The National Council for History Education (NCHE), an AHA affiliated society, just announced the winner of its first-ever Paul Gagnon Prize for a K-12 Teacher Exhibiting Exceptional Historical Scholarship. The 2007 award went to Philip Nicolosi, a history and social studies teacher at the West Morris Central High School in Chester, New Jersey.

Mr. Nicolosi has a BA and an MA in history from Villanova University and began teaching at West Morris Central in 1995. Selected from a pool of eight finalists, NCHE executive director Elaine Reed said Nicolosi’s ability to apply the skills and talents of a historian to the field of education made his application stand out: “Phil Nicolosi’s experiences as both scholar and teacher epitomizes Gagnon’s vision of teachers as continuing scholars and his belief that learning must be a lifetime dedication and source of continuing joy. . . . Nicolosi’s model for disseminating research to students is quite exemplary.” Mr. Nicolosi will receive a plaque, a cash award, and the opportunity to speak on advancing historical education and scholarship in U.S. public schools at the NCHE national conference in April 2007 in Colonial Williamsburg.

The Paul Gagnon Prize is named for the historian, educator, and advocate for promoting history in primary through university-level curricula. Gagnon was an NCHE co-founder and professor of history at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. He passed away in 2005.

Based on a National Council for History Education press release. The full release can be found here.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.