Past Awards

This page contains all the past award winners for the following 3 awards:

The WCSS Robert J. Snavely Award Winners

1993 - Claud Thompson
1994 - Phil Ferguson
1995 - Kathy Braun
1996 - Michael Hartoonian
1997 - Mike McKinnon and Mike Griffen
1998 - Sally Michalko
1999 - Margaret Laughlin and Win Jones
2000 - Jim Kraft
2001 - DeAn Krey

Press Release from the UW-River Falls April 7, 2001. UW-RF Professor Wins WCSS Service Award:

UW-River Falls Teacher Education Professor DeAn Krey received the Wisconsin Council for Social Studies Service Award on March 23, at a luncheon during the annual convention in Milwaukee. The award is given each year to one person in recognition of service and scholarly contributions.
Krey has been on the executive board of WCSS for 30 years. From 1983 to 1985 she served as president of the organization. She was recently elected to serve another two-year term on the board, representing Northwestern Wisconsin.
Said Krey, "I should be giving the organization an award for all it has contributed to my life. I've gotten as much back from the group as I've given."
She said one thing she has gained is knowledge. Social studies is such a broad area, and there is so much to know. She attended conventions and participated in workshops, bringing new ideas back to the classroom.
She also gained by becoming part of a professional community that has goals similar to hers. This helped her to develop a professional identity. Finally, she gained friends. "I can't leave that out," she said. "The friends I've made are very important to me."
Krey has taught at UW-RF since 1969 and has been recognized at UW-RF as a Distinguished Teacher, the highest award the University can bestow. She teaches all of the social studies methods courses for elementary teachers at the graduate and undergraduate level.
The Service Award was created in the memory of R.J. (Jim) Snavely, who died of brain cancer. Snavely, who had worked as a curriculum director for a public school in Wisconsin, had made significant contributions to WCSS.

2002 - Mary Kay Hammes. Mary Kay has been an active member in the WCSS for many years, including serving as secretary and on numerous other local and state committees. She was awarded a Keizai Koho Fellowship to Japan in 1989 and a Kohl Fellowship in 1997. She earned her broadfield social studies certification from UW-Oshkosh and a master's degree in guidance and counseling from UW-Whitewater. Mary Kay continues to serve on the WCSS Board of Directors and has walked the "extra mile" for social studies.

2003 - Karen Prickette

2004 - Walt Herscher. Walt Herscher has been actively involved in Social Studies within WI for several decades. During that time, he has served as Department Head of the Appleton Area School District and taught World History, Humanities, A.P. Art History, Military History, and U.S. History within the district. He has taught World Civilization, Humanities, and U.S. Economic History for several colleges.
He began his service for the WCSS as a Regional Representative and later became Executive Director for Internal Affairs. In that capacity, he has swerved on various DPI committees and is known to many members of the Social Studies community within the state.
Other responsibilities include serving as the State Coordinator for The American Promise and as a District Coordinator for the We the People organization. Both organizations emphasize civics. One year, he was awarded Wisconsin We the People's Outstanding Service Award. He co-authored a book of lessons for the National Council for Economic Education: World History: Focus on Economics.
Walt is a member of the WCSS, the French Historical Society, the National Council for History Education, and the National Council for the Social Studies. He served as Chair of the Instruction Committee of the NCSS. Walt has been a NCSS/Keizai Koho Fellow to Japan. He has served as one of Wisconsin's delegates to the NCSS's House of Delegates for many years. Recently, he was named as the winner of NCSS's Outstanding Service Award given annually to an individual who has been seriously dedicated to Social Studies at the local, state, regional, and national levels over an extended period of time.

2005 - Mark C. Schug - Mark is Director of the Center for Economic Education and Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a Senior Fellow with the National Council on Economic Education. Professor Schug has taught for over 30 years at the middle school, high school, and university levels. A widely recognized scholar, he has written and edited over 180 articles, books, and national curriculum materials. He has won national awards for research, curriculum writing, and leadership in economic education. Professor Schug often speaks about economic and financial education and issues in urban schools. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Milwaukee Urban League Academy of Business and Economics, Association of Private Enterprise Education, and Economics Wisconsin.

