award, co-sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, to David B. Mitchell, a high school teacher at Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield, Massachusetts, during a ceremony at the Union League Club in New York City in October.
2008 Preserve America History Teacher of the Year Award winner David Mitchell of Massachusetts with First Lady Laura Bush and Gilder Lehrman Institute President James Basker at the History Teacher of the Year Award ceremony in New York.

"Dave’s always searching for new chances to teach and to learn. For him, sharing the love of history is a calling. And Dave’s enthusiastic teaching is putting his students on the path to success," Mrs. Bush said.

Mitchell’s own philosophy of teaching history through the use of authentic original sources states: “These documents, photos, cartoons, and letters are still living and this life … helps our students feel the pulse of history.”

Mitchell began his teaching career as part of the Teach for America Program. He taught in Los Angeles and Baltimore before coming to Masconomet High School in 1995 with an undergraduate degree and since has earned two masters degrees while tirelessly working to improve educational opportunities for students and mentor many colleagues. His extensive professional and civic involvement attest to his not merely teaching from an academic perspective but setting a personal example of the necessity to be actively involved in order to build a better society.

2008 is the fifth year that the administration’s Preserve America initiative and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History have partnered to present the “Preserve America History Teacher of the Year” award. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history and serves teachers, students, scholars, and the general public. Earlier this year, finalists were selected from each state, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Territories in the Pacific. The national “Preserve America History Teacher of the Year” is selected from the state and territorial winners. Each state winner receives $1,000 and an archive of books and educational resources for his or her school’s library. For more information about the Gilder Lehrman Institute, please visit www.gilderlehrman.org.

Preserve America is a White House initiative created for the purpose of encouraging and supporting community efforts to preserve and enjoy the nation’s cultural and national heritage. The overall goals of the Preserve America initiative include a greater shared knowledge about the nation’s past; strengthened regional identities and local pride; increased local participation in preserving the country’s cultural and natural heritage assets; and support for the economic vitality of communities.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and other federal agencies partner to administer the various components of Preserve America. For more information, please visit www.PreserveAmerica.gov.

2009 HISTORY TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History announces the sixth annual History Teacher of the Year Award, which honors outstanding teachers of American history across the country. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, founded in 1994, promotes the study and love of American history. The Institute is renowned for its scholarly seminars for K-12 teachers and National Park Service interpreters. In 2009, the Institute will offer forty seminars for nearly 1,200 teachers at institutions throughout the United States and Great Britain. For more information on the seminars please visit www.gilderlehrman.org

The History Teacher of the Year Award recognizes outstanding American history teachers from elementary school through high school, and the crucial importance of American history education. Finalists are selected from each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. Territories. From these local winners, a national honoree is recognized as the National History Teacher of the Year.

Winners will be chosen based on several criteria.

Qualifying Criteria
• At least three years of classroom experience in teaching American history in an elementary school.

• A deep career commitment to teaching American history, which includes local and state history.

• Evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom that address literacy and content beyond state standards.

• Close attention to primary documents, artifacts, historic sites, and other primary materials of history, including oral history.

• Evidence of thoughtful assessment of student achievement.

Eligibility
• Any full-time elementary school teacher may be nominated who teaches American history (including local and state history) as his or her primary subject, or one of the subjects they are responsible for in the classroom.

• Any full-time elementary school teacher may be nominated who focuses on American history within the framework of their school program.

Procedure

First Round: Nominations

Submit the following:

• The nominee’s resume.

• A full letter of nomination that addresses the award criteria and includes quantitative measures of student achievement. Nominations can be made by a department or division head, a school director, social studies director, principal or superintendent. Nominations from friends, family and students will also be accepted.

• A letter of support from a colleague, immediate supervisor, or education professional familiar with the nominee’s work.

Second Round: Additional Materials for Consideration

From this pool of nominations, the state coordinators will select up to five finalists who will be asked to submit additional materials that include:

o A one-page statement of the nominee’s philosophy of teaching American history.

o A sample lesson plan, no longer than 3 pages. Primary document attachments are not included in the page limitation.

o A sample extended project assigned to students, demonstrating use of primary documents, artifacts, historic sites, etc. Nominees can include up to ten pages of student work in this category.

o An 8-10 minute video, which is not a class session, but a segment during which the nominee demonstrates class projects, and discusses his or her most effective teaching practices, and how student achievement is assessed. Students are not present in the video. A sample of a video submission can be viewed here:

Windows Media Player may be required for viewing. Click here to download Windows Media Player.


Douglas StanWiens
Timberline High School
Boise, ID

A complete application for the History Teacher of the Year Award will include all materials from both the first and second round of the state award process.

Please submit an original and three copies of all materials.

Deadline
Nomination deadlines may vary state to state. Please contact your state coordinator for information.

