Andrea Guy’s AP American History students know how to keep a secret.

Guy, who will begin her seventh year of teaching 10th and 11th graders at Hardin Valley Academy this coming school year, had no clue that she’d been nominated for the prestigious Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year Award until she got an email from the Gilder Lehman Institute asking for an example of a lesson plan and a synopsis of her philosophy of teaching.

“I found out in June that I had been selected by a group of scholars and teachers as the Tennessee (high school) Teacher of the Year,” Guy said.

She’ll get a $1000 prize, plus a selection of books and resources and the opportunity to compete for the National Teacher of the Year award in August. Ten finalists will be announced in September. The winner of the national award will get a $10,000 prize and a ceremony in his/her honor in New York City.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History was founded by philanthropists Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman to promote the teaching of American History. The Institute maintains the Gilder Lehrman Collection, a 65,000 document American History archive.

Guy is from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and taught there for nine years before moving to Tennessee with her family. She says it’s hard to pick just one era as her favorite period to teach.

“I love the pre-Civil War period and the interwar years between World Wars I and II. I find that the longer I teach, the harder it is for me to pick just one era.”

Last summer, she was one of 25 teachers invited to participate in the Supreme Court Historical Society’s Summer Teacher institute.

“They flew us to DC, and paid for it all. We met with clerks of the court and with lawyers who practice there. We developed lesson plans and argued cases in front of the court. We met Chief Justice Roberts at a reception – it was amazing! I met a lot of teachers I’m still friends with. We share ideas, bounce things off each other. It was maybe best professional development I’ve ever done.”

Guy is on the Blount Mansion Advisory Council, and created a program for AP history students called Blount Scholars. Her HVA students were willing guinea pigs for the Blount Scholars development, telling her what they did and didn’t like. This year, the program will be opened up for students countywide.The school board will honor Guy next Wednesday, August 2, at its voting meeting.