2006 - Eric H. Anderson - Eric is a 15 year social studies educator in the Fond du Lac School District with 14 years at Woodworth Middle School, where he has taught Global Connections Geography, U.S. Government, and teacher of U.S. History to 1865. Anderson graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 1976 seeking a career as an urban planner or in city government. Finding none, a career path deviation led to the retail jewelry business in Oshkosh and later Wisconsin Rapids. In 1988 he left the retail world to return to school in pursuit of a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Supervision as well as his teaching license. Graduating in 1989, he has taught for 3 summers in the Oshkosh School System, a year and a half in the United Catholic School System of Oshkosh, and was hired at Fond du Lac before the 1991-1992 school year. Anderson is married to Mary Jo and has two children, Graham 20 and Claire 15. The Andersons live in Oshkosh, Eric and Mary Jo's hometown.

2007 - Randy Goree. Randy is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, UW-Milwaukee.

2008 - Jeff Newton. Jeff received his bachelor and masters degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In Wausau, he taught World Geography at John Muir Middle School in his first year and at Horace Mann Middle School the next five years. In 1998 Jeff moved back home to Chippewa Falls where he has been teaching European Geography at the Chippewa Falls Middle School. He attended his first WCSS Geographic Alliance Conference in 1992 and joined WCSS in 1993. Both of these experiences, especially the people associated with them, led him to to become active in and learn from these organizations. Through these organizations, Jeff has been able to contribute to WIGA, NGS, WCSS, and the DPI. In the spring of 1999 Jeff was appointed Business Manager of WCSS and has since served in that position. Although the challenges are many, Jeff seems to enjoy his position as business manager and says he has learned on-the-job how to do it. "The feeling that you have everything covered is a false sense of security," he muses, "because, like teaching, everything can change in a minute." Nevertheless, Jeff has risen to the challenge on more than one occasion and has ably handled all the conference logistics. Married with three children, Jeff also has two cats, a basset hound, and three fish. He enjoys hunting and building projects in his spare time.

2009 - John Donnelly John graduated from UW-Whitewater with B.S. in Economics, Sociology, and Broadfield Social Studies, and also did graduate work at UW-Whitewater, UW-Milwaukee, and UW-Green Bay. He began teaching at Clintonville High School in Clintonville, Wisconsin in 1973 where he taught a variety of courses including, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, European Studies, Political Economy, and American Government. The Economics and Sociology courses were approved for students to receive advanced standing and dual credit by Fox Valley Technical College. He was also advisor to Student Council and National Honor Society, and coordinator for Waupaca County Student Government Day and the Laird Youth Leadership Conference.

In addition to his WCSS and NCSS membership, he is a past member of the Association of Secondary Economics Teachers and the Sociology Special Interest Group of the National Council fro the Social Studies.

John has coordinated the WCSS exhibit booth for about the last eight years promoting materials for WCSS and NCSS at conferences around the state such as the WEAC Fall Teachers Convention, the Northwestern Teachers Conference, and the Wisconsin Association of Middle Level Educators conference.

In his retirement he is doing some traveling, spending time at his cottage in northern Wisconsin, and serving as an Election Inspector for the City of Clintonville.

2010 Winner of the Robert J. Snavely Award
Jim Adams
Jim Adams is a member of the NCSS and the WCSS, having served as President and "webmaster" of the WCSS and delegate to the NCSS House of Delegates. He was the program chairman for the 2004 NCSS Great Lakes Regional Conference.

A Michigan native, Jim graduated from Michigan State University in 1971 with a degree in Broadfield Social Studies Education. He is now retired after teaching U.S. History and Social Studies for 35 years at Sevastopol High School in Door County. In addition to his teaching duties he also served as the Mock Trial Coach, Student Council Advisor, coordinated the selection of the Boys State and Girls State representatives and was the chair of the Social Studies Department.

Jim was a group leader for a People to People Student Ambassador delegation to the former Soviet Union and his family has hosted teachers for the Japan – Wisconsin Education Connection. His family
has also hosted foreign exchange students and group student exchanges through Rotary. He was named VFW Teacher of the Year by the local VFW Post. For many years Jim coached football, basketball, and track at Sevastopol.

He has done volunteer work for the Blue Mountain Project in Jamaica, helping establish a clinic and community center in Hagley Gap and has donated 69 pints of blood to the Red Cross blood drive.

