WASHINGTON, D.C. and BENTON, KENTUCKY–Mrs. Kelly Weaver, a teacher at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky, was nominated for the Hannah E. (Liz) MacGregor Teacher of the Year award. The MacGregor Teacher of the Year award is sponsored by the former National History Day Board of Trustees president, Dr. James F. Harris, in honor of his late sister, and is awarded to one high school teacher annually.
Each of the 58 National History Day affiliates may nominate one high school teacher for this award, and Mrs. Weaver is the senior division nominee from Kentucky. Every nominee for the $10,000 award is a teacher who demonstrates a commitment to engaging students in historical learning through 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, each, as a result of their nominations.
“Teachers are among the greatest resources students have to develop the skills necessary to become critical thinkers,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “The nominees for the MacGregor Award have shown a dedication to teaching that goes beyond the classroom. I congratulate Mrs. Weaver on her well-deserved nomination.”
Dr. James F. Harris 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.