Lawrence High history teacher Valerie Schrag, center and student Jordan Martinez, right, participate in class Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at LHS. Schrag will receive Northwestern University's Distinguished Secondary Teacher Award during an honors ceremony June 18. The awards honor high school teachers who had transformative

A world-class university honored Lawrence High School history teacher Valerie Schrag Tuesday, but the recognition she cares about most is a thank you from a former student.

Based on a nomination from that former pupil, Northwestern University awarded Schrag the Distinguished Secondary Teacher Award, which annually goes to five high school teachers who had “transformative effects” on the lives of graduating Northwestern seniors they once taught.

“One of the greatest rewards we can receive is our students saying ‘Thank you’ to us, whether they’re in our classroom or in other points in time,” Schrag said Tuesday. “I think that’s the thing that meant the most to me.”

Schrag was nominated by Brittany Ray, a School of Communication student at Northwestern from the LHS class of 2011. The honor comes with a $2,500 reward for Schrag and another $2,500 for Lawrence High.

“She epitomizes what the secondary school teacher award represents and I have waited four years to nominate her,” Ray said in a news release from Northwestern.

Ray said Schrag mentored her through the college application process, encouraged her to apply to Northwestern and supported her during bouts of homesickness in what Schrag called a “rough freshman year.”

“I felt out of my element and unsure if I had made the right decision,” Ray said. “However, she continued to encourage me and reassure me that it would get better — once again, she was right.

The two share a passion for African American history and still meet to discuss current events whenever Ray returns to Lawrence, Schrag said.

“We are still teacher-student, but we talk to each other as colleagues and as equals,” she said.

Schrag joined the Lawrence High faculty in 2001. She teaches Advanced Placement U.S. history, modern world history, African American history and a leadership class. She has a bachelor’s degree from Bethel College and a master’s degree from Kansas University. Her career began in the late 1990s at a middle school in Rose Hill.

“She’s outstanding, she’s very, very, knowledgeable,” said LHS principal Matt Brungardt. “She really connects with her students.”

For the past several years, Schrag has also been a sponsor of the school’s National History Day program, where students conduct research on historically significant topics.

Schrag said receiving the award made her think “very much of my colleagues” since “all” teachers continue their relationships with some students after graduation and help when they can.

“A lot of us go above and beyond on a regular basis,” she said.