KALISPELL, Mont. — Kristopher Schreiner, an 18-year veteran of Kalispell Middle School’s history department, was named the 2026 Centennial Bell Montana History Teacher of the Year, recognized for an immersive approach to Montana history that has students mining for gold, tanning hides, and constructing log cabins alongside traditional classroom instruction.
The awards committee selected Schreiner unanimously, praising the breadth of his curriculum, the range of hands-on learning opportunities he provides, and his commitment to fostering a lasting connection between students and the place they call home.
Schreiner grew up on a farm near Laurel where both sides of his family homesteaded in the early 1900s, and has spent his entire career drawing on that personal heritage to bring Montana history to life in the classroom. His students have participated in atlatl training, fire-making, hide tanning, gold panning, log cabin construction, and butter churning, among other activities designed to connect young Montanans to the state’s past through direct experience.
Kalispell Middle School Principal Dallas Stuker said Schreiner does not simply teach Montana history — he immerses students in it, creating memorable experiences that deepen their understanding of the state’s heritage. Students echoed that sentiment, with eighth-grader Serena Carlson noting that lessons in Schreiner’s class stick with students in ways that conventional instruction does not.
Schreiner will receive $4,250 from event sponsors Montana Television Network, the Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers, and the Virginia City Preservation Alliance, to be used for classroom materials, guest speakers, field trips, and other learning enhancements.
As part of the 37th Montana Statehood Centennial Bell celebration, Schreiner and his students will ring the Centennial Bell on Nov. 9 at 10:29 a.m. — the exact minute Montana became the 41st state in 1889. The award was established in 1989 by Montana Historical Society trustee Norma Ashby-Smith to honor the centennial of Montana statehood.