2003 Joseph Webber Teaching Award Winner

This is the 9th year for the Joseph Webber Teaching Award to be presented in Missouri, and again the Webber Award winner will be Missouri's nominee for the national prize in June.

Christy Connor of St. Raphael the Archangel School, St. Louis, has been chosen 2003 Missouri Teacher of Merit.

Christy teaches social studies to 5th, 6th and 7th graders in a small elementary school of only 180 students. From that tiny student body, she regularly has sponsored about 30 students per year in History Day competition. As one of her student's parents said in a letter, “For a program that is not mandatory for the students, I think the level of participation is a reflection of the efforts of Mrs. Connor.” Most of them make it to state and each year a few go on to the national contest in Maryland. Last year, St. Raphael's sent 10 students to NHD—more than any other school in Missouri.

But numbers, of course, are not the only measure of success. For every teacher, it's how she affects her students. As one former student, now in college, said, “Through her involvement in History Day, Mrs. Connor has opened the eyes of hundreds of students to a new way of looking at history. . .” she “was constantly available for my group, guiding us through the process of research, preparation, and finally presentation of our completed work. Always a smile on her face, she patiently pushed us towards perfection, even though we students were sometimes difficult to work with. Because of my experience with Mrs. Connor and History Day, my interest and involvement in history is forever changed.”

In addition to working with the students, Christy is also on the state History Day advisory committee, has judged at both state and national levels of the contest, and has presented at teacher workshops and open house programs at Missouri Historical Society and in the St. Louis area. She is now involved in a pilot program with Lindenwood University where she mentors a future teacher, getting them involved with the History Day program while still a student in hopes that they'll continue the program in the schools where they will later teach.

Congratulations to Ms. Christy Connor, National History Day in Missouri's Teacher of the Year!