Jim was on the Sturgeon Bay City Council for 8 years serving on the Finance Committee, Utilities Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, Door County Library Board, and Park and Recreation Committee. Currently, Jim sells real estate in Door County and serves on his church finance council, the local Habitat for Humanity Board, and the executive committee of the Door County Democrats.

"I am proud to be given this award by my WCSS colleagues. It is humbling to be in the same company of so many dedicated social studies professionals," said Jim upon being named the recipient of the Snavely Award.

2011Winner of the Robert J. Snavely Award
Paul E. Schoenike of Monroe served in a variety of capacities with WCSS during the 1980s. He began as a board member and then eventually served in leadership roles as vice president and president of the organization. As past president, he served as Exhibit Chair for the conference.   He has attended all conventions since that time including NCSS regional and national conventions as a sectional presenter.

Paul earned his BS from UW-Oshkosh (’62) and his MST from UW-Platteville (’70). He enjoyed his entire teaching career with 7th and 8th grade students in Marshall (3 years) and Monroe (34 years). During his time in Monroe, Paul was blessed to work with a very compatible teaching partner, Gil Jelinek, for 30 years. He has mentored many future educators from UW-Platteville in his classroom. From the late 1960s through the early 1990s, Paul served on the Wisconsin State Curriculum Committee.

Paul is also an active member of the Wisconsin Geographic Alliance. During the summer of 1990, he had the opportunity to study at the National Geographic Society. From 1991-2004, he served as part of the WIGA Summer Institute’s staff. In 1999, he received the organization’s service award.

Other honors Paul has received include: the National Council for Geographic Education Teaching Award (’85) and a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Sierra Leone, West Africa (’85). His “Classroom Trip to Canada”, which details the many trips he took with students to Toronto, Canada, has been received at numerous U.S. and Canadian social studies conventions.

Since leaving the classroom, Paul has served as Adjunct Professor of Social Studies/Geography at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee and has taught a wide variety of topics at the Monroe Senior Center. Paul enjoys his role as husband to his wife of 48 years, Jean; father to Douglas and Paula; and “Grandpa” to four grandchildren. He serves as Church President and is an avid collector of model Lionel trains.

2012 Winner of the Robert J. Snavely Award
Michael Koren, from suburban Milwaukee Wisconsin, is entering his 32nd year of teaching Social Studies, the last 30 years at Maple Dale School. Michael was named the 2010 National Middle School Teacher of the Year by the National Council of the Social Studies and the 2010 State of Wisconsin Distinguished Middle School Teacher of the Year by the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies. In addition, he was named a Herb Kohl Educational Scholar in 2008.

Michael has been very involved in the Social Studies community. He served back-to-back terms on the Board of Directors of the National Council for the Social Studies from 2004-2010. He has been on the executive board of the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies since 1994 and has been the treasurer of this group since 2000. Michael has presented many sessions at the annual conference of National Council for the Social Studies, and presents nearly every year at the annual conference for the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies. Michael has served and continues to serve as a consultant for various educational groups throughout the country and in the state of Wisconsin.

Michael has many interests including travel, cooking, and attending sporting events. He has been a high school basketball referee for the past 35 years and has season tickets to the Milwaukee Brewers and the Milwaukee Bucks. Michael and his wife Tova live in Glendale, Wisconsin.

WCSS Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award Winners

2010 Award Winners
David Berns is in his seventeenth year of teaching Secondary Social Studies in Wisconsin public schools. After receiving his Bachelors Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1991, he first served two years in the US Peace Corps as a teacher trainer before beginning his career with the Germantown School District in 1994. In 1997, David received his Masters Degree in Curriculum Design from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Since then, David has continued his post graduate studies, accumulating over 40 additional graduate credits in Economics and History classes beyond his Master Degree. During his eleven years with the Germantown School District, David taught Economics, Political Science, Social Problems, Law & You, and US History. For the past six years, David has taught for the Wausau School District at Wausau West High School. At Wausau West, he has taught Economics, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, and US History. Besides developing and teaching the AP Economics courses at Wausau West, David is active as an extracurricular co-advisor for the Wausau West Key Club and as the Homecoming co-advisor. Last year, David was selected to serve as the Wausau West Social Studies Department Chairperson, a position that he holds in addition to his teaching duties. Currently, David is co-leading an initiative to align the Wausau School District’s Social Studies curriculum with state and federal core content standards using Understanding by Design (UbD) philosophy. David’s greatest strengths are the enthusiasm, background knowledge, and the professionalism that he brings to the classroom every day, and he plans to teach high school Social Studies for many years to come.

