Courtesy of Douglas High School · 2 min read
MINDEN, Nev. — Ethan Petite, a social studies teacher at Douglas High School, has been named the 2017 Nevada History Teacher of the Year, an award presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to K-12 American history education.
Inaugurated in 2004, the History Teacher of the Year Award highlights the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. The award honors one K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and US Territories. In fall 2017, the National History Teacher of the Year will be selected from the pool of state winners.
Mr. Petite has taught English and social studies at Carson Valley Middle School and Douglas High School the past seventeen years.
Most recently, his work with students has included US Government, World History, World History Advanced Placement, and a new course he developed, History of Human Conflict.
He is a National Board Certified teacher, and he graduated from Douglas High School in 1995 and the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2000. This past year, Mr. Petite has focused on bringing hands-on experiences to his students, including the study and use of replicas of historic items and a Civil War reenactment that took place at school for students to watch and ask questions of the reenactors.
The National History Teacher of the Year award will be presented by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner at a ceremony in New York City on November 8, 2017. Past presenters at the ceremony include the Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, First Lady Laura Bush, former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Nominations for the 2018 History Teacher of the Year awards are now open. Students, parents, colleagues, and supervisors may nominate K-12 teachers for the award by visiting gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy. The deadline for 2018 nominations is March 30, 2018.
About the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Founded in 1994 by philanthropists Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to K-12 American history education. The Institute’s mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources. Drawing on the 65,000 documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection and an extensive network of eminent historians, the Institute provides teachers, students, and the general public with direct access to unique primary source materials. The Institute’s programs have been recognized by awards from the White House, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Organization of American Historians.
The Carson Valley Times 