Lewiston High School history teacher Donna Olsen was one of 10 finalists for the 2026 National History Teacher of the Year award, the Maine Department of Education announced Oct. 30.
Olsen had been selected as Maine's History Teacher of the Year in the spring. The national award has already gone to Aditi Mehta Doshi of Los Angeles.
According to the department's announcement, the state award included a $1,000 honorarium and a collection of American history books and teaching materials for her school.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History runs the award. State honorees advance for national consideration alongside teachers from the other states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and U.S. territories.
Maine says nominations for its 2027 History Teacher of the Year will open in early 2027, with students, parents, colleagues and supervisors encouraged to nominate educators.