The North Dakota State Society of the Daughters of Colonial Wars has awarded Brian Olson with both State and National Outstanding American History Teacher Awards.

The awards were presented to Olson on Saturday, August 13th, at the Sheriff’s Residence Museum in Devil’s Lake. Each year, one elementary, secondary, intermediate, high school or college instructor is chosen to receive the national award. It is given to the person who has most shown “outstanding service by the exemplification and encouragement of patriotism and interest in American History and in our American Heritage.”

Olson was nominated in December of 2015 by Danielle Skjelver, who wrote in her nomination letter, “The chief outcome of Mr. Olson’s teaching style is strong student engagement that results in the next generation internalizing and personally valuing American History as their own.”

Skjelver goes on to compliment Olson’s impressive teaching styles and interactive engagement with his students, saying, “there are four key elements that characterize his ability to encourage patriotism and interest in American History: credibility, authentic passion, trust and discourse.”

Olson has been teaching Social Sciences at RHS for the past four years and has made a major impact on his students during that time.

“Mr. Olson does a fantastic job engaging students to apply content knowledge to real world problems and issues. He incorporates a flexible learning environment that encourages student exploration and discovery,” Jared Blikre, Rugby Jr/Sr High Principal, said. “Mr. Olson is an innovative educator. He challenges his students to problem solve and think critically daily.”

The Daughters of Colonial Wars is a patriotic organization that honors the men and women who assisted in the establishment of the American Colonies through the promotion of research and preservation of American History.