“History should be something you can touch and experience.”

Tara Mills is not just an ordinary history teacher. She is passionate about her subject and shows that by the effort she puts in helping her students.

Her original plan was not always teaching, however.

“I went to Virginia Tech to be a veterinarian, but I realized the science path was not for me.”

She has been teaching for fifteen years now. The first five years were spent at the alternative school before coming to the high school.

“I liked working at the alternative school, but there’s a lot of heartache. When Tunstall had an opening, I applied for it,” said Mills.

She has been teaching at Tunstall for ten years. Her current classes are United States History I and II along with advanced world history. Mills enjoys her advanced class the most because they tend to understand her nerdy jokes.

Her teaching style differs from other classes in the way she uses hands-on experiences.

For instance, when Mills is teaching lessons about war, the classes take a trip to the library and stage a “war.” They put a table on its side, have them crouch behind it, and throw balled up pieces of paper at each other. In doing this, it prepares them to learn about battles and important events of wars.

Another activity her World History II class does is dressing up like historical characters. Characters range from Oliver Cromwell to Queen Elizabeth I.

“I’ve even worn a pope costume which seems kind of silly, but when you try to explain how things happen, it makes it more tangible.”

Mills takes a yearly trip with her students, as well. They visit Washington D.C.’s Marine Corps Museum.

“Students can experience WWI and WWII. When you go to the Korea room, it snows. When you go to the Vietnam room, it’s hot. There’s a lot of neat and hands-on things,” she said.

They also go to the Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery is home to many deceased presidents and other historical figures.

Mills also coaches the scholastic bowl team. She has been a part of this for five years. In February of this year, her team competed in Lynchburg and won the Conference 30 championship.

Mills hopes to continue incorporating many unique ways and ideas to bring history to life in her upcoming years.

“Students don’t need to just simply learn history, but they need to experience it,” Mills said.