Emmanuel Stone Named 2016 Kentucky History Teacher of the Year
Emmanuel Stone, a teacher at West Middle School in Shelbyville, Kentucky, is the 2016 Kentucky History Teacher of the Year, an award sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and coordinated by the Kentucky Historical Society. Stone inspires in his students a passion for history by building positive relationships, setting high expectations and providing a classroom environment with rigorous instruction. These elements help his students to debate, interpret and analyze the American story. Stone holds a Master of Arts degree in school counseling from the University of the Cumberlands and a bachelor’s degree in history teaching from Eastern Kentucky University. He is working to complete an education specialist program in school counseling from the University of the Cumberlands. The Gilder Lehrman Institute will give Stone a $1,000 honorarium and an invitation to a 2017 Gilder Lehrman teacher seminar, a weeklong program which offers teachers daily discussions with eminent historians, visits to historic sites and hands-on work with primary sources.
The library at West Middle School library will receive a core archive of history books and educational materials from the institute. As a state award recipient, Stone also is in the running for the 2016 National History Teacher of the Year. The institute will announce the national award winner in September. The History Teacher of the Year Award is intended to highlight the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. The award honors one exceptional K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and US territories. Students, parents, colleagues, supervisors or other administrators familiar with a teacher’s work can make award nominations. Teachers must be nominated by Feb. 1, 2017, to be considered for the 2017 award. For more information, go to gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy.