Mrs. Tara Creekmore Nominated for National History Day Teacher of the Year

Press Release from the NHD Office:

April 11, 2022, College Park, MD – Two teachers from Delaware have been nominated for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year award. Mr. Raymond Costello, a teacher at Saint Anne's Episcopal School in Middletown, Delaware has been nominated in the junior division of the National History Day (NHD) National Contest. Mrs. Tara Creekmore, a teacher at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware 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. 

Each of the 58 National History Day affiliates may nominate one high school and one middle school teacher for this award, and Mr. Costello and Mrs. Creekmore are this year’s nominees from Delaware. 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. 

“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 Mr. Costello and Mrs. Creekmore on their well-deserved nominations.” 

The 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. 

NHD 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 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, the Pritzker Military  Museum & Library and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. For more information, visit nhd.org. 

National History Day in Delaware is a year-long history education program that challenges students in grades 6 through 12 to engage in historical research, analysis and interpretation, and creative expression through project-based learning. National History Day in Delaware promotes civic, career, and college ready skills necessary for the 21st century. National History Day Delaware has been sponsored by the Delaware Historical Society for more than 20  years.