Indio Middle School teacher receives One Class at a Time grant to bring history to life

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - An Indio Middle School teacher is getting new classroom resources to help students experience history in a more hands-on way after receiving a One Class at a Time grant.

Eighth-grade U.S. history teacher Dessa Keuilian was given with the award, sponsored by the Walter Clark Legal Group, to purchase classroom globes and a three-dimensional topographic map.

Keuilian said the new tools will help students better understand the geography behind major events in American history, from westward expansion to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

"One thing that I want to buy with the grant is a topographical map so that they can feel the mountains or the different areas of the country," Keuilian said. "I think it'll make history more engaging for them to look at it and feel it and touch it."

A Coachella Valley native, Keuilian returned home to teach in the same community where she grew up. She hopes to pass along the same excitement for learning that her own teachers inspired in her.

"I loved going to school as a kid, and I hope that I can give them just a crumb of the good energy that I got from my teachers here in the Valley," she said.

Indio Middle School Principal Robert Cullinan said the grant recognizes both Keuilian's creativity in the classroom and her commitment to students.

"She's still new at the trade, but she actually acts like a veteran teacher and does amazing things with our students," Cullinan said.

The globes and topographic map are expected to remain in Keuilian's classroom for years, allowing hundreds of students to explore history through hands-on learning.

One Class at a Time, sponsored by the Walter Clark Legal Group, recognizes outstanding educators across the Coachella Valley by providing grants for classroom projects and supplies. Community members can nominate a deserving teacher through News Channel 3's website.