Jennifer Baniewicz

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School (IL)

I earned a bachelor's degree in history from Illinois State University and an MAT in history education from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  I have taught high school social studies for 24 years, the last nineteen years have been spent at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, in Palos, Hills, Il. Currently I teach AP US History and dual credit Western Civilization I and II. I have also taught AP European History, World History, and academic US History.

Prior to becoming a teacher I worked as an archives technician at the Newberry Library in Chicago. I was fortunate enough to help with the preservation of the Pullman Company business records. It was during this job that I discovered the power of history and primary sources. Part of my job included helping families research the personnel files for their relatives' employee records, many of which were the famed Pullman porters. I loved watching family members get excited and even teary eyed when I could hand them a small photo of their relative and explain to them what he did for the company as well as the role the Pullman porters played in the civil rights movement. I continue to connect my students to primary sources and help them find a more personal link to the past. I believe history is best remembered when students can connect on an emotional level, so I try my best to make history feel real to my students.   

Karen Boyea

Greenwich High School (CT)

Karen Boyea teaches AP United States History, Honors American History, Honors Civics, and an elective she designed on Civil War and Reconstruction at Greenwich High School, in Greenwich, Connecticut.  Karen graduated with Honors in History from Wesleyan University and she has a Master's Degree in Education from Fairfield University.  In 2011, Karen was named a Distinguished Teacher by the Greenwich Public Schools.  She was named a semi-finalist in the 2012 Connecticut Teacher of the Year Award.  In 2o17, she was honored to be selected as the winner of the Paul Gagnon Prize by the National Council for History Education.  In addition to her classes, Karen is the advisor for her school's chapter of the National History Club and she is the co-advisor for her school's chapter of Rho Kappa, a national Social Studies Honor Society.  As well, Karen provides teacher support for Case Method Institute for Education and Democracy to teachers around the country who are looking to implement the case study method in their classes.  

Karen and her husband have two children who share her love of history.  Outside of teaching, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and cheering on her beloved New York Giants.  She is so excited to be a member of the Teacher Advisory Group! 

Kevin Cline

Frankton High School (IN)

Kevin M. Cline is the Department Chair for Social Studies and teaches Dual Credit US Government, US Government, and US History at Frankton High School in Frankton, Indiana, and AP US Government for the Dwight Global Online School, based in New York City.  He graduated with a BA and MA in education from Ball State University, where he currently serves on the Alumni Advisory for the Department of History.  He also currently serves as a Master Teacher Fellow for the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History, and on the Board of Advisors for the National History Club and the Indiana Council for the Social Studies.  He has also served as a content consultant for two educational apps, Freedom Summer and Engaging Congress, created in conjunction with the Center on Representative Government at Indiana University-Bloomington.  He was named the National History Teacher of the Year in 2016 by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, was a recipient of the American Civic Education Teaching Award in 2012, and has twice been named Advisor of the Year by the National History Club, both in 2014 and 2019.  He is blessed to live life with his wife and two sons.   

Katie Cook

Harrisburg High School (SD)

I have been a high school history teacher for nine years. During that time, I’ve taught AP World History, world history, and United States history. I currently teach AP European and AP US History. My goal as a history educator is to help students engage with the past in order to have a deeper understanding of the present. I also teach history and education courses at two different local universities. 

I received my B.A. in History & Political Science from the University of Sioux Falls in 2008, an M. Ed in Teaching from the University of Sioux Falls in 2013, an MA in History from the University of South Dakota in 2014, and an Ed. D in Educational Leadership from the University of South Dakota in 2021. My husband and I reside in Harrisburg, SD where we are raising our two young sons.

Michelle Elsheikh

Fishers Jr. High School (IN)

Michelle (Subler) Elsheikh is a U.S. History teacher at Fishers Jr. High School in Indiana.  Her love of history education began at Ball State University, where she received two bachelor's degrees in both Social Studies Education and History. Since graduating in 2012, she has taught social studies courses at a variety of levels ranging from middle school Social Studies to AP Human Geography. 

Elsheikh’s classes have always been geared towards instilling a greater purpose and skillset within students.  In believing that studying history is DOING history, Elsheikh has developed complex units to engage students in civil discourse while strengthening their skills in analysis, synthesis, research, and thesis writing.

Besides her work in the classroom, she cherishes being part of the school's community. She has served as a cross country coach, tennis coach, student council advisor, class sponsor, academic team coach, director, INTERACT advisor, Equity Team Member, Staff Orientation Ambassador, and GSA Sponsor.

Laura Goorvitch

Hyde Middle School (CA)

My love of history began in Mr. Grayson’s seventh grade classroom at Kennedy Junior High School in Cupertino, CA when we studied about ancient Egypt, and I completed my first historical research on Egyptians’ worship of cats.  I still possess a terrible 8th Grade report about President Lyndon B. Johnson where I still cannot believe I received an A when my conclusion was something about if the teacher wanted to know more about what happened in Vietnam, he should read the next paper about Richard Nixon.

