Juanita High History Teacher Wins Pressly Prize

’s Paul Miller has been awarded this year’s Thomas and Cameron Pressly Prize, which recognizes an outstanding local secondary school history teacher.

Miller has taught history, social studies and humanities at Juanita for 13 years. His letter of nomination came from Matthew King, a Juanita graduate, 2011 University of Washington grad and a state finalist in the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship competition.

The Pressly prize began in 1982 to honor Tom Pressly and his wife, Cameron. Tom Pressly taught for more than 40 years in the UW History Department and had a deep commitment to building bridges between university-level and high school-level social studies programs throughout this state. Pressly Prize candidates are selected mainly on the basis of letters of nomination from students currently or recently enrolled at the UW.

Miller is known for pushing students to dig beneath surface generalizations about the past, using a sometimes quirky but always illuminating approach. Here’s what Matthew King said in his nominating letter: “First impressions are always important, and the first impression I had of Mr. Miller was his classroom. It remains difficult for me to describe, but perhaps the best way to think about it is if you blew up a Barnes & Noble and Ye Olde Curiosity Shop and left the remnants scattered about a single space. It was a chaotic yet organized environment, one that would make for a memorable learning experience.”

The public presentation of the 2012 Pressly Prize will take place at the UW History Department’s annual Awards Ceremony on Monday, May 14. In addition to a citation, Miller will receive a framed testimonial along with a stipend of $2,500.

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From a Lake Washington School District release.