College Park, Maryland – February 22, 2024 – National History Day® (NHD) is proud to announce the teachers selected to participate in NHD’s spring 2024 professional development program. The timely course Revolutionary Ideals connects educators with recent historical scholarship on the founding era in advance of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
The teachers chosen for this honor represent 37 of NHD’s 58 affiliates across the country and around the world. NHD affiliates include all 50 states and the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and international schools. Teachers applied to participate in fall 2023.
“We are excited for the impact this professional development series will have on the next generation’s understanding of the founding era,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “As NHD celebrates our 50th year of improving the teaching and learning of history, we are incredibly fortunate to engage NHD teachers in the study and historiography of revolutionary ideals. We are proud to partner with the Dr. Scholl Foundation and look forward to the classroom learning that will follow this program.”
Since December, these educators have worked with their peers nationwide alongside National History Day staff to explore four case studies where revolutionary ideals were put to the test. Joining live programs with leading historians, the teachers explore the latest scholarship on this topic. When the series is complete, these educators will have developed a classroom activity using primary sources to apply a concept learned in the class as they develop students’ historical thinking skills.
This program is generously supported by the Dr. Scholl Foundation, with additional support provided by National History Day in Colorado, National History Day in Minnesota, and North Carolina Humanities.
The educators participating in the series include:
| Affiliate | Educator(s) |
| Arizona | Mrs. Stacey Trepanier, New Vistas Center for Education, Chandler, Arizona |
| California | Mrs. Dianne Bennett, El Dorado High School, Placerville, California Mr. Korey Santor, Yolo Middle School, Newman, California |
| Colorado | Mrs. DonnaMae Keys, Centauri Middle School, LaJara, Colorado / Ms. Elizabeth Salcedo, Fountain Middle School, Fountain, Colorado / Mr. Michael Smith, Pueblo West High School, Fountain, Pueblo West, Colorado |
| Connecticut | Mr. John Smith-Horn, Timothy Edwards Middle School, South Windsor, Connecticut |
| Delaware | Mrs. Rebecca Fay, Delaware Historical Society, Wilmington, Delaware Ms. Antoinette Maccari-Klingsberg, Delaware Historical Society, Wilmington, Delaware Mrs. Erin Sullivan, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Wilmington, Delaware |
| District of Columbia | Mrs. Yaqueline Clauss, Anacostia High School and Luke C. Moore Opportunity Academy, Washington, D.C. |
| Georgia | Ms. Adrien Stallings, Columbia High School, Decatur, Georgia |
| Hawaiʻi | Mrs. Amy Boehning, Mililani High School, Mililani, Hawaiʻi Ms. Andrea Sparks, Hawaiʻi Academy of Art and Sciences, Pahoa, Hawaiʻi |
| Idaho | Mrs. Bree Koon, Idaho Home Learning Academy, Malad, Idaho |
| Illinois | Mrs. Donna Hebreard, John F. Kennedy Middle School, Plainfield, Illinois Ms. Marianne Sharping, Decatur Classical School, Chicago, Illinois |
| Indiana | Mr. Jacob Wigent, Columbia City School, Columbia City, Indiana |
| Iowa | Mrs. Shauna Cihacek, Gerald W. Kirn Middle School, Council Bluffs, Iowa Ms. Hanna Howard, State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa |
| Kansas | Mr. Jeffrey Schuh, Seaman Middle School, Topeka, Kansas |
| Maine | Mrs. Kathryn Cassesse, Greely Middle School, Cumberland, Maine |
| Maryland | Mrs. Lindsay Matthews, Easton Middle School, Easton, Maryland Ms. Marja Moreno-Ruiz, Baltimore International Academy, Baltimore, Maryland Ms. Brae Sullivan, College Park Academy, Riverdale Park, Maryland |
