An Auburn High School graduate has been named one of the top five educators in the nation by the National Education Association.

Doug Graney, a social studies teacher at Herndon High School in Virginia, was awarded the Horace Mann Award as being a finalist for the NEA Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence, an annual award from the NEA Foundation which honors an educator for exemplary classroom instruction, diversity, community engagement, advocacy for the profession and leadership in professional development.

Though proud of the accomplishment, Graney said there are many other teachers that are just as deserving.

“I thought it was nice, but I also realize there are teachers where I teach that are more effective than I am,” he said, “ and these teachers deserve more recognition than I do.”

He said the English as a Second Language teachers do hard work to help the immigrant population at the school and they have, “ a tough job making these kids into patriotic, productive Americans. They do hard work without the recognition they deserve.”

The Horace Mann award and the NEA finalist comes nearly a year after Graney won the 2007 Virginia Education Association Award for Teaching Excellence.

Graney, an Auburn native and Auburn High School graduate of 1981, credits Auburn social studies teacher Gerald Martin for inspiring him to become a teacher.

At Herndon High School Graney teaches U.S. and Virginia government, political science and philosophy. There he has created an internship program, placing students as interns at various offices on Capitol Hill.

He also brings students to meet U.S. Congressman Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and to visit an embassy.

Graney is Nationally Board Certified and was awarded a bachelor's degree in social studies education from Buffalo State College and a master's in the same discipline from SUNY Cortland.

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net