East Kentwood teacher to attend State of the Union

Phil Pinarski
·2 min read
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KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) — Matthew Vriesman, a history teacher at East Kentwood High School will attend Thursday’s State of the Union Address in person as a guest of Rep. Hillary Scholten, according to her office.

“Mr. Vriesman is getting East Kentwood High School students excited to learn about our nation’s history and how they can create a better future for us all– and I am THRILLED that he is able to join me at this year’s State of the Union Address,” Rep. Scholten said in a statement. “There is no better way to honor the service of one of our incredible local teachers than to join me in Washington for one of our nation’s most storied traditions. I can’t wait to welcome him and his wife to Washington, D.C. to represent the Kentwood community and all of West Michigan.”

Vriesman was named the National History Teacher of the Year in 2023 by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. He was selected after teaching his students the importance of using primary sources to teach and starting a blog, Anti-Racist APush, which has been adopted by classrooms across the country.

He spoke with News 8 after winning the award and said the honor was “shocking” and that he was proud to win the award for his students. Vriesman expressed the same amount of surprise with this news of his upcoming trip to Washington D.C.

“I am deeply honored to represent my colleagues and community as the guest of Congresswoman Scholten at the State of the Union. As a U.S. History teacher, this opportunity is truly the thrill of a lifetime! It’s better than the Super Bowl! Each year, I create an extra credit State of the Union bingo for my students, and this year, they can check off ‘Spot Mr. Vriesman’ in one of the boxes. This is a dream come true, and I eagerly anticipate the chance to partake in this historic tradition in our nation’s capital,” Vriesman said in a statement.

He will be attending the address at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday starting at 9 p.m. You can watch it live on WOOD TV8.

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