ASCENSION PARISH - A Dutchtown High School history teacher is one of 20 winners selected from two countries in a contest celebrating excellence and innovation in the classroom.

As one of the 2023 honorees, Ryan Bravata receives a 7-day voyage for himself and a guest on Norwegian Cruise Line, which sponsored the "Giving Joy" contest.

Winners were announced on Tuesday.

Bravata is the sole Louisiana educator to be honored in the contest, which saw more than 3,400 nominees from the United States and Canada.

In addition to the cruise tickets, winners will receive complimentary air travel provided by Coca-Cola, and each will also be enrolled in virtual training sessions by the Guy Harvey Foundation.

Bravata was cited for his passion as a teacher and the success of his student on Advanced Placement tests. Outside of the classroom, he is a director at the Rendell Center, a non-profit civic education center, where he leads the First Amendment Institute for the National Endowment of the Humanities.