A sixth-grade teacher at Kahuku Elementary School has been named Hawai'i History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Preserve America.

Hau'ula resident Paul Waite will receive a $1,000 honorarium and will be in the running for the National History Teacher of the Year award to be selected this fall. Kahuku Elementary's library will receive a core archive of history books and materials from Gilder Lehrman.

Waite has been teaching for 15 years and has been at Kahuku Elementary for three years.

He works with fourth- and fifth-graders on the National History Day contest.