| Massachusetts | Mrs. Amie Aloisi, Haverhill High School, Haverhill, Massachusetts Ms. Krista LaForte, Breed Middle School, Lynn, Massachusetts |
| Michigan | Ms. Marcie Diener, Harbor Springs High School, Harbor Springs, Michigan |
| Minnesota | Mrs. Linda Dierks, Chaska Middle School East, Chaska, Minnesota Mrs. Kathryn Rotunda, Chaska Middle School East, Chaska, Minnesota * |
| Missouri | Mx. Liam Dale, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, Kansas City, Missouri Ms. Sara Forsman, South Valley Middle School, Liberty, Missouri |
| Montana | Ms. Victoria Nytes, Superior Junior / Senior High School, Superior, Montana Mrs. Jennifer Slusser, Monforton Middle School, Bozeman, Montana Ms. Mary Zuchowski, Frazer Public Schools, Frazer, Montana |
| New Hampshire | Mr. Derek Cangello, Oyster River High School, Durham, New Hampshire Ms. Justine Thain, David R. Cawley Middle School, Hooksett, New Hampshire |
| New Jersey | Ms. Christina Sivo, Explore Middle School, Jersey City, New Jersey |
| New York | Ms. Sarah Espinal, Jericho Middle School, Jericho, New York |
| NHD International | Mr. Michael Mallary, American Overseas School of Rome, Rome, Italy |
| North Carolina | Mrs. Amy Bradsher, Oak Tree Academy, Roxboro, North Carolina # Mr. Jerry Hensler, Pine Springs Academy Preparatory Academy, Holly Springs, North Carolina Ms. Rebecca Simmons, Yadkin Success Academy, Yadkinville, North Carolina # |
| North Dakota | Mr. Jordan Hoots, Williston Basin School District, Williston, North Dakota |
| Ohio | Mrs. Amanda Ammer, Oakwood High School, Dayton, Ohio Mrs. Elizabeth Crawford, Ironton Middle School, Ironton, Ohio Mrs. Kelly Rowland, Accel Schools, Independence, Ohio |
| Oregon | Mrs. Emily Rao, Butte Creek Elementary School, Mt. Angel, Oregon |
| Pennsylvania | Mr. Kevin Woods, Sto-Rox Junior/Senior High School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| South Carolina | Mrs. Kim Guthrie, Home School, Gaffney, South Carolina |
| Tennessee | Mrs. Laura Simmons, Community Middle School, Unionville, Tennessee |
| Texas | Mrs. Kelly Bellar, Region 10 Education Service Center, Richardson, Texas Ms. Lisa Berg, Texas State Historical Association, Austin, Texas Mr. Michael Krecker, Lake Belton High School, Temple, Texas |
| Utah | Mrs. Jennifer Klein, Mountain Heights Academy, West Jordan, Utah |
| Vermont | Mr. David Mitiguy, Long Trail School, Dorset, Vermont Mr. Christopher Sheehan, Twinfield Union School, Plainfield, Vermont |
| Virginia | Ms. Maggie Creech, Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Richmond, Virginia Mrs. Sadie Van Vranken, Village School, Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Washington | Mr. Tom Brossia, Liberty Middle School, Camas, Washington |
| Wisconsin | Mr. Matthew Shilling, Hayward High School, Hayward, Wisconsin |
/ Participation supported by National History Day in Colorado
* Participation supported by the Minnesota Historical Society
# Participation supported in part by North Carolina Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, www.nchumanities.org
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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 the 400 Years of African American History Commission, The Better Angels Society, the Bezos Family Foundation, HISTORY®, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Park Service. For more information, visit nhd.org.
About the Dr. Scholl Foundation
The Dr. Scholl Foundation was established by William M. Scholl, M.D. in 1947, almost 40 years after he founded the foot care company. It is a private, independent grant-making foundation for charitable purposes. The Foundation has contributed over $312 million since 1980 to various organizations. Grants are made annually after an extensive review of the application by the staff and all the directors of the Dr. Scholl Foundation. For more information, visit https://www.drschollfoundation.com/.