Awards
State winners will be announced and honored at local ceremonies. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History honors each state winner with an award of $1,000. The Institute also presents the winner’s school with an archive of primary historical materials, named in honor of that teacher, for use in the school library or resource center. Winners are selected in each state by panels of distinguished history educators under the supervision of the Gilder Lehrman Institute. State winners entering on the National level should submit their application in its original format.

The National History Teacher of the Year is selected from the 50+ state winners, (including the District of Columbia, Department of Defense and U.S. Territories) by a panel of prominent historians. The 2009 national winner will be honored in a fall ceremony in New York City. The winner, together with the nominating supervisor, will travel to the national recognition ceremony with expenses paid by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Submitting Nominations
Additional guidelines and information can be found at www.gilderlehrman.org

Any questions about eligibility or procedures should be addressed to the national award coordinator:

HTOY Coordinator
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
19 West 44th Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (646) 366-9666
Email: htoy@gilderlehrman.org


2008 State Winners and Current State Coordinators

  • Alabama
    Winner: Diane Blocker, Huntsville High School, Huntsville
    State Coordinator: Carolyn Townsend (ctownsend@alsde.edu)
  • Alaska
    State Coordinator: Steve Ex (Ex_Steve@asdk12.org)
  • Arizona
    Winner: Gina Bedene, Mountain Ridge High School, Phoenix
    State Coordinator: Adria Lugo (adria.lugo@azed.gov)
  • Arkansas
    Winner: Billie J. Handly, Star City High School, Star City
    State Coordinator: Maggie Herrick (Margaret.herrick@arkansas.gov)
  • California
    Winner: Kirk S. Goddard, Jacoby Creek School, McKinleyville
    State Coordinator (Northern California): Jack Bareilles (jbareilles@nohom.k12.ca.us)
    State Coordinator (Southern California): Linda Mehlbrech (lmehlbrech@lbschools.net)
  • Colorado
    Winner: Frank E. Deserino, South High School, Denver
  • Connecticut
    Winner: Tracey Wilson, Conard High School, West Hartford
  • Delaware
    Winner: Robert J. Lingenfelter, Skyline Middle School, Wilmington
    State Coordinator: Preston Shockley (pshockley@doe.k12.de.us)
  • District of Columbia
    Winner: Cosby Hunt, Columbia Heights Education Center
    District Coordinator: Jesse Nickelson (jesse.nickelson@dc.gov)
  • Florida
    Winner: Delia Chacon, Oak Ridge High School, Orlando
    State Coordinator: Levon Terrell (Levon.Terrell@fldoe.org)
  • Georgia
    State Coordinator: Peggy Caldwell (peggycaldwell@tds.net)
  • Hawaii
    Winner: Cynthia Tong, Mililani High School, Mililani
    State Coordinator: Robert Buss (rbuss@hihumanities.org)
  • Idaho
    Winner: Douglas P. StanWiens, Timberline High School, Boise
    State Coordinator: Russ Heller (russ.heller@boiseschools.org)
  • Illinois
    Winner: Cynthia Lightle, Maud Griggsville-Perry CUSD #4, Griggsville
    State Coordinator: Mike Hatfill (dhatfill@isbe.net)
  • Indiana
    Winner: Tom Haywood, Indian Creek Middle School, Trafalgar
    State Coordinator: Don Adams (bethelpond@gmail.com)
  • Iowa
    Winner: Gina Hanna, Prairie Central Springs Middle School, Nora Springs
    State Coordinator: Tom Connors (thomas.connors@cfu-cybernet.net)
  • Kansas
    Winner: Timothy J. Warsnak, USD 440 Halstead-Bentley, Halstead
    State Coordinator: Glenn Wiebe (glennw@essdack.org)
  • Kentucky
    Winner: Keely C.J. Green, North Oldham Middle School, Goshen
    State Coordinator: Rebecca Hanly (Rebecca.hanly@ky.gov)
  • Louisiana
    Winner: Jennifer Johnson-Velasquez, Trinity Episcopal School, New Orleans
  • Maine
    Winners: Diana Dionne-Morang, Gardiner Regional Middle School, Gardiner
    State Coordinator: Carolin Collins (ccollins@mainehistory.org)
  • Maryland
    Winner: Thomas Acampora, Baltimore Talent Development High School, Baltimore
    State Coordinator: Donna Olszewski (dolszewski@msde.state.md.us)
  • Massachusetts
    Winner: David B. Mitchell, Masconomet Regional High School, Topsfield
    State Coordinator: Deborah Walker (djwalker@doe.mass.edu)
