Kalispell Teacher Wins Centennial Bell Award

Kristopher Schreiner of Kalispell Middle School was named the 2026 Centennial Bell Montana History Teacher of the Year.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Awards

Kalispell Teacher Wins Centennial Bell Award

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Kristopher Schreiner, an eighth grade social studies teacher at Kalispell Middle School, won the 2026 Centennial Bell Montana History Teacher of the Year Award. He was recognized at the Montana State Capitol in Helena on November 9, 2026.

Why it matters

The award honors educators who bring Montana history to life for students, and Schreiner's hands-on lessons give students direct experience with historical skills. The $4,250 award will support classroom learning across the state's teaching community.

Schreiner receives $4,250 from event sponsors, usable for anything that supports student learning. The Centennial Bell celebration marks its 37th year, and the award was founded in 1989 by longtime KRTV broadcaster Norma Ashby-Smith.

The players

Kristopher Schreiner

Schreiner is an eighth grade social studies teacher at Kalispell Middle School who grew up on a farm near Laurel.

Norma Ashby-Smith

Ashby-Smith was a longtime KRTV broadcaster who founded the Centennial Bell award in 1989.

The details

Schreiner grew up on a farm near Laurel and teaches students historical skills such as building fires, tanning hides, and panning for gold. Some of his students traveled to Helena to take part in ringing the Centennial Bell at 10:29 a.m., marking the hour Montana became a state in 1889.

1889: Montana became a state.
1989: The Centennial Bell Teacher of the Year award was founded.
November 8, 2026: Montana Statehood Day fell on a Sunday, so the ceremony moved to November 9.
November 9, 2026: Schreiner was honored at the State Capitol in Helena.

Season Trajectory

The Centennial Bell Teacher of the Year award was founded in 1989 to mark the 100th anniversary of Montana's statehood and has been presented annually since. Schreiner's recognition continues that tradition of honoring Montana history educators at the State Capitol each Statehood Day.

Montana students in Schreiner's class gain hands-on exposure to historical skills like timber work and mining. The $4,250 award will fund additional tools that expand these classroom experiences for students across the state.

The takeaway

Hands-on history lessons, from tanning hides to panning for gold, can make Montana's past tangible for students. Teachers across the state can look to Schreiner's approach for ways to bring local history into the classroom.