Press Release
April 10, 2020
Contact: Steve Hawkins
Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0754
shawkins@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/historycenter
Edmond Educator Nominated for National History Day Teacher of the Year
OKLAHOMA CITY — Justin Carroll, a teacher at Deer Creek Middle School in Edmond, was nominated for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year award. The award is sponsored by Patricia Behring, widow of the late Kenneth E. Behring, who previously sponsored the National History Day National Contest for many years.
Each of the 58 National History Day affiliates may nominate one middle school teacher for this award, and Carroll is the junior division nominee from Oklahoma. 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. Each nominee will receive $500 as a result of their nomination.
“Teachers are among the greatest resources children have to develop the skills necessary to become critical thinkers,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “The nominees for the Behring Award have shown a dedication to teaching that goes beyond the classroom. I congratulate Mr. Carroll on his well-deserved nomination.”
Patricia Behring sponsors this award in recognition of the pivotal role teachers play in the lives of students. The national winner will be selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians, and will be announced on June 18, 2020, at the National History Day National Contest Awards Ceremony held at the University of Maryland, College Park. Nominees’ work must clearly illustrate the development and use of creative teaching methods that interest students in history and help them make exciting discoveries about the past.
About National History Day® (NHD):
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, which 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, Southwest Airlines, the Crown Family Foundation, the Better Angels Society and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. For more information, visit nhd.org.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org .
###