  • Michigan
    Winner: Karen Lessenberry, Wylie E. Groves High School, Beverly Hills
    State Coordinator: Gordon Andrews (gandrews@portageps.org)
  • Minnesota
    Winner: Jerry L. Benson, Luverne Middle/High School, Luverne
    State Coordinator: Michael Foster (michael.foster@state.mn.us)
  • Mississippi
    Winner: Charles M. Yarborough, Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus
    State Coordinator: Chauncey Spears (CRSpears@mde.k12.ms.us)
  • Missouri
    Winner: Terence M. Verstraete, Webster Groves High School, Webster Groves
    State Coordinator: William Gerling (bill.gerling@dese.mo.gov)
  • Montana
    State Coordinator: John Gallagher (john.gallagher@bsd7.org)
  • Nebraska
    Winner: James Bates, Wilber-Clatonia High School, Wilber
    State Coordinator: Larry Starr (larry.starr@nde.ne.gov)
  • Nevada
    Winner: Jeffrey A. Hinton, Sierra Vista High School, Las Vegas
    State Coordinator: Susan Davis (shdavis@washoe.k12.nv.us)
  • New Hampshire
    Winner: Caroline E. Storrs, Cornish School, Cornish
    State Coordinator: John Krueckeberg (jkrueckeberg@plymouth.edu)
  • New Jersey
    Winner: Glenn Healy, Marlboro Memorial Middle School, Morganville
    State Coordinator: John Dougherty (john.dougherty@doe.state.nj.us)
  • New York
    Winner: Henry Dircks, W.C. Mepham High School, Bellmore
    State Coordinator: Gloria Sesso (gsesso@pmschools.org)
  • North Carolina
    Winner: Thomas D. Perry, South Caldwell High School, Hudson
    State Coordinator: Jolene Etheridge (Jethridge@dpi.state.nc.us)
  • North Dakota
    Winner: Keith W. Thompson, A.L. Hagen High School, Dickinson
    State Coordinator: Kimberly Porter (kimberly_porter@und.nodak.edu)
  • Ohio
    State Coordinator: Roger Beckett (rbeckett@ashland.edu)
  • Oklahoma
    Winner: Ann Kennedy, Southeast High School, Oklahoma City
    State Coordinator: Kelly Curtright (kelly_curtright@sde.state.ok.us)
  • Oregon
    Winner: Ernest L. Sowards, William Lord High School, Woodburn
    State Coordinator: Andrea Morgan (andrea.morgan@state.or.us)
  • Pennsylvania
    Winner: Mark Wallace, Gateway High School, Monroeville
    State Coordinator: Jeffrey Zeiders (jzeiders@state.pa.us)
  • Rhode Island
    Winner: Teresa Moran, Winman Junior High School, Providence
    State Coordinator: Marie Parys (mparys@rihs.org)
  • South Carolina
    Winner: Perry McLeod, Richland Northeast High School, Columbia
    State Coordinator: James Bryan (palmettoguard@sc.rr.com)
  • South Dakota
    Winner: Stephanie Kaufman, Sturgis Brown High School, Sturgis
    State Coordinator: Erin Larsen (erin.larsen@state.sd.us)
  • Tennessee
    Winner: Henry Camp, Sequatchie County High School, Dunlap
    State Coordinator: Rebecca Verner (rebecca.verner@mnps.org)
  • Texas
    Winner: Helen Bradley, Nimitz High School, Irving
    State Coordinator: Judy Brodigan (judybrodigan@hotmail.com)
  • Utah
    Winner: Steven Miller, Kearns High School, West Jordan
    State Coordinator: Tom Sutton (tom.sutton@schools.utah.gov)
  • Vermont
    Winner: Craig W. Willey, Mill River Union High School, North Clarendon
    State Coordinator: Mike Austin (Mike.Austin@castleton.edu)
  • Virginia
    Winner: Candace Schafer-Southard, Warhill High School, Warhill
    State Coordinator: Betsy S. Barton (betsy.barton@doe.virginia.gov)
  • Washington State
    Winner: Mary Elizabeth Gottschalk, Assumption Catholic School, Bellingham
    State Coordinator: Caleb Perkins (Caleb.Perkins@k12.wa.us)
  • West Virginia
    Winner: Stanley Ray Duncan, Summers County High School, Hinton
    State Coordinator: Regina Scotchie (escotchi@access.k12.wv.us)
  • Wisconsin
    Winner: John DeRose, Whitefish Bay High School, Whitefish Bay
    State Coordinator: Walter Herscher (herscherw@aol.com)
  • Wyoming
    Winner: Sheila M. Munger, Newcastle Middle School, Newcastle
    State Coordinator: Sherry Tavegie (wga@uwyo.edu)
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
    State Coordinator: Annie Smith (asmith1@sttj.k12.vi)
  • U.S. Territories
    Territories Coordinator: Bernadette Eshima (eshimab@prel.org)
  • Department of Defense Education Agency
    Winner: Patricia Robblee, Lejeune High School, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
    State Coordinator: Dr. Mark Bignell (Mark.Bignell@hq.dodea.edu)

 




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