ST. LOUIS — Meet Megan Burian, a teacher at Marquette High School in St. Louis County, who has been nominated for the National History Day (NHD) Teacher of the Year Award!
NHD Teacher Megan Burian (far right) and her students at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
A gifted education teacher at Selvidge Middle School and Marquette High School, Burian hosts NHD as an extracurricular activity, and it has become a “passion project” for her students who get to learn about their world and themselves by diving into topics in history that interest them and then creating a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website to share their research in local, regional, state, and national contests.
Teaching with NHD allows Burian to provide students with “opportunities to find their passions and be part of a community where they are challenged, supported, and encouraged,” she shared.
“Seeing the impact NHD has on students motivates me to be an NHD teacher year after year.”
—Megan Burian
With sixteen years of teaching experience, Burian has discovered the key to growing the Missouri History Day program in the Rockwood School District in St. Louis: the students.
Burian encourages their creativity and empowers them to share their work with other students, teachers, and administrators. “NHD prepares them to speak confidently about history and their interests, which helps students advocate for the program,” she said. Once students become involved and get excited about their work, they usually stick with the program for years to come, ready for another round of NHD.
This year, Burian and her high school students were selected to participate in the NHD program Silent Heroes: Untold Stories from the Korean War. After researching soldiers’ lives, military service, and contributions to their communities, Burian and her students visited Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in April 2025 (above) to honor and eulogize those veterans. Burian states that “seeing the impact NHD has on students motivates me to be an NHD teacher year after year.”
Supporters like you understand how important it is for students to have creative, meaningful learning opportunities and develop a range of adaptable skillsets that they can leverage in the classroom, the workplace, and their communities.
To support Missouri History Day teachers like Megan and students like those in the Rockwood School District, donate today.
Click here to donate: https://shsmo.org/donate/nhdmo?utm_source=The+State+Historical+Society+of+Missouri&utm_campaign=18fe7a12a8-NHD+teacher+of+the+year+Megan+Burian&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-a9ce7805dc-172060865&mc_cid=18fe7a12a8&mc_eid=e7ac422141