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. Successful applicants will attend an all-expenses paid summit in Billings, August 4-6, 2025. Applications are due April 7. Apply here. 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
4th 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
8th-12th Grade Early American History, World Geography, World History, United States History, 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; incorporate Montana History in US History classes; National History Day

Golden Triangle

Charlie Brown
7th-12th Grade Social Studies
Fairfield, MT, Teton County
cbrown@fairfield.k12.mt.us
406-590-0744
Areas of special interest: Lewis and Clark, place-based learning, teaching with primary sources, MTHS resources

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

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: Hands-on History, Montana: A History of Our Home textbook, MTHS Resources.

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

Vicky Nytes
7th-12th Grade, French (Jr High, French 1-3), 8th US History, 11th US History
Superior, MT, Mineral County
vnytes@ssd3.us
406-885-6822
Areas of special interest: Diverse Voices in History, American History, National History Day.

Cynthia Wilondek
10th-11th World and 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

West-Central and 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.

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

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.

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