Bancroft Rosalie Teacher Named 2025 Nebraska History Teacher of The Year

James Hulstein, a teacher from Bancroft Rosalie Public Schools was recently named the 2025 State History Teacher of the Year, an award sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

In 2025, parents, students, teachers, and administrators nationwide nominated more than 7,000 teachers for the History Teacher of the Year Award. In that very competitive field, James Hulstein rose to the top in Nebraska.

The History Teacher of the Year Award highlights the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary through high school. The award honors one exceptional K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. territories.

As a classroom educator, Hulstein is driven by a desire to instill in his students historical thinking skills like inquiry, research, multiple perspectives, and synthesis to create and tell the stories they have found. Hulstein requires each of his students to dive deeper into the nation’s past to find understanding and knowledge through accurate and reliable sources from differing perspectives, to corroborate and evaluate a source. Mr. Hulstein believes that knowing and understanding one’s own history is critical.

Hulstein will receive a $1,000 award and Bancroft Rosalie will become a Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School, receiving history books and educational materials from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Hulstein will also be a finalist for the $10,000 National History Teacher of the Year Award.