2009 Award winners
MIDDLE SCHOOL:
Susan D. Gogue
Jack Young Middle School, Baraboo, WI
Sue Gogue is an 8th grade World Geography teacher. During her 39 years of teaching, Sue has also taught Economics and Civics. She is a graduate of the UW – La Crosse, and has a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership from Winona State University. Sue has worked on various statewide projects; most recently as Co-Director of DPI’s Japan-Wisconsin Education Connection. Sue has presented many workshops and sectionals at WCSS, NCSS, Geofest as well as other educational venues. She formerly served on the WCSS Executive Board as a delegate and vice president. Her interest in cultures has led her and husband, Buddy, on journeys throughout the world. Their family includes four daughters and six grandchildren.

MIDDLE SCHOOL:
Michael Koren
Maple Dale Middle School, Fox Point, WI

Michael Koren has been teaching Social Studies for the past 30 years at the middle school level in Wisconsin. Mike has been at Maple Dale School in suburban Milwaukee for the past 28 years, teaching World and U.S. History to sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Michael is very active in the Social Studies field. He has served the past six years on the Board of Directors for the National Council for the Social Studies, the past ten years as Treasurer of the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies, and the past 16 years on the executive board of WCSS.

Mike has presented many workshops at state and national conferences and has published numerous materials for teachers over the years. He was recognized as a Kohl Award Educational Scholar in 2008 and has been selected to Who's Who in American Education the past two years. Michael has also served the high school sports community for the past 33 years, serving as a WIAA high school basketball referee. Michael is proud to be a Wisconsin educator, a Social Studies teacher, a member of NCSS and WCSS, and a Social Studies advocate. Mike and his wife Tova live in suburban Milwaukee.

HIGH SCHOOL:
Lou A. Kindschi
Oregon High School, Oregon, WI
Lou A. Kindschi has been a social studies educator at Oregon High School for nine years. She received undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Spanish from UW-Madison, with one year of study in Spain. These degrees were enhanced by summers of self-funded international travel. She also graduated from the UW-Madison Law School with a focus on international law and mediation which included research and an internship in Southeast Asia. These experiences fostered an appreciation for global diversity and the role that access to education plays in the development of global citizenship. Volunteering in schools and working with passionate educators inspired her to change career paths and become a teacher. Her teaching certification included work in Australia.

As a teacher she has traveled with students to Central America and received a Fulbright grant to develop curriculum about Rwanda that will soon be available online. She looks forward to being involved in Culture Club, AFS and traveling to Germany with her high school students.
Mohandas Gandhi said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” Aspiring to live by this philosophy she has developed and teaches a Global Diversity Studies course. It is her hope that her students, as global citizens, will embark on lifelong journeys of growth.

2008 Secondary Teacher of the Year: Valerie Elzinga, Valkers High School, Valders, WI. Valerie has been teaching in Valders for the past 11 years. She teaches World History, U.S. History, and Psychology. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Lakeland College and a Master's Degree from UW-Milwaukee. A resident of Howards Grove, she was born and raised in France and lived there for 20 years before coming to the United States. She has also lived in the African countries of Malawi and Tunisia. Her interest in other cultures has played an important part in her teaching. Valerie is married to Jeff and they have three children, Eliot, Celine, and Paul.

2008 Middle School Teacher of the Year: John M. Wuebben, Einstein Middle School, Appleton, WI. John is a Sun Prairie native who currently teaches 8th grade U.S. History at Einstein Middle School and serves as Curriculum Support Specialist for the Appleton Area School District. Prior to his 22 years in Appleton, he taught at Janesville Parker High School and Spooner High School. He has education degrees from UW-Madison and UW-Oshkosh. During his career, he has worked on various state-wide projects to promote geographic understanding and has been connected with the methods training program at UW-Oshkosh. He formerly served as a Board Member for WCSS. He also coaches varsity soccer at Appleton North and West High.

