Sandstrom named Nebraska History Teacher of the Year

Sandstrom, a Chadron native, is an American history and civics teacher at Chadron High School.

The award, sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, honors one exceptional K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. territories. Sandstrom will be honored at the Nebraska State Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference Thursday, June 6 in Omaha.

When receiving his award, Sandstrom said he believes civic competence and historical knowledge should have a prominent role in education.

“Students believe that they possess all the required information at their fingertips, but the power unleashed by the study of history does not come from the memorization of dates and random facts,” Sandstrom says. “My goal, every day, is to make history both relevant and challenging in the hope that they are better prepared for the 21st Century.”

Sandstrom, who has earned a bachelor's and a master's degree from CSC, will receive $1,000, become a finalist for the $10,000 National History Teacher of the Year Award, and be invited to participate in the Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar, a week-long program in 2020 of discussions between teachers and eminent historians, visits to historic sites, and hands-on work with primary sources.