April 11, 2023, College Park, MD–Teachers from 47 NHD Affiliate programs have been nominated for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year award. The award is sponsored by Patricia Behring in recognition of the pivotal role teachers play in the lives of students.
Each National History Day affiliate may nominate one high school and one middle school teacher for this award. Every nominee for the $10,000 award is a teacher who demonstrates a commitment to engaging students in historical learning through the innovative use of primary sources, implementation of active learning strategies to foster historical thinking skills, and participation in the National History Day Contest. All nominees will receive $500.
“This award recognizes the very best educators from across the nation and beyond,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “These educators are leaders and innovators in the teaching of history. They engage their students with hands-on, inquiry-based learning with primary sources. I congratulate them on their well-deserved nominations.”
The national winner will be selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians and announced on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at the National History Day National Contest Awards Ceremony in College Park, Maryland. Nominees’ work must clearly illustrate the development and use of creative teaching methods that engage students in history and help them make exciting discoveries about the past.
The 2023 nominees are:
Alabama
Mrs. Sharon Livingston, Westminster Christian Academy (Huntsville)
American Samoa
Mrs. Cathlyn Elaine Custodio Su´a, Pavaiai Elementary School (Pago Pago)
Mr. Konelio Alofaituli, Manu’a High School Pago Pago
Arizona
Ms. Shandel Roberts, Willis Junior High School (Chandler)
Mrs. Laura Shafer, Northland Preparatory Academy (Flagstaff)
Arkansas
Ms. Leah Graveley, Lake Hamilton Middle School (Pearcy)
Mrs. Michele “Chele” Sterrett, Fulbright Junior High School (Bentonville)
California
Mr. Hector Gamboa, Venado Middle School (Irvine)
Mr. Michael Chatfield, McKinleyville High School (McKinleyville)
Colorado
Mrs. Kris Casey, Barone Middle School (Meeker)
Ms. Raluca Liles, Caprock Academy High School (Grand Junction)
Connecticut
Mr. Edward Dorgan, Har-Bur Middle School (Burlington)
Dr. Matt Cieslowski & Mr. Ian Webster, Manchester High School (Manchester)
Delaware
Mrs. Erin Sullivan, Cab Calloway School of the Arts (Wilmington)
Florida
Mrs. Jesi Lehman, Celebration K-8 School (Celebration)
Mrs. Melanie Hendrix, Booker T. Washington High School (Pensacola)
Georgia
Mrs. Colleen Surette, Georgia Cyber Academy (Atlanta)
Mr. Dave Mayer, Ola High School (McDonough)
Guam
Mr. Rodney Pama, Luis P. Untalan Middle School (Barrigada)
Mr. Brian Paul Galang, Father Duenas Memorial School (Chalan Pago, Ordot)
Hawaiʻi
Mr. Patrick Gegen, Island School (Lihue)
Mrs. Sarah Razee, Kamehameha Schools Kapālama (Honolulu)
Idaho
Mrs. Lori Mason, Foothills School of the Arts and Sciences (Boise)
Ms. Michelle Balliett, Compass Public Charter School (Meridian)
Illinois
Dr. Todd Johnson, Hiawatha Junior High School (Kirkland)
Mr. Michael Biondo, Maine South High School (Park Ridge)
Indiana
Mr. James Howard, Discovery Middle School (Granger)
Mr. Jason ElRite, Carmel High School (Carmel)
Iowa
Ms. Steph Schares, Ames Middle School (Ames)
Mrs. Deb Masker, Abraham Lincoln High School (Council Bluffs)
Kansas
Mr. Jeffrey Schuh, Seaman Middle School (Topeka)
Kentucky
Mr. William Spalding, Francis Parker School of Louisville (Goshen)
Mrs. Jill Lewis, Corbin High School (Corbin)
NHD Korea
Mr. Dylan Thomas Löser, North London Collegiate School
Mr. Russ Williams, Korea International School
