A Churchill County High School educator has been named this year’s Veterans of Foreign Wars High School teacher of the year for Fallon Post 1002 and District 4 that covers all of Churchill and Mineral counties and northern Nye County.
Keith Lund, who has been a history and math teacher in the Churchill County School District since 1999, first began his career at Churchill County Junior High School (now the middle school) and is now the social studies department chair at the high school. He was named the Rookie Teacher of the Year in 1999 and Walmart Teacher of the Year for CCHS in 2010.
Mike Terry, a retired Navy veteran who coordinates the education programs for Post 1002, said Lund has developed an extensive background in teaching his students about military history and service. One of the events Lund discussed in his background was bringing Civil War reenactors to his classes.
“When I was teaching at the junior high school, I had a student and family who were involved with historical reenactments, specifically the Civil War and World War II,” Lund explained. “I was able to get them as well as others to come in and show the kids what it was like for soldiers during this time.”
In her nomination letter, student council adviser Terri Pearson said Lund stresses to his athletes and students that “honoring our country, our flag and out veterans is so important in today’s society. He models this to his students in how he lives his life. He proudly salutes and honors our flag at all assemblies and athletic events. He’s hard to miss.”
Lund said he also brought the reenactments to the high school after he transferred.
“I believed it was important for students to see the details that they are not exposed to either from textbooks or the news,” he added.
As adviser of the junior high school’s National Junior Honor Society, he and his students assembled care packages to send to military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also has invited military recruiters to come into his classes.
Lund has taught personal finance classes at the high school, and six years ago, he partnered with Financial Horizons Credit Union to bring the Bite of Reality program into his Personal Finance class.
“Bite of Reality is a hands-on program that gives students a taste of the real world when it comes to handling their finances,” he wrote. “Each student is given a fictional occupation and family. Then they are tasked with purchasing various everyday needs.”
Lund has been involved with the Teaching American History Project and the Advanced Placement U.S. History Conference and was test reader and graders for the AP U.S. History Test in June 2018. During his tenure with the Churchill County School District, the 1998 University of Nevada, Reno graduate has coached basketball at the junior high and middle school levels and currently serves as an assistant coach for the Lady Wave basketball teams, which has won consecutive state 3A championships.
Prior to earning his degree, Lund served in the U.S. Air Force for three-and-a-half years as an aircraft mechanic at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, Calif. He worked as a civilian aircraft mechanic for General Dynamics/McDonnel Douglas at Naval Air Station Fallon from 1990-1996.