South Carolina Humanities is pleased to share that BJ DeCerbo of Palmetto Academy in Myrtle Beach has won the National History Day 2025 Teacher of the Year Award. Hundreds of teachers from across the United States were nominated for the award. The National History Day staff selected one middle school teacher and one high school teacher to represent each state affiliate for this prestigious award.
“National History Day’s 2025 Teacher of the Year Award nominees are outstanding history educators,” said Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “At a time when history education programs are facing funding cuts and increased scrutiny, these teachers are in the trenches, teaching students about important historical events and engaging them with primary sources from local libraries and archives.”
From this wide field, the National History Day central office selected Mr. DeCerbo to win the award. They were impressed with his 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. In addition to celebrating outstanding history scholarship and innovative classroom instruction, the award comes with a $5,000 cash prize.
Mr. DeCerbo teaches 7th and 8th grade at Palmetto Academy, where he has been for five years. In total, he has been a teacher for 17 years, including at North Myrtle Beach High School and The Academy for Arts, Science, and Technology. He coaches Mock Trial (NMBHS – SC State Champions 2011, 2013-2014; and 2014 Second in the Nation) (Palmetto Academy SC State Champions 2023), and he coaches We The People (AAST HS State Champions 2019) (Palmetto Academy – SC State champions 2020-2024). He won the SC Bar Teacher of the Year award in 2021. Mr. DeCerbo has implemented National History Day in hisclassroom since 2014 and has had multiple region and state winners over the years.
National History Day’s core program is a competition in which students in grades 6–12 choose a topic and dive deeply into the past by conducting extensive research in libraries, archives, and museums. They then present their conclusions and evidence through papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, or websites, moving through a series of contest levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators.
In South Carolina, Coastal Carolina University is the official affiliate organization of National History Day and the home of South Carolina History Day. The South Carolina state contest took place on May 3, 2025 at Coastal Carolina University.
South Carolina students competed this year against more than 2,600 other students from the United States and International National History Day Programs from American Samoa, Guam, China, Korea and South Asia. Forty-eight students from South Carolina participated in the national competition in June 2025.
The 2024 – 2025 theme was Rights and Responsibilities in History, and two South Carolina projects were recognized at the national competition: Elizabeth Batson of Dutchman Creek Middle School (Rock Hill) was recognized at the Junior (middle school) Level for her paper, and Brighton Willing of Porter Gaud (Charleston) was recognized at the Senior (high school) Level for their Senior Individual Documentary.
About National History Day® (NHD): NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, which 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 National Endowment for the Humanities, World Education Foundation, Patricia Behring Foundation, 400 Years of African American History Commission, History Channel, Pritzker Military Foundation, The Better Angels Society, National Park Service, Dr. Scholl Foundation, History NET, Doughboy Foundation, Tom Lauer, and Skehan Communications. For more information, visit nhd.org.
About Coastal Carolina University: Coastal Carolina University is a comprehensive, public liberal arts institution in Conway, South Carolina. More than 10,000 students from across the country and the world interact with a world-class faculty, and enjoy a nationally competitive NCAA I athletic program, an inspiring cultural calendar, and a tradition of community interaction that is fueled by more than 145 student clubs and organizations. The Department of History in the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts is proud to support education and the amazing South Carolina History Day throughout the state.
About South Carolina Humanities: The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c)3 organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos, and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
Image 1: BJ DeCerbo (R) with Dr. Brandon Palmer of Coastal Carolina University, Coordinator of SC History Day, courtesy of BJ DeCerbo
Image 2: 2025 South Carolina History Day finalists meeting Senator Tim Scott during the National Competition in June 2025, courtesy of Coastal Carolina University
