Columbian teacher Chris Monsour receives Fulbright award

Tiffin Columbian High School science teacher Chris Monsour has received a Fulbright Teacher Exchange award for the 2026-2027 cycle from the U.S. Department of State, an opportunity he hopes will bring new ideas and international perspectives to his students.

“A Fulbright is the pinnacle of opportunities for a teacher,” Monsour said.

Monsour, the 2026 Ohio Teacher of the Year, has spent summers over the past 28 years doing conservation work abroad. Those experiences have taken him to South Africa, Thailand, Costa Rica and Belize, among other countries, and have become part of what he shares with students at Columbian.

“I bring those experiences back into the classroom so my students can also experience some of the trips and learn the science behind conservation,” he said.

Through Fulbright, Monsour hopes to help students explore topics at a global level and deepen their understanding of the science they discuss in class. He also wants to bring back new curriculum ideas that connect those lessons with what students may encounter after high school.

His goal is to make that learning more relevant to “what my students may experience when they leave TC and enter the world stage.”

Monsour is currently taking a course to prepare for the international portion of the program. He expects to learn his host country and travel timeline after completing the course in December.

Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program supports international educational and cultural exchange. Fulbright Teacher Exchanges give educators opportunities to learn from colleagues abroad and bring those experiences back to their schools.

“This honor is a testament to Mr. Monsour’s dedication to academic excellence and passion for bringing a broad perspective into our science classrooms,” Superintendent Greg Williamson said. “Having a TCS educator selected for such recognition not only elevates our entire district, but it also directly enriches the learning experience for our students.”

For Monsour, the opportunity to represent his country is especially meaningful.

“To be able to go to a foreign country to study the educational system and work with other teachers is a great experience,” he said. “But also to represent the US in that capacity is what I am looking most forward to.”