SALAMANCA — Salamanca High School social studies teacher Justin Hubbard has been recognized for his work in the classroom with a national award.
Hubbard was one of three recipients of the 2022 American Civic Education Teacher Awards, presented by the Center for Civic Education, Center on Representative Government and the National Education Association.
“I am very proud and honored to receive this award,” said Hubbard, who has taught in Salamanca for eight years. “Civic education is vital for the survival of democracy, and I will use this award to motivate me to continue my work in this extremely important field.”
The awards recognize civics and government teachers who have demonstrated exceptional expertise, dynamism and creativity in motivating students to learn about the Constitution, U.S. government at the federal, state and local levels and public policy.
Justin Hubbard
Hubbard said he learned about this award from the Indiana University Center on Representative Government during a trip to Washington, D.C. where he took part in the conference for the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools.
“I was very motivated and encouraged at the time and thought I should apply,” he said. “I received two letters of recommendation from long-time colleagues and one from our superintendent, Bob Breidenstein, as well as filled out an extensive application.”
Hubbard said what has helped him win the award was being part of initiatives the district has done since the social unrest of 2020. He said Salamanca has taken civic education extremely seriously and approached matters head-on while other districts have shied away.
One such program is the Salamanca Student Activists, which Hubbard is the advisor for. He guides students through the process of how to make meaningful and impactful changes to their school district and community.
“The most dynamic action was the yearlong project to raise the Progress Pride Flag year-round at the high school,” he said. “Our students had many meetings about this proposal which included hours of research as well as presenting their ideas to their administration and school board.”
Hubbard is also an advisor of the school’s pilot program for the New York State Seal Civic Readiness, a new pathway to graduation from the state that empathizes civic knowledge as well as participation. He said the program creates the initiative to begin encompassing civics in all social studies classes as well as other departments.
“I have also been the teacher and advisor of our Civic Engagement Program,” he said. “This program was created in response to the combination of a lack of civics in our current social studies curriculum plus a desire to become more engaged civically from our students.”
CEP includes teaching students how to become involved in their local community as well as giving them the tools and guidance to put it into action, Hubbard explained. He said they recently took a trip to Washington, D.C. to take part in the Conference for Federally Impacted Schools.
“Our students lobbied congressional staffers to increase aid to all federally impacted schools,” he said. “Our CEP students also each completed capstone projects that had them advocating for action in the community.”
Hubbard said he loves teaching because he has always been one to help others and teaching is the best way to do it. He said he likes being able to pass down the knowledge and skills that helped him in life.
“I also love social studies specifically. We are out here telling the greatest story ever: history,” he added. “Can’t get more fun than that.”
In the classroom, Hubbard said he tries to make everything related to current events since they don’t learn history or any of the social studies in a vacuum. He said students need to be able to use these skills in their lives.
Hubbard said America is in a unique spot in its history right now, being more polarized and at odds than the population has been in a long time. Add to that the country being extremely dissatisfied and untrusting of government and institutions, and the future of the nation is on the knife’s edge.
“I believe that a majority polarization and tension come from an ignorance of civics and how our systems of power work,” he said. “By teaching civics — really teaching it — we can give our students the skills and knowledge they need to navigate these systems of power and fix this mess that we have caused. We need to.”
Hubbard said he is thankful to all of his students, especially from SSA and CEP.
“They are the absolute best and impress me every single day,” he said. “I love teaching them. I love my job and I am proud to be a part of Warrior Nation.”
The ACETA program informs the public of the challenges of teaching and the different conditions under which teachers serve the public good. The awardees share a passion for civic education and its role in supporting democratic norms.
The other ACETA recipients are Shelina Warren of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., and Tony Pirotta of Jule F. Sumner High School in Riverview, Fla.
