Teacher Leaders in Montana History

MTHS Teacher Leader in History Fellows are experienced elementary, middle school, and high school teachers who are deeply familiar with available Montana history resources and best practices in history education. The Teacher Leaders in Montana History are ready to lead by providing one-on-one mentorship and by offering presentations at regional workshops or in-school or in-district PIR trainings within their own districts and in neighboring districts. Possible presentation topics include "An Overview of Montana Historical Society Resources," “Integrating Montana History across the Curriculum,” “Teaching Montana History in Fourth Grade,” "Using Visual Thinking Strategies," "Integrating IEFA,” “Hands-on History Footlockers," "Bringing the Montana Historical Society Museum Exhibits into Your Classroom," "Art and History: Plains Indian Pictographic Art," "Teaching with Primary Sources," and more.

Looking for a presenter? Contact a nearby Teacher Leader in History directly, or contact Martha Kohl at the Montana Historical Society for a recommendation of who will best fit your needs.

Become a Teacher Leader

The Montana Historical Society is recruiting a new cohort of high school teachers to join the Teacher Leader Program. For more information, contact Martha Kohl at mkohl@mt.gov.

Teacher Leader Fellows

Eastern Montana

Chris Dantic
7th-12th Grade Montana History, U.S. History, Geography, U.S. Government, World History
Terry, MT, Prairie County
chrisd@terryschools.com
406-635-5533
Areas of special interest: Indian Education for All (IEFA), tech in the classroom, differentiated lessons

Laurie Enebo
7th and 8th Grade Montana History and US History
Glasgow, MT, Valley County
enebo@glasgow.k12.mt.us
406-228-4238
Areas of special interest: Revolutionary War & Civil War history, Montana history, IEFA

April Wills
6th-8th Grade, Centennial Bell Montana History Teacher of the Year, 2021, Gilder Lehrman State History Teacher of the Year, 2024 for Montana
Culbertson, MT, Roosevelt County
Bikingthruhistoryt@gmail.com
Areas of special interest: Adapting lessons to lower grades, place-based history, technology integration, hands-on history footlockers, collaborative research projects across grade levels

Mary Zuchowski
7th-12th Grade Early American History, World Geography, World History, United States History, Government, Tribal Government
Frazer, MT, Valley County
mzuchowski@frazer.k12.mt.us
406-480-7199
Areas of special interest: Military History (US and World History); Incorporating Tribal Government in Senior Government classes; incorporating Montana History in US History classes; National History Day

Central Montana

Ron Buck
7th-12th Grade
Shelby, MT, Toole County
ron.buck@shelby.k12.mt.us
Areas of special interest: Hands-on learning, ledger art, Montana history through all grade levels, technology integration

Sara Lyda
6th-12th Grade Government, Montana History, Early American History, Modern American History, World History, National History Day
Lavina, MT, Golden Valley County
Slyda@lavinapublicschools.com
406-647-4147
Areas of special interest: NationaI History Day, teaching about diversity

Taylor Olsen
9th-12th Grade, High School English, US History, Psychology, National History Day, World History
Harlowton, MT, Wheatland County
taylor.olsen@harlowton.k12.mt.us
406-698-9519
Areas of special interest: Project Based Learning, Integrating ELA, Social Studies and Art, National History Day, History Best Practices

Hali Richmond
4th Grade, Centennial Bell Montana History Teacher of the Year, 2023
Sunburst, MT, Toole County
hrichmond@sunburst.k12.mt.us
406-450-1062
Areas of special interest: Montana: A History of Our Home textbook, MTHS Resources, Classroom Transformations, NHD Elementary Division Poster Contest

Kasidy Robbins
5th Grade
Harlem, MT, Blaine County
kasidyr@harlem-hs.k12.mt.us
406-208-7819
Areas of special interest: Montana History, Project Based Learning, Montana Government

Northwestern Montana

Jennifer Hall
7th-8th Grade History
Eureka, MT, Lincoln County
jhall@teameureka.net
406-297-5621
Areas of special interest: Planning multi-day Montana history fieldtrips, MHS resources, peer mentoring, historical thinking

Willamina Tailfeathers
4th-5th Grade
Browning, MT, Glacier County
williet@bps.k12.mt.us
406-450-2471
Areas of special interest: IEFA, Language Immersion

Cynthia Wilondek
9th-12th Montana History, US History
Bigfork, MT, Flathead County
cwilondek@bigfork.k12.mt.us
406-837-7400 Extension #4237
Areas of special interest: Visual Thinking Strategies, Primary Sources in the Classroom, Adding Montana History to an American History classroom, National History Day, Thematic Teaching

West-Central Montana

Chris Clairmont
7th-12th Native American History, Montana History
Superior, MT, Mineral County
cclairmont@ssd3.us
406-822-3600
Areas of special interest: Native American History, Montana History

Dylan Huisken
6th-8th Grade Social Studies, Montana Teacher of the Year, 2019
Bonner, MT, Missoula County
dhuisken@bonner.k12.mt.us
406-258-6151 ext. 307
Areas of special interest: Literature tie-ins, IEFA, Montana history, place-based education, Civil War, U.S. government

Jim Martin
6th Grade, Montana History and English
Missoula, MT, Missoula County
Jhmartin@mcpsmt.org
406-728-2400 Extension #4638
Areas of special interest: Montana History

Vicky Nytes
8th Grade US History, 11th Grade Dual Enrollment US History, 7th-12th Grade French, 2024 Patrice Behring Montana Teacher of the Year Senior Division
Superior, MT, Mineral County
vnytes@ssd3.us
406-885-6822
Areas of special interest: Diverse Voices in History, American History, African American History

Jessica Van Kerkhove
6th-8th Grade World and US History, Patricia Behring Montana History Day Teacher of the Year, 2024
Potomac, MT, Missoula County
Jvankerkhove@potomacschoolmontana.us
Areas of special interest: National History Day, Historical Research, Teacher Institutes, Historical Simulations

Southwestern Montana

Jodi Majerus Delaney
4th-5th Grade Montessori, Centennial Bell Montana History Teacher of the Year, 2017, Gilder Lehrman State History Teacher of the Year, 2013 for Montana, Teacher Leader in the Arts (MT OPI and Arts Council), National Board Certified
Helena, MT, Lewis and Clark County
jdelaney@helenaschools.org
406-461-9918
Areas of special interest: Arts Integration, Interdisciplinary Lesson Design, Hands-on History, Living History (Nevada City, MT), Elementary Social Studies Best Practices.

Heather Hjelle
9th-12th Grade, United States History, World History, Psychology, Historical Survey of Engineering
Manhattan, MT, Gallatin County
hhjelle@mhstigers.org
406-284-6460
Areas of special interest: Thematic Teaching, use of primary sources, strategies for discussion-based learning

Kim Konen
9th-12th Grade, Western Studies 1 and 2, Native American Studies
Dillon, MT, Beaverhead County
kkonen@bchsmt.com
406-660-1172
Areas of special interest: Ranching, MT history, US history