George Washington's Mount Vernon has awarded the 2024 History Teacher of the Year to Angela M. Rollet, a high school history teacher and social studies department chair from Chantilly High School located in Chantilly, Virginia.
The Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year Award is presented annually to one teacher in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area who brings creativity and passion to their teaching, generates a love of learning, and deepens their students’ understanding and appreciation of history. The award winner receives a cash award of $5000 and a fully funded field trip to Mount Vernon for their students.
As a history teacher and department chair, Rollet has successfully developed among her students an understanding of ancient and modern historical events that have shaped the United States and the contemporary world. She fosters meaningful relationships with and among students to lay the foundations for learning. Notably, she teamed with both Special Education and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) specialists to modify the general education curriculum for special-needs students.
Rollet said, “I have the best job in the world. It is challenging, exhilarating, motivating, fulfilling, and exceedingly important work. It can also be exhausting, frustrating, and all-consuming. Overall, it is work that brings me boundless joy. I bear a great responsibility as a high school history educator. It is my challenge to teach the lessons of the past in order to shape the keepers of the future.”
A photograph of Rollins is available here.
This year’s runner-up is Alexandrea Riddell, a history teacher at George C. Marshall High School with Fairfax County Public Schools. She will receive a cash award of $500.
This year marks the 16th anniversary of the Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year award provided through generous support from the Robertson Foundation. The award review panel is comprised of Mount Vernon education staff who design programming and resources for K-12 students and teachers to support further Mount Vernon’s mission and vision in schools across the country.
Mount Vernon Director of Learning Tramia Jackson will present the winners with their awards at 7:00 p.m. ET on June 20, 2024, during The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon’s Annual Martha Washington Lecture.
