Kentucky Historical Society
KHS Seeking Nominations for Kentucky History Teacher of the Year

FRANKFORT, KY (March 24, 2009)— The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) is seeking nominations for the annual Kentucky History Teacher of the Year award.  Administered by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, one award will be given to one outstanding teacher of American history from each state, U.S. territory, and Department of Defense school.

The History Teacher of the Year award is designed to promote and celebrate the teaching of American history in classrooms across the United States. The Kentucky winner will receive a $1,000 honorarium and will be in the running for the National History Teacher of the Year award to be selected this fall.  A core archive of history books and materials will be given to the school library of the award winner, as well.

Nominees must have at least three years of experience teaching American history, a strong career commitment to teaching the subject, evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom through the use of documents, artifacts, historic sites, or other primary materials.  This year, only elementary teachers, grades kindergarten through sixth, are eligible for nomination.  The nomination deadline is April 30, 2009. 

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. The Institute serves teachers, students, scholars, and the general public. It helps create history-centered schools, organizes seminars and programs for educators, produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions, sponsors lectures by eminent historians, and administers a History Teacher of the Year Award in every state.  The Institute also conducts awards including the Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and George Washington Book Prizes, and offers fellowships for scholars to work in the Gilder Lehrman Collection. The Institute maintains two Web sites, www.gilderlehrman.org and the quarterly online journal www.historynow.org.

Additional information can be found on the Teachers page of the KHS Web site, www.history.ky.gov.  Contact Rebecca Hanly, administrator of KHS teacher and student outreach, at 502-564-1792, ext. 4475, or Rebecca.Hanly@ky.gov, with any questions. 

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An agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, the Kentucky Historical Society, since 1836, has provided connections to the past, perspective on the present, and inspiration for the future.  KHS operates the Old State Capitol, the Kentucky Military History Museum, and its headquarters, the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.   Since 1999, the thirty-million-dollar Center has welcomed more than one million visitors.   For more information about the Kentucky Historical Society and its programs, visit the Web site at www.history.ky.gov.