COLLEGE PARK, MD – June 12, 2025 – National History Day® (NHD) is proud to announce the two teachers selected as the 2025 National History Day Teacher of the Year Award winners. Mr. Robert DeCerbo from the Palmetto Academy of Learning and Success in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is the junior (middle school) division winner. Mr. Michael Biondo from Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois, is the senior (high school) division winner. Each winner received a $5,000 cash prize.
Mr. DeCerbo has taught social studies for 17 years. When asked what winning the NHD Teacher of the Year Award means to him, he said, “I am deeply honored to be recognized as the 2025 NHD Teacher of the Year. This award reflects the incredible dedication and passion of my students, who inspire me everyday. I believe in the power of history to shape our understanding of the world, and being part of their journey to explore, create and share their own narratives is truly the most rewarding aspect of teaching.”
Mr. Biondo has taught National History Day in the classroom for over 20 years. When asked what winning the NHD Teacher of the Year Award means to him, he said, “Each year, this program pushes me to grow in my teaching practice. I am so honored to be receiving this award. I am grateful for all of the amazing students that I’ve worked with and for all of their contributions over the years. This program has expanded in my school because of the dedicated work of wonderful colleagues who also offer this project to their students. I am also grateful for all of the program support and student support from the incredible staff at the Chicago Metro History Day and Illinois History Day programs.”
In 2025, teachers from all Programas de afiliados de NHD were able to self-nominate for the award. Following the self-nomination process, NHD staff worked with local program staff to select up to one middle school teacher and one high school teacher to represent each affiliate for nomination. Each nominee is a teacher who demonstrates a commitment to engaging students in historical learning through the innovative use of primary sources, implementation of active learning strategies to foster historical thinking skills, and participation in the National History Day Contest.
“National History Day’s 2025 Teacher of the Year Award winners are outstanding history educators,” said NHD Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “At a time when history education programs are facing funding cuts and increased scrutiny, Mr. DeCerbo and Mr. Biondo are in the trenches, teaching students about important historical events and engaging them with primary sources from local libraries and archives. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
71 educators were considered for the 2025 award and the two winners were selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians. Mr. DeCerbo and Mr. Biondo learned of their selection for the award on Thursday, June 12, 2025, during the National History Day National Contest Awards Ceremony in College Park, Maryland.
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Acerca de National History Day (NHD)
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by the 400 Years of African American History Commission, The Better Angels Society, the Bezos Family Foundation, the Joyful Noise Charitable Foundation, the Behring Global Educational Foundation, and the National Park Service. For more information, visit nhd.dream.prensa.
