Montana History Teacher of the Year Announced

• October 24 2022

Great Falls teacher Eric Chaon is the winner of the Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award honoring the Montana History Teacher of the Year for 2021-2022.

Chosen by a panel of Montana history advocates, Chaon is the 33^rd winner of the award. He currently is the Social Studies Department head at the Great Falls High School. A ceremony for Chaon and his students is set for 10 a.m. Nov. 9 near the Statehood Centennial Bell on the east balcony overlooking the rotunda in the State Capitol in Helena.

“I immerse students in analyzing images, letters, broadsides, and other primary sources from Montana history,” Chaon said. “I also use class competitions, online challenges, and games to encourage student interest and engagement.”

A Great Falls native, Chaon is a 2006 graduate of Great Falls High School and a 2010 graduate from Montana State University in Bozeman. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education, and a Master of Education degree in curriculum and instruction.

Chaon taught middle school and high school social studies in Augusta, Montana, from 2011-2013, and world history and Montana history at Great Falls High School since 2013.

“I was able to fully see the dedication Eric brings to not only his classroom but also to the relationships he builds with his students,” said GFHS Librarian Jerry Hopkins, who wrote a letter of support for Chaon. “Mr. Chaon’s classroom persona is loud, animated, and humorous. This combination of passion for education makes his students want to attend his class and look forward to what each lesson will bring.”

Cale Gundlach, a GFHS senior, also wrote a letter of support.

“Mr. Chaon is deserving of this prestigious award because of the connection he makes with his students, the engaging way in which he teaches, and his love for bettering the growth of his students,” Gundlach wrote.

Chaon will receive a plaque and $4,500 from three sponsors: the Montana Television Network, the Montana History Foundation, and the Sons & Daughters of Montana Pioneers. Other partners are the Montana Historical Society and the 1889 Coffee House in Helena.

Additional gifts of $100 in gold Sacajawea coins from Judy Wohlfrom of Woodland, Calif., are given to the student who writes the letter of support for the winning teacher. Another gold Sacajawea dollar is given from Mike Collins, president of the Sons and Daughter of Montana Pioneers, and his wife Connie, to each student who accompanies the winning teacher to the Helena awards ceremony.

For more information, contact Norma Ashby Smith at 406/590-6798 or ashby7@charter.net.