2008 Elementary School Teacher of the Year: Kathy Riederer, Webster Stanley Elementary School, Oshkosh, WI. Kathy is currently a fourth grade teacher and in her sixth year at Webster Stanley Elementary. She graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 2002 with a degree in elementary education. She is co-advisor of the school's student-run newspaper, the Webster Wave and co-advises the SAILORS (Students Are Important Leaders Of Respect in School), a fourth and fifth grade leadership group. She recently collaborated on an article, "When University Social Studies Methods Faculty and Classroom Teachers Collaborate: There's Time for Powerful Social Studies!".

WCSS Global Citizenship Award Winners

2011 Global Citizenship Award Winner: Cristianne Wendler has worked in the field of HIV/AIDS for almost 15 years in the US and South Africa, with a focus on youth prevention and education and AIDS orphans. Cristianne has a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and bachelor degrees in International Relations and Political Science, as well as a certificate in African Studies. Cristianne was the recipient of the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, which took her to South Africa in 2003 where she began her work with AIDS orphans by helping to establish Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry. Ikageng is a nonprofit organization in Soweto, South Africa that cares for children who have been orphaned by AIDS by providing the children with shelter, education, medical care, food, clothing and psychological support. Ikageng began with 33 children; today, it cares for 1,500. Upon Cristianne’s return to the US, she furthered her work with AIDS orphans through Kidlinks World, Inc. in Madison, Wisconsin. Kidlinks is a nonprofit organization which benefits AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children in Southern Africa through education and fundraising.

Cristianne is the author and architect of the Global AIDS curriculum, which educates about HIV/AIDS as a global, social justice issue, exploring cofounding issues of poverty, gender inequality and conflict. The curriculum has a service learning component and resources to help teachers and students implement a service learning project in conjunction with the curriculum. Cristianne wrote the Global AIDS curriculum because she has seen firsthand how HIV/AIDS is devastating families, communities and countries and she believes that we all need to better understand the full context of the greatest global pandemic of our time. If you would like more information about the Global AIDS curriculum or to contact Cristianne, please go to www.globalaidscurriculum.com.

Cristianne would sincerely like to thank the Wisconsin Social Studies Council for this wonderful award. She is deeply honored to receive the award and apologizes for not being able to accept the award in person, but she is currently completing a fellowship in Thailand on peace studies and conflict resolution, which I hope will further my work to educate and empower young people to fight social injustice.

2008 Global Citizenship Award: Jay M. Breyer, Missing Persons Network. Jay has been intimately involved in the prevention and rescue of missing children and adults since he helped found the Youth Educated in Safety program in 1994. Y.E.S. was founded following the abduction, assault and murder of 12 year old Cora Jones, Amy Breyer and Laurie Depies. The organization has grown and evolved into the Missing Persons Network of Wisconsin of which Jay is the Executive Director. They have provided thousands of children with photo Kid Care IDs and DNA Life Print IDs. By 2002, they had distributed their 25,000th kit. Jay is tireless in his volunteer activities including the Boy Scouts, the Lutheran Church, Lions Club, Bubolz Nature Preserve and many more. In addition, his personal interests include Writing Poetry-Nationally Published Poet, Beekeeper, Maple Syrup Producer, Puppeteer and acting. Jay has been married to Molly for 25 years and has 4 children. He has been a Partner in Tile Unlimited for 25 years. When Jay was told he would receive the 1st WCSS Global Citizenship Award, he was overwhelmed because it came from teachers and he wrote the following:

"Overall, we have been involved in the education of over 70,000 children and adults and have helped search for and recover 350 missing children and adults. I have dedicated my life in search for the recovery of missing and exploited children and adults. I am no hero, but a person that made a promise to a little girl at her funeral that I would not give up because I knew she fouth for her life with every last ounce of her life. We have no choice but to fight for that same right to be safe and empower ourselves not only to protect but to prevent our chilren from being victims. It is hard to reflect on a resume because there are so many things others have done to help me continue, so this recognition is not only for me but many others who have given all they could to help us do what we do best, fight for the safety of our children and to bring them home when they are missing."

Missing Persons Network, PO Box 773, Appleton, WI 54912. yes3124@aol.com