Teacher of Year in Washington: Tacoma high school social studies teacher



SEATTLE (AP) — A Tacoma high school social studies teacher has been named Washington state teacher of the year for 2016.

Nathan Gibbs-Bowling is starting his 10th year of teaching in Tacoma. He currently teaches advanced placement government and human geography at Lincoln High School. His students pass their AP exams at a rate three times the district average and two years ago he started the first freshman AP course in the district.

He is an advocate for working in collaborative teams with other teachers and his known for his classroom style that lets students do the majority of the talking.

Gibbs-Bowling was honored at a ceremony in Seattle along with other regional teachers of the year: Alecia McAdams-Sing of Lakeside High School in the Nine Miles Falls District in Spokane; Joyce Stark of Sunnyside High School; Bethany Rivard of Fort Vancouver High School in Vancouver; Maegan Skoubo of Raymond Junior Senior High School; Theresa Holland-Schmid of Kingston High School; Omar Escalera of McLoughlin Middle School in Pasco; Ashley Leneway of Morgan Owings Elementary School in Lake Chelan; and Michael Werner of Granite Falls High School School.