Mount Vernon, VA, June 11, 2025 – George Washington's Mount Vernon has selected Allison O’Connor, a history teacher from Sterling Middle School in Sterling, Virginia, as the 2025 History Teacher of the Year.
The Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year award is presented annually to one history or social studies teacher in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area who teaches with creativity and passion, instills a love of learning in students, and deepens students’ understanding and appreciation of history. Ms. O’Connor will be presented with the award at the Constitution Day Celebration on September 30, and she will receive a cash award of $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Mount Vernon for her students.
As a history teacher at the only Title I middle school in Loudoun County, Ms. O’Connor is committed to ensuring equitable access to knowledge of colonial Virginia, the American Revolution, and George Washington’s legacy. Her work supports Mount Vernon’s mission to educate about the life, leadership, and legacy of George Washington.
She has built strong partnerships between her classroom and cultural institutions, including developing professional learning experiences for teachers through partnerships with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, and Virginia Council for the Social Studies. She regularly presents at regional and state conferences, sharing strategies for bringing museum resources into the classroom.
Ms. O’Connor said, “Being a history teacher is not just a profession; it is a calling. It is about lighting the spark of curiosity, teaching students to ask better questions, and helping them see that they, too, are part of history in the making.”
Her teaching method rests on three cornerstones: utilizing primary sources, facilitating inquiry, and providing opportunities for students to experience history authentically.
Describing one of her lessons, Ms. O’Connor wrote in her application, “History class begins with the sounds of a bustling tavern and the distant rumble of fifes and drums. The room is dimly lit, flickering with candle-like light. Six knapsacks sit on tables, each chair marked with an oath card. Suddenly, it’s 1778—you’ve joined the secretive Culper Spy Ring… As you look around, curiosity sparks—what has Ms. O’Connor planned this time?”
A photograph of Ms. O’Connor is available here.
Mount Vernon has named Kevin Curtin, a social studies teacher at George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, Virginia, as the runner-up. Mr. Curtin will receive a cash award of $500.
This is the 17th year of the Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year award, made possible through generous support from the Robertson Foundation. For more information, please visit mountvernon.org/teacheroftheyear.
Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States. The estate is open to visitors and includes the Mansion, a museum and education center, gardens, tombs, a working farm, a functioning distillery, and a gristmill. It also includes the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.
