The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center is proud to announce Kelly Pratt-Booth as the winner of the inaugural Kurtz Educator Award.
The KURTZ EDUCATOR AWARD is dedicated to teachers who are committed to Holocaust education, ensuring the lessons of the Holocaust inspire action today. Pratt-Booth, who teaches social studies at Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, was nominated by Highlands Social Studies Dept. Chair Kym Wilson Grillot.
Grillot said Pratt-Booth goes beyond just unpacking the stories of survivors, resistors, and liberators. She pushes her students to learn deeply about how and why the Holocaust happened. In addition, Mrs. Pratt-Booth extends the lessons of the Holocaust by ensuring that students understand that genocides continue to happen and arms her students with the knowledge they need to be upstanders.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Lilly & Mark Kurtz Educator award. I am now, more than ever, empowered and inspired to continue the important work of making sure my students learn the critical lessons of the Holocaust and apply them to what they can do now to be upstanders,” Pratt-Booth said. “The Holocaust and Humanity Center is such a blessing to me and my fellow educators in supporting us in teaching this complex history. The HHC has played such a vital role in who I am as a teacher and their support impacts every single student that walks through my classroom door.”
To apply, a teacher must have a minimum of 2 years teaching the Holocaust in a classroom setting and is currently teaching grades 6-12. Limited to teachers in Ohio, Kentucky, or Indiana. The winner receives $1,000 and is recognized at the HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY CENTER’S ANNUAL MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 22. This award is given in honor of second-generation survivor Lily Kurtz, a former teacher and upstander herself, who understands the power of education.
“Kelly is the kind of educator we’re proud to partner with and support,” said Jodi Elowitz, HHC’s Chief Learning Officer. “From her enthusiasm and passion to her expertise on subject matter, she goes out of her way to provide extraordinary learning moments for students. We know that she is doing her own part to create the next generation of upstanders.”
