Riverview high school teacher selected as Secondary Teacher of the Year

Ken Kubistek is no stranger to making history.

He has been teaching the subject at Riverview High School for the past 23 years.

The social studies chairman founded the school’s history club two decades ago with retired teacher Janeice Calfe. Both were among 100 teachers honored in March 2004 by the Teacher Excellence Center.

Kubistek, 45, of Irwin can make another note in his career history book after being named the Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies (PCSS) Secondary Teacher of the Year.

The council is an organization that promotes the analysis, dissemination and evaluation of instructional materials and programs for effective social studies education in the state.

The award was presented at the 67th annual PCSS conference last month.

“It’s a humbling thing,” said Kubistek about the recognition. “It really has nothing to do with me. It’s a lot to do with the kids.”

The history club includes the school’s Model United Nations program and National History Day teams, which compete in regional, state and national competitions.

Both groups have racked up awards through the years, including 32 for Model UN last school year. In 2018, the National History Day team earned first-, second- and third-place awards in several categories.

Kubistek believes his students’ success was a key factor in being selected by the council for the honor.

“It really comes down to the desire of the kids in the district,” he said. “I give them the chance to sign up to do some of these activities, but they have to want to do it. I just drive the van. They do all the hard work. You’ve got this little tiny school, and we’re able to compete against these large schools.”

Riverview has about 1,000 students in the entire district.

School board President Lisa Ashbaugh commended Kubistek on his accomplishments and impact on young learners.

“Riverview is blessed to have such an amazing and dedicated teacher such as Mr. Kubistek for our social studies program,” Ashbaugh said. “He deserves this honor, and I am very happy to see him recognized for his time and efforts. For many years we have seen his hard work in the form of award-winning Model UN teams and producing impressive National History Days, as well as grooming students to be members of the National Honor Society.

“Through Mr. Kubistek’s efforts, Riverview has received recognition across the state of Pennsylvania for our advances in teaching social studies, and this is very impressive for a small school district such as ours.”

Kubistek, a 1997 Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate, said administrators have supported all of his projects throughout his career at Riverview, and he has no plans on retiring any time soon.

“It’s such a fun job and I really enjoy what I do,” he said. “When you’re in a larger district, there are a lot of different obstacles that you’ve got to face. The opportunity that Riverview provides has always given me a chance to do something that I’ve felt was important, not what someone else tells me is important.”

Kubistek served as PCSS executive secretary in the early 2000s. He was nominated for the award by longtime board member Leo West, PCSS’s longest serving social studies champion.