Royal City teacher nominated for National History Day Teacher of the Year award

ROYAL CITY — Royal Middle School Social Studies Teacher Emily Ovenell was nominated in the middle school division of National History Day’s 2024 Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year award according to a May 13 announcement from NHD. 

The nomination follows Ovenell’s selection by the NHD affiliate Washington History Day as the Washington History Teacher of the Year in February, according to a Feb. 27 statement from Royal Middle School. 

“The Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award nominees always represent the best in history education,” said National History Day Executive Director Cathy Gorn. “As NHD celebrates our 50th anniversary year, I couldn’t be more proud of these teachers. Every day, they demonstrate their commitment to excellence in teaching, the rigorous study of history and primary sources, and the creativity and drive to engage students all across the country and world on National History Day.”

According to the NHD statement, the Patricia Behring award honors one middle school and one high school teacher per year for outstanding history education and classroom engagement and comes with a $10,000 cash prize. All nominees receive $500, the statement said. 102 teachers have been nominated for the award.

One national winner in the middle school division and one national winner in the high school division will be selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians and announced June 13 at the National History Day National Contest Awards Ceremony in College Park, Md. The Awards Ceremony will begin around 5 a.m. Pacific Standard Time and will be livestreamed at nhd.org/awards-ceremony.