Chris Cavanaugh - 2018 Teacher of the Year
Christopher G. Cavanaugh - 2018 Teacher of the Year
Plainville High School ~ Plainville, Indiana
For 28 years, Chris Cavanaugh has been a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Plainfield High School.
Mr. Cavanaugh created and teaches an honors course entitiled "Cultural Heritage of the American People," which combines American history and American Literature. He also teaches and mentors students participating in the "We the People" program, a program which he started at Plainfield High School. His "We the People" teams are annually in the top five in Indiana - and in 2016 they finished 4th nationally.
His students organized and hosted debates for Congressional candidates and local school board candidates. They participated in town hall meetings with gubernatorial candidates and led voter registration drives. With all of his teaching and mentoring, Mr. Cavanaugh even found time to be the boys and girls swimming and diving coach for twenty-six years.
“What being awarded the ALA Law-Related Education TOY means to me is hard to put into words. It really is kind of a validation for the years of hard work constantly honing my craft and lessons. It is also humbling knowing the teachers who have been previously recognized by the ALA and to be considered one of their number is an honor which is amazing for me. In addition, the fact that there is an organization like the ALA that will take the time (and money) to honor teachers working to make our nation better is a wonderful feeling.”
Chris won the James Madison Senior Fellowship which helped him obtain his M.A. in History in 2004. In 2006, he was recognized as the American Civic Education Teacher of the Year, and he finished as a top five finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year. In 2017, he was selected to serve on the Indiana Bar Foundation's board of directors. Mr. Cavanaugh is the first and only non-attorney to serve on the board. He has appeared twice on a PBS national newscast addressing civil education.
Mr. Cavanaugh subscribes to Thomas Jefferson's belief that only an educated citizenry will preserve liberty. His goal is to instill in his students "passion, knowledge and reasoning." For 28 years, he as educated citizens who understand the Constitution and participate in the Democratic process.
He has degrees from Vincennes University, Butler University, and Indiana University. As Mr. Gruver of the Indiana Bar Foundation stated, "Chris Cavanaugh is a phenominal teacher, mentor and a champion for law-related education."