College Park, MD–Two teachers from Arkansas have been nominated for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year award. Mrs. Aimee Mimms, a teacher at Russellville Junior High School in Russellville, Arkansas has been nominated in the junior division of the National History Day (NHD) National Contest. Mrs. Erin Mills, a teacher at Alma High School in Alma, Arkansas has been nominated in the senior division of the National History Day (NHD) National Contest. The award is sponsored by Patricia Behring in recognition of the pivotal role teachers play in the lives of students.
\r\nEach of the 58 National History Day affiliates may nominate one high school and one middle school teacher for this award, and Mrs. Mimms and Mrs. Mills are this year’s nominees from Arkansas. 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 as a result of their nominations.
\r\n“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, and we are all the more impressed because of the extended difficult teaching circumstances due to the pandemic during the last year. I wish to congratulate both Mrs. Mimms and Mrs. Mills on their well-deserved nominations.”
\r\nThe national winner will be selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians, and announced on Saturday, June 18, 2022, at the National History Day National Contest Awards Ceremony to be held virtually due to COVID-19. 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.
\r\nAbout National History Day® (NHD):
\r\nNHD 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
\r\noriginal 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, the Pritzker Military Museum & Library and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. For more information, visit nhd.org.
\r\nAbout National History Day in Arkansas
\r\nNational History Day in Arkansas engages over 7,000 middle- and high-school students each year in hands-on historical research, interpretation, and creative expression through project-based learning. NHD Arkansas is sponsored by the University of Central Arkansas with support from the Arkansas Department of Education. To learn more, please visit https://uca.edu/nhd.
