Oak Hills High teacher Jeni Boulanger named California History Teacher of the Year
Jeni Boulanger from Oak Hills High School has been named the 2022 California History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
With her achievement, Boulanger became one of 53 finalists for the 2022 National History Teacher of the Year Award.
Boulanger is a High Desert native, who was inspired to pursue a career in education by her parents, Patty Yancey and John Kurtz, who both taught for over 40 years in the High Desert.
In 1995, Boulanger first began teaching at Adelanto Middle School, then Cobalt Middle School and Pinon Mesa Middle School, before moving to Oak Hills High in 2016 where she teaches U.S. history and courtroom debate.
Boulanger said her passion is to make history relevant and engaging for her students, adding that “It breaks my heart when students come into my classroom hating history or believing it doesn’t matter. I embrace the challenge to change their minds.”
“I have seen Jeni Boulanger pique the interests of students from US History, to Courtroom Debate,” said OHHS Assistant Principal Jennifer Calderon in a written statement. “She cultivates a warm, passionate and rigorous environment that stretches students towards excellence.”
In addition to a $1,000 honorarium, Boulanger will receive a core archive of American history books and Gilder Lehrman educational materials and recognition at a local ceremony in her honor.
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, institute officials said.
The award honors one K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. Territories.
“Knowledgeable and impassioned teachers bring our country's history to life for students, allowing them to understand engaging with history is about more than a series of facts,” said President of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History James G. Basker. “Teachers are the lifeblood of our students’ education, and these are the best of the best.”
The winner of this year’s National History Teacher of the Year Award will be announced in Oct. 2022. Past presenters of the award have included the Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, First Lady Laura Bush, former U.S . Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Nominations for the 2023 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 2023 nominations is April 30, 2023.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Oak Hills HS Jeni Boulanger named California History Teacher of the Year
