Andrew Clubb of Purcellville, faculty member of the History Department at Wakefield School in The Plains, was the recipient of an unexpected academic accolade this summer.

Writes Carolyn Wyrsch, Wakefield History Department Chair, "The National Council of History Education (NCHE) is, as its title suggests, a national organization dedicated to 'promoting the importance of history in school and society.' While I was looking through my recent publication from NCHE, History Matters, the cover story on 'China as a Subject for Study and Thought' caught my attention. The article was followed by a very interesting lesson plan targeting a World History curriculum entitled 'Civilization and Cultural Diffusion,' using the Silk Road as the vehicle to implement these ideas. After reading and being impressed by the lesson plan, I noticed the following words at the bottom of the last page in the Resource Section: 'Adapted from a lesson developed by Andrew Clubb, History Faculty, Wakefield School, The Plains, VA'!!

"Having heard nothing about Andrew's having submitted any material for publication anywhere, I promptly called him. He was befuddled by it all, and it appears that the organization somehow came in the possession of a lesson plan that he had worked on in 2006 while he was studying at George Washington University! So, as I told Andrew, he is now officially published!"

Considering the challenges that exist to getting published in academia even when you are trying very hard, it is uncommon luck to discover that you have been published without lifting a finger.

Mr. Clubb says he was "pleasantly surprised" when he heard of the publication, and also reports that he had used his 2006 lesson plan in his World Civ classes at Wakefield prior to its unexpected publication, with good results.

Mr. Clubb's wife, Harriet, is an accountant in the Business Office at Wakefield, and their daughter, Mary, will be entering Wakefield's 7th grade.