Kenneth Kubistek was surprised to be selected as the 2025 Pennsylvania History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute.
After all, he said, he’s just doing his job.
“I was really surprised. Teaching to me is just something I do because I enjoy working with the kids,” Kubistek said. “An award is great, but it’s really about the day-in and day-out of working with the kids. It was humbling because I feel like I’m just doing what I’m supposed to.”
Kubistek, 50, of North Huntingdon, has been teaching world history for 28 years, including 27 of them at Riverview Junior-Senior High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in history from Duquesne University.
Kubistek wears many hats in the Riverview School District. He sponsors the district’s Model UN and National History Day. He’s the district’s Social Studies Department chair and oversees the Global Scholar certificate.
Since 2004, the Gilder Lehrman Institute has recognized kindergarten through high school educators for their work in teaching American history. Nominees are recommended by students, colleagues or school leaders and selected by state committees of historians and educators.
“History teachers play an essential role in helping students understand the past, build critical thinking skills, and develop a deeper appreciation for the people and events that shaped our nation,” said James Basker, president and CEO of the Gilder Lehrman Institute. “We are proud to recognize educators who go above and beyond to make history engaging, meaningful and relevant in their classrooms.”
Kubistek said he received an email notifying him of his victory at the end of July. In addition to the recognition, he received $1,000, an archive of books and historical resources and a recognition ceremony.
“A teacher is only as good as the students they have and the willingness to participate in what the teachers have to offer,” he said. “I would not be who I am without my students. I would not be who I am without my family’s support.”
In his years at Riverview, Kubistek has helped cultivate an award-winning Model UN program. Riverview hosts a UN conference each October that students organize and run. In the past, they’ve welcomed up to 13 schools. The conference is approaching its 11th year.
Kubistek takes his students to four or five domestic conferences each year.
They’ve been going to Princeton University in New Jersey for 20 years and have traveled to Northwestern University in suburban Chicago and Cornell Univerity in Ithaca, N.Y., as well.
He’s also taken his students to Toronto, and each year a handful of seniors is selected to compete in a Model UN conference in Italy.
“There’s nothing better than giving the kids a chance to interact with students from across the country and then across the world,” Kubistek said.
He’s been floored by his students’ passion, dedication and accomplishments at the conferences and in the classroom over the years, he said.
Kubistek said he wouldn’t be where he is without the support he has received from the district’s administrators. He said he has been able to speak openly with his principals about his ideas and goals for his students, and has received consistent support.
“What sets Ken apart is the dedication and enthusiasm he inspires in his students,” Riverview Jr-Sr High School Principal Eric Hewitt said in a statement. “He has a rare ability to make high school students excited to talk about geopolitics, diplomatic history and international relations.
“His passion is infectious, his standards are high and his students rise to meet them because they know they are part of something meaningful and transformative.”
Kubistek is a “master teacher,” who embodies everything the Gilder Lehrman Institute seeks to recognize with the award, the principal said.
“He has had an immeasurable impact on our school and our students,” Hewitt said, “and I can think of no one more deserving of this honor.”
Kubistek said he’s still humbled by the recognition and has received multiple texts and emails from former students saying they already knew he was the best teacher in Pennsylvania.
“This award isn’t just mine,” he said. “It’s the district’s, the students’, administration’s, my family’s and the staff’s.”
