Clark County history teachers win local award

CLARK COUNTY — Linda Korum, a teacher at Tukes Valley Middle School, Battle Ground, and John Zingale, a teacher at Vancouver iTech Preparatory, received the Dr. Tom and Betty Lawrence History Teacher of the Year Award by the local Fort Vancouver Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Each received a $200 award and certificate. The chapter also nominated the two teachers for the national Sons of the American Revolution award. Each year, the organization recognizes three top teachers from around the country. “Teachers from virtually every state apply and compete for the national honor by illustrating how their nontraditional methods challenge students to appreciate our nation’s rich history,” according to a news release. Should they win the national award, they are eligible for a $3,000 scholarship for tuition and expenses to attend a workshop or seminar on the American Revolution. Zingale teaches U.S. history to seventh- and eighth-grade students, while Korum educates fifth-grade students.“We are very honored to have two of the three national winners of this award right here in our own backyard,” Jeff Lightburn, president of the Fort Vancouver Chapter, said in the release. “Both of these teachers have raised the bar in what it takes to engage their students, and truly excite them about the accomplishments of our forefathers during the American Revolution. Rather than rely on textbook learning, they’ve challenged their students to be historians.”