CONNIE MILLER

Connie Miller joined the Birchwood community in 1993 when her oldest son entered the first grade. From the beginning she was involved with the school in a number of different capacities. She was part of the first group of parents to form the Parents’ Committee and was an integral part of the planning for the first few years of the International Festival and Auction. She also worked part time on the staff until the fall of 1998 when she began to teach full time. Her first year teaching 7th and 8th social studies also marked her first year of taking students to the national level of the National History Day competition in College Park, Maryland. Fifteen students qualified that year and set the standard for every class to follow. Since then, Birchwood students have qualified each year for the national competition and won many prestigious awards. In 2007 Mrs. Miller received the David Van Tassel Award “for outstanding contributions to History Day” and in 2010, the Ohio Humanities Council recognized her as the District 3 Teacher of Merit. She then went on to receive the 2010 Ohio History Day Teacher of Merit award from the Ohio Historical Society for “dedication to the teaching of history, education of students, and support of the National History Day in Ohio program.”  Mrs. Miller thoroughly enjoys taking students through the process of historical research and helping them present their findings in diverse ways. With ongoing enthusiasm, she strives to engage her students’ interest in history and endeavors to stimulate their critical thinking skills, not only in looking at the past but also in considering history’s relevance to today’s world.