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Editor's note: On January 28, 2011, Liz James, coordinator of educational programs at Humanities Texas, presented Doug Kubicek of Hallettsville Junior High School with the Linden Heck Howell Outstanding Teaching of Texas History Award. Her remarks are excerpted below.

Thank you on behalf of Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, for allowing me to come to your school today and present this prestigious award to your most deserving teacher, Mr. Doug Kubicek.

I appreciate all of you taking the time out of your busy days, out of your hard work, to celebrate Mr. Kubicek and his hard work to advance humanities education at Hallettsville Junior High School and to share his love of Texas history with his students and his colleagues.

Whether he’s your teacher, a colleague, a friend, a relative, or even a former student, we all recognize Mr. Kubicek’s strong commitment to his students and his school.

This award is significant for Mr. Kubicek and Hallettsville Junior High School. We are not only recognizing Mr. Kubicek as a statewide leader in Texas history education. We are also honoring Hallettsville Junior High for its academic successes. After all, education really is all about the students, and I congratulate you for your achievements both inside and outside of Mr. Kubicek’s classroom. Having one of your teachers receive a statewide teaching award reflects your hard work as students.

To read of Mr. Kubicek’s goals as an educator and his passion for teaching history is inspiring. He reminds us of the importance that our educators not only instill a love of learning in students, but also encourage students to develop the skills and tools for becoming successful citizens in tomorrow’s world.

His involvements in local and state historical and preservation associations allow him to serve as a role model at Hallettsville Junior High School and in the community. His passion for history and for his profession shines through in his innovative classroom activities and ultimately in his students’ academic successes. Mr. Kubicek ensures that his students develop the critical thinking skills and hard work ethic that will lead to understanding the world, and our history, in a new and different way.

We truly need more educators like Mr. Kubicek.

Thank you again for being here to celebrate this memorable occasion for Mr. Kubicek. I would like to now present him with the Linden Heck Howell Outstanding Teaching of Texas History Award, for excellence and innovation in the teaching of Texas history, as well as a $5,000 check from Humanities Texas. Congratulations!