Mr. Negraval and Ms. Gaylord were honored by the History Channel.
By: Emily Holody
Justin Negraval and Corinne Gaylord frequently use clips from The History Channel while teaching 10th and 11th grade social studies at South Brunswick High School.
However, it is their dedication to teaching local history that made the duo the History Channel’s 2007 Save Our History Teacher of the Year finalists.
In order to be considered for the Teacher of the Year award, a history teacher had to "creatively bring the preservation of local history to life in the classroom," according to a press release.
Through their work with the Dead Presidents Society, the high school’s history club, as well as in their individual classrooms, Mr. Negraval and Ms. Gaylord fit the qualifications.
Ms. Gaylord founded the history club and has been teaching for eight years. She was unavailable for comment regarding this honor.
This year the history club produced a calendar about South Brunswick history.
"We were selling them as fundraisers," said Mr. Negraval, who added that the money went toward club functions. "We had the kids look up information about the most historical sites in the township."
Some locations featured in the calendar were Monmouth Junction, local cemeteries, the Delaware-Raritan Canal in Kingston and the Titus Farm in Kendall Park.
The history club also had an Inaugural Ball in January. Mr. Negraval said the whole town came out, including the mayor, members of the Board of Education, the principal and about 250 students.
"We had food, dancing, there were speeches about South Brunswick history and the importance of preserving it," said Mr. Negraval.
The ball was meant to be a celebration of South Brunswick history and a way for students to get involved, said Mr. Negraval. It was also an education experience.
"We were calling attention (to the fact that) local history needs to be preserved," said Mr. Negraval.
Although he only began teaching two years ago, Mr. Negraval quickly realized the importance of teaching local history in his classroom.
"South Brunswick is just so diverse. We have people coming from all over the world, and we thought there was a real lack of knowledge about what the history of Central New Jersey is," said Mr. Negraval. "We made the decision last year to start preserving local history. It seems to have taken off. The kids are really interested because it’s the history of the places they’re familiar with. It’s not distant."
Mr. Negraval and Ms. Gaylord sent the calendar made by the history club, along with information gained for the Inaugural Ball, to The History Channel for consideration for the Teacher of the Year award. Mr. Negraval said they were well received.
Although Mr. Negraval and Ms. Gaylord were unable to attend the National Awards Breakfast held in Washington, D.C., on May 16, they received $500 and the honor of being finalists.
"It’s a great honor. We use a lot of the material from The History Channel in different ways," said Mr. Negraval. "Sometimes some of the things you do don’t get recognized as an educator, and it’s nice to be recognized for something you work hard for."

