Los Lunas Elementary teacher wins statewide VFW award, heads to Washington, D.C. in June

LOS LUNAS  —  It’s often said that the best teachers can make history come alive.

That’s certainly the case with Victoria Nielsen, a teacher at Los Lunas Elementary School, who was recently recognized as the winner of the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award.

A fourth-grade teacher at LLE, Nielsen triumphed at the local VFW District 2 level and, finally, at the state level in New Mexico. She will represent the entire state at the VFW National Convention, July 25-29 in Reno, Nev.

“I’m really excited,” Nielson said after the ceremony. “It was the projects that I do with (the students) that I’ve really loved. So, it was wonderful to hear that other people also really loved them or thought well of them.

“I love the creative part of teaching, getting the kids to think deeply about things. You know, the project that we do, it’s a living wax museum where they dress up as someone from history, and they (the students) have to become that person.”

During the ceremony, Gabriel Barela, VFW Post 9676 social media coordinator and teachers’ award chairperson, praised Nielsen and her efforts during the school’s annual Living History Museum program, “a beloved tradition that transforms students into Revolutionary-era figures.

“Mrs. Nielsen has a remarkable gift. She makes history come alive for young learners. Her students don’t just memorize facts; they step into the shoes of the people who built our nation. One of the most memorable examples is her ‘breakup letter to Britain’ project, where students use textual evidence to explain why the colonies sought independence.”

Launched in 1999, the VFW’s Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Teacher Award recognizes certified teachers for promoting citizenship education.

Three teachers ­— one from each level (K-5, 6-8, and 9-12) — may be selected as department winners. Each department award winner and their school receives a national citation.

“What made Victoria stand out was exactly what the criteria was — patriotism, civic duty — and her nomination identified exactly in her class,” Barela said. “Not only did she teach history, she brought the students in to act out history. That helps draw (the students) out. What she does, how she does it, and how she (teaches). That’s why she won.”

Los Lunas Elementary Principal Regina Lucero said she was not surprised that Nielsen was honored with the VFW teaching award.

“Just in my short time here, I feel that through my walk-throughs and my observations of her teaching, she is a very compassionate teacher,” Lucero said. “She enjoys her work, and she has a love for teaching, and it shows through her curriculum and her instruction. I think it also shows the community that Los Lunas Elementary is sometimes a hidden gem, with our teachers here being very distinguished in their profession. They take their work very seriously.”

Nielsen said making the lessons “more tangible and understandable” is a focus of hers with the program, which has been going on for three years.

“I’m just really happy to be chosen,” she said of the award. “I’m excited to go to D.C.”