Local High School Teacher Nominated for National Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award

A McKinleyville High School history teacher has been selected as the California high school teacher nominee for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year award.

One high school and one middle school teacher were selected from 47 National History Day Affiliate programs, each nominee receiving $500. A national winner will be announced on June 15, 2023, at the National History Day National Contest Awards Ceremony in Maryland.

Congratulations and good luck, Mr. Chatfield!

Press release from the National History Day:

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.

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April 10, 2023 • Story