Eric Sweetwood, a 1982 graduate of Ottawa Township High School and a teacher at Pontiac High School, was recently nominated for the Presidential Who"s Who award.

The nomination came about after Sweetwood helped apply for a $1.3 million federal grant with a proposal called "Social Studies for Teaching American History." The program is for local schools and would be hosted through Pontiac High in cooperation with Illinois State University.

Sweetwood is one of two instructors working on the grant, which they will revise and re-submit for consideration again.The grant is very competitive.

As part of the nomination, Sweetwood received a plaque and the Presidential Who's Who organization prints a biography of his accomplishments that is recorded in the Library of Congress. Sweetwood has previously received honors from Who"s Who in American Education, the Western Illinois Inspirational Teacher Award and the Area 14 Education Association Excellence in Education Award.