(Frankfort, KY) Educating students to be engaged citizens is a daily goal for Central High School civics and government teacher Ms. Galelyn McElroy, who Secretary of State Trey Grayson honored today for her exemplary service to Kentucky students.
McElroy is one of only three teachers nationally to be honored with the inaugural American Civic Education Teacher Award (ACETA) for teachers who demonstrate innovation and special expertise for motivating students to learn about the Constitution, Congress, and public policy. McElroy was officially presented the award in Washington, D.C. at the Fourth Annual Congressional Conference on Civic Education in November, but she had not yet been honored on her home turf.
With the help of Central High School principal, Dr. Daniel Withers, Grayson surprised McElroy in her classroom and presented her with a Kentucky Colonel Commission.
“Ms. McElroy seeks to create good citizens, not just good students,” said Secretary Grayson. “She makes the principles of our government come alive for students by helping them understand that they hold the keys to the future of our nation, state, and their local communities.”
For over 13 years, McElroy has been sharing this passion for students and civic education at Louisville’s Central High School Magnet and Career Academy in Prospect, KY where she teaches senior legal and government services, U.S. history, and world civilization. Her hallmark is her enthusiasm for students and the subjects she shares, but she has gone above and beyond the classroom experience by providing out of school mentoring opportunities at local law firms and legal study programs at the University of Louisville. She has even taken students to London, England for a first hand account of the British Parliament.
“Teachers like Ms. McElroy need to know that their services do not go unnoticed,” said Grayson. “In many ways, the future of our democracy depends on them.”
Grayson directs the Civic Literacy Initiative of Kentucky (CLIK), a multi-year efforts for enhancing long-term civic engagement and civic literacy within the Commonwealth. CLIK recently established the Kentucky Teacher Network for Excellence in Civic Education and Civic Engagement, which seeks to provide a professional learning community for P-12 civic educators in order to share knowledge, skills, curriculum, and assessment tools.
ACETA is sponsored by The Center for Civic Education, the National Education Association, and the Center on Congress. For more information about the award visit www.civiced.org.
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