Cathy Saks Oregon History Teacher of the Year
Posted October 2020
Staff Editor
U.S. History teacher Catherine (Cathy) Saks was chosen as the winner of the 2020 Oregon History Teacher of the Year award, presented by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Currently teaching College U.S. History, Saks is teaching for her 28th year at DDHS. She has degrees from U of O and PSU, and is a past recipient of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship. Saks was nominated twice for the award by fellow colleagues in the social studies department.
“I am incredibly grateful for the social studies department and for all of my colleagues at DDHS,” said Saks. “We don’t do this job alone. We rely on each other for inspiration and guidance. I admire all of the wonderful things teachers are doing around our school, and I find our students to be a constant source of inspiration.”
The school will receive a $1000 honorarium, a chore archive of American History books, Gilder Hehrman educational materials, and recognition at a ceremony in Oregon. There has been no ceremony scheduled yet for Saks to receive the award of recognition due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She was notified about the award in July via email.
“I was genuinely shocked and surprised to receive this award,” said Saks. “There are many outstanding history teachers, so to be recognized was a wonderful, unexpected surprise.”
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is the nation’s leading organization committed to K-12 American history education. Their award is annually given to one history teacher in each state and the District of Columbia. According to gilderlehrman.org, teachers are evaluated based on their commitment to teaching state and local history, creativity and imagination in the classroom, and effective use of artifacts, documents, and other historical materials/sites to engage students with American history. In order to be considered, nominees needed to submit a current resume/curriculum vitae, a sample lesson plan/student project/unit demonstrating primary sources, and a letter of support from a supervisor/administrator. Teachers are chosen from both specialist and generalist applicants.