FRONTIER SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER WINS DISTRICT VFW HONOR

PEORIA, Ariz. – Frontier eighth-grade social studies teacher Holly Urbancic recently received the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) District Three Citizen Education Teacher of the Year Award. The VFW Citizenship Education program was designed to stimulate interest in American’s history, tradition, institutions, civic responsibility, flag etiquette and patriotism.

Urbancic, who was nominated by principal Davita Solter for the local contest, represented the Peoria VFW post at the district competition. Her District win qualifies her for the top spot in the state. The state winner will head to the national competition.

A social studies teacher in PUSD for the 17 years, Urbancic focuses on the U.S. Constitution and the freedoms American citizens enjoy by comparing historical events and current topics. She invites local detention officers and prosecuting attorneys into her classroom to speak about the judicial system. She holds mock trials and takes students to watch proceedings at the Superior Court. Urbancic organized the Joe Foss assemblies for Civics Education so that all Frontier classrooms could display the Bill of Rights.

Last year, she helped to organize a District initiative to help teachers in New Orleans regroup and prepare their classrooms in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. PUSD teachers contributed supplies and basic classroom necessities to schools and teachers in Louisiana.

As the Executive Director of the Classroom Teachers’ Association, Urbancic attends bi-monthly PUSD Governing Board meetings, often speaking on behalf of District educators. She was recently selected by the Frontier administrative team to attend the Arizona Teachers’ Forum sponsored by Wells Fargo Foundation.

"I am extremely honored to win an award from the VFW,” said Urbancic. ”Patriotism was very important in my home as I grew up. My great aunt and uncle, who lived next door to my father, lost four sons in World War II. My father’s family members were all immigrants from Norway, yet they were extremely proud of the service rendered by those sons to their new country. This is one way I can do my part to repay those men and women who have served so valiantly, by teaching children their own history and training them to be good citizens.”

The National Citizen Education Teacher Award recipient receives $1,000 for professional development expenses, $1,000 for their school, and a plaque for the teacher and the school. The winner will also garner an all-expenses-paid trip to attend VFW and Ladies Auxiliary National Community Service Conference in Washington, D.C. to conduct a workshop at the conference.