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 - The 2009 Snavely Award will be announced in Madison at the annual conference

WCSS Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award Winners

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

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