Missouri State University’s Jessica Barnes, per course instructor in the Department of History, has been named Missouri’s 2024 History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

According to its website, the Gilder Lehrman program “recognizes excellence in the teaching of history at the K–12 level.”

In addition to teaching part-time at Missouri State, Barnes teaches full-time at St. Clair Middle School in St. Clair, Missouri. She has been teaching K-12 for 17 years.

Barnes said she was nominated for the award by a colleague from Kansas City, Missouri. She learned about the nomination in April, and in July she learned she had won.

“I remember feeling very overcome and happy at the news, especially because I had been nominated and chosen by my peers across the state, making it a truly meaningful award,” Barnes said.

“This is a prestigious award that reflects the care and hard work that Jessica puts into her craft,” said history department head Dr. Kathleen Kennedy. “We are excited that she has received the recognition she richly deserves.”

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