Ashbrook Teacher Wins Statewide "Outstanding American History Teacher” Award

The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) of New Mexico named Del Norte HS teacher, Karen Dziurzynski Cox, the state’s “Outstanding Teacher in American History.” Karen is automatically entered into the organization’s national competition culminating in recognition at the Washington, D.C. conference this summer.

Karen is a James Madison Senior Fellow (a prestigious Congressional Fellowship) and earned the right to the title “Constitutional Teacher-Scholar” when she completed her second Master’s degree in American History & Government at the Ashbrook Center.

She was raised in Albuquerque and attended APS schools. Karen received her B.A. at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA; and received her first M.A. from UNM. Most recently she taught a Master-Teacher seminar with the Society of the Cincinnati’s American Revolution Institute regarding the American Revolutionary War hero Kosciouszko. Karen recently acquired membership in DAR through a Spanish conquistador ancestor who helped fund the American War of Independence.

Karen has been teaching history and social studies courses for approximately 20 years. She is married to fellow educator, Patrick J. Cox, who teaches music at Manzano HS. Their son, Sage, teaches at Bernalillo High School, their daughter, Georgiana, and son-in-law Adam Bowers, are a nurse at Presbyterian Hospital and a computer engineer at Sandia Labs, respectively.