I received my BA and teaching credential from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA, home of the San Francisco 49ers, and taught 4th and 5th grades for 17 years.  After my ninth-year teaching, I decided to go back to get a masters degree in United States History from San Jose State University, which I accomplished in 2013.  Once I was able to qualify for a supplemental teaching credential for Social Science/History, I made the move to teach 8th Grade (U.S.) History and Language Arts.  I have been happy being able to play the “clean” versions of some songs from “Hamilton” for the first semester of 8th Grade History at Hyde Middle School in Cupertino, CA for the past 3 years.

John Heeg

Deer Park School District (NY)

John Heeg earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology/Anthropology with a minor in Secondary Education in 2000 from Dowling College, Oakdale, NY and holds permanent certification in Social Studies from grades 7-12. He then went on to receive his Masters Degree in 2006 from Touro College and a Post-Graduate certificate in School Administration from Stony Brook University in 2009.  John began his teaching career at the Lenox Academy in Canarsie, Brooklyn where he taught English Language Arts and Social Studies for grades 6-8.  In 2003, he began teaching 8th grade Social Studies in the Deer Park School District where he has held the role of a Mentor for first year teachers, Mentor Coordinator, and a Teacher Leader for the 8th grade Social Studies Department.  Heeg’s work has appeared on The Vietnam War site http://thevietnamwar.info/, Simplek12 site http://www.simplek12.com/, and he has contributed a chapter to Scandal on the South Side: The 1919 Chicago White Sox. In 2015, he received the Bright Light award from Suffolk Asset  for his use of technology in the classroom.  Outside of the classroom, Heeg served as a U.S. Naval Hospital Corpsman from 2001-09 with all unit assignments with the Marine Corp.  In 2011, he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he continues to serve as a Guardsman.   Heeg resides in Mattituck, NY with his wife Gia and son Colin.

Lois MacMillan

Grants Pass High School (OR)

Lois MacMillan, a Nationally Board-Certified teacher in her thirty-second year of teaching, has taught at all three levels of education: elementary, middle and high school. She began her career in Idaho, but moved to Grants Pass, Oregon in 1996. She earned 2006’s Oregon’s History Teacher of the Year, 2014’s Oregon Civic Teaching Award, and 2016’s Oregon’s DKG Service to Education.  Lois also has been a teacher fellow at Monticello, Ford’s Theatre, and the Lincoln Forum. Since 2010, Lois has worked as a master teacher the Gilder Lehrman Institute facilitating over forty seminars. 

In 2018 she won the Jane Ortner Grammy’s Teacher of the Year Award for her work incorporating music (historical rap) in the non-music classroom. In the fall of 2018, she took a sabbatical year to serve as the Senior Education Fellow for the Hamilton Education Program, where she facilitated the implementation of a Founding Era curriculum to high school teachers and students culminating in their attendance to the Broadway show, Hamilton. Back to the classroom in the fall of 2019, Lois teaches American History and World Cultures at Grants Pass High School in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Magdalena Mata

Capt. Mark T. Voss Middle School (TX)

Magdalena Mata is a National Board-Certified Teacher, certified in Early Adolescence Social Studies/History and will be embarking upon her 15th year of teaching.  Currently, she serves on the Executive Board for the Texas National Board Coalition for Teaching. Magdalena is a Professional Learning Facilitator that leads cohorts of National Board candidates on their journey to certification.  She also serves on the National Constitution Center's Teacher Advisory Council this year.  She is a passionate teacher leader that encourages all those around her.  Mrs. Mata, "Mama Mata" is a lifelong learner, a reflective practitioner, and a believer of civics and history education.  She is married, with three children, and lives in Texas.  One of her favorite topics to teach in Texas History is the Indigenous people of the area and in US History, she loves teaching the Early Republic.  A fun fact about Mrs. Mata is that she shot a real Civil War rifle! 

TaShena Melton

Calumet Christian School (IN)

I am a second career teacher, who spent 17 years as a social worker prior to becoming a secondary Social Studies Teacher.  I currently teach at Calumet Christian School in Griffith, Indiana where I serve as a single person social studies department and teach Geography, US History, World History, Government, Political Science, World Events Focus, and Consumer Economics.  Although my plate is full, my heart is just as full! I truly enjoy bringing social studies to life for my students and helping them make connections to modern events and their lives.  I can wholeheartedly say that I love my second career as much as I did my first.

As a proud Hoosier, even my transcript is full of nothing but IU Red.  I obtained my undergraduate degree in Sociology, along with my 2 graduate degrees in Social Work and in Public Administration from Indiana University.  In addition, when I was ready to change careers, I also obtained my teaching certification for Indiana University.  Currently, I am the 2020 James Madison Fellow for the State of Indiana and am pursuing my first non-IU degree through the Gilder Lehrman Institute/ Pace University where I anticipate completing a Master of Arts in History in 2023.  Although I was born and raised in East Chicago, Indiana, my family and I currently reside in Merrillville, Indiana.

Valencia Abbott

Rockingham Early College School (NC)