By Heather MacIntosh Huffnagle
At the end of every school year, one Riverton School social studies student is recognized for his or her excellence in history. The Historical Society of Riverton’s Betty Hahle Award was established in 2011 after the passing of the town’s first historian, Betty Hahle.
The award, which includes a $150 prize, was established as a memorial to this extraordinary leader who was the HSR’s president and the editor of its newsletter Gaslight News.
This year’s recipient well reflects the dedication and focus of the award’s namesake.
Rosemary Allen, Riverton School’s middle school social studies teacher, enthusiastically nominated Violet B., this year’s winner. During the award ceremony, Mrs. Allen praised Violet’s consistent excellence (she’s maintained an A+ average in history for three years), her love of reading, her active engagement in class and her acting skills in a classroom recreation of the Boston Massacre Trial.
During the May 27th award ceremony, Mrs. Allen described her experience with Violet over the years. “From the moment she stepped into my classroom in 6th grade, her quiet voice rose up to stand up for what’s right, to look out for the most vulnerable, and to ask truly difficult questions about our past and present history.
“Her actions and dedication are that of a true historian: a bulldog looking for the truth, an attorney searching for evidence, and a lifelong learner always looking for her next great read.
“I am so proud of all of her accomplishments, but most importantly I am counting on her to use her brilliant mind and beautiful heart to make history and make our world a better place.”
Mrs. Allen’s engaging teaching style inspired Violet to learn more about the past.
Violet explained “I realized that I connected with history when Mrs. Allen started teaching us in 6th grade. Before that, history was kind of boring and I didn’t like it very much. Mrs. Allen is an amazing teacher who really immerses her students in the past. I felt like I was in a whole other world.
“When I learned what accomplishments and crazy things people had done it the past, it made me feel like I was capable of doing anything.”
When asked what she liked about learning history, Violet noted “when we learn about history, we learn about the mistakes that people have made in our past. If we learn about these mistakes and learn from them, we are able to not make them again which makes our future even brighter.”
Well said, Violet. Congratulations!
— Heather MacIntosh Huffnagle