Louisiana
Mrs. Marilyn Tabora, Islamic School of Greater New Orleans (Kenner)
Mrs. Alicia Hampton, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy (Avondale)
Maine
Ms. Christa Boeykens-Bui, Noble Middle School (Berwick)
Maryland
Mrs. Denise Kresslein, North Carroll Middle School (Hampstead)
Mr. Thomas Stavely, Parkdale High School (Riverdale)
Massachusetts
Mrs. Barbara Sturtevant, Marshall Simonds Middle School (Burlington)
Mrs. Gail Buckley, Willow Hill School (Sudbury)
Michigan
Mrs. Sharon Sullivan, Stevenson Middle School (Westland)
Ms. Jennifer Saaranen, Lake Linden – Hubbell High School (Lake Linden)
Minnesota
Ms. Allissa Bagley, Woodbury Middle School (Woodbury)
Mr. Doug Hoverson, Saint Thomas Academy (Mendota Heights)
Mississippi
Mr. Royce Smith, Whitten Middle School (Jackson)
Mrs. Margaret Hicks, Hernando High School (Hernando)
Missouri
Dr. Beth Winton, John Warner Middle School (Columbia)
Mr. Phillip Reed, Northwest High School (Cedar Hill)
Nebraska
Ms. Janet L. Jeffries, Crete Public School (Crete)
Mr. Nathan Kackmeister, Crawford Public Schools (Crawford)
Nevada
Ms. Carol McGrew, Wilbur and Theresa Faiss Middle School (Las Vegas)
Mrs. Amber Newman, Leadership Academy of Nevada (Las Vegas)
New Hampshire
Mrs. Paige Benotti & Ms. Mikaela Gauvain, David R. Cawley Middle School (Hooksett)
Ms. Meredith Brown & Mr. Ron Kaiser, Moultonborough Academy (Moultonborough)
New Jersey
Ms. Maggie Manning, Henry B. Whitehorne Middle School (Verona)
Ms. Stefanie San Filippo, Montville Township High School (Montville)
New Mexico
Mrs. Rachel Johnson, Hope Christian School (Albuquerque)
Mr. Claudie Thompson, Silver Consolidated Schools (Silver City)
New York
Mrs. Michelle Hitchcock, Cooperstown Junior/Senior High School (Cooperstown)
Ms. DanaAnn Landesman, Bronxville High School (Bronxville)
North Carolina
Mrs. Ashley Coons, Davidson County Schools (Lexington)
Ms. Erica Imbimbo, The Oakwood School (Greenville)
Ohio
Ms. Deanna McDaniel, Genoa Middle School (Westerville)
Mr. Andrew Brandt, Toledo Technology Academy of Engineering (Toledo)
Oklahoma
Mrs. Gina Golshani, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School (Edmond)
Mr. Stephen Frazier, Dove Science Academy, Tulsa High School (Tulsa)
Oregon
Dr. Megan Kruer, Seven Peaks School (Bend)
Rhode Island
Mrs. Julie R. Connors-Costello, Winman Middle School (Warwick)
Mr. Michael McNamara, Ponaganset High School (Glocester)
South Carolina
Ms. Emily Rose Lyons, Bluffton Middle School (Bluffton)
Mrs. Laura Cripe, Academic Pathways Homeschool Co-op (Fort Mill)
Tennessee
Ms. Aimee Hoffman, Kirkwood Middle School (Clarksville)
Mr. Derek Griffin, L&N STEM Academy (Knoxville)
Texas
Ms. Becky Lutzke, William Adams Middle School (Alice)
Dr. Maxey Hooks, Ford High School (Quinlan)
Utah
Mrs. Darlene Tanner, Diamond Valley Elementary School (St. George)
Mrs. Melinda Reay, Skyline High School (Salt Lake City)
Vermont
Mr. Daniel Maguire, Main Street Middle School (Montpelier)
Ms. Kara Rosenberg, U-32 Middle / High School (Montpelier)
Virginia
Ms. Rachel Moore, James Blair Middle School (Williamsburg)
Ms. Nicole Winter, Cosby High School (Midlothian)
Washington
Mr. Alan Plummer, Northshore Middle School (Bothell)
Mr. Scott Barber, Liberty Bell High School (Winthrop)
Wisconsin
Mr. Terry Kaldhusdal, Kettle Moraine Middle School (Dousman)
Ms. Erin Jensen, Rock University High School (Janesville)
About National History Day® (NHD):
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by HISTORY®, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Service, The Better Angels Society, and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. For more information, visit nhd.org.
