How does it feel to be recognized as the Maryland History Day High School Teacher of the year?
I was very surprised, I am honored but I feel like a lot of the credit needs to go to the students that I teach because they are the ones that put in the work to get to the competition.
How long have you been in charge of NHD at Poolesville high school?
I have been in charge of NHD at Poolesville for 10 years this year
Do you enjoy being in charge of NHD? Why or why not?
NHD is one of the favorite things I get to teach my humanities students. It is a perfect blend of classes that they take. It allows them to practice critical thinking and argument development.
What is your favorite aspect of NHD?
I love when the projects come to fruition, when ideas are actually implemented and they create their physical element they will present
Have you had any favorite themes/topics from certain years? What were they?
Not really topics because the topics are very similar. My favorite topic that the students did was when they did the Poolesville mascot. Andre Leon Talley. That topic was from a student molding their personal interests. That was a true development of their group.
What is your favorite NHD project that you have seen?
I don’t know if I have a favorite project. My favorite project type is the performance category. I have had one student that went to nationals, and one student that is competing to go to nationals that has never acted before. It is very fun to see students go out of their comfort zones.
