Brenda Campen has taught high school in Alaska since the mid-1970’s. She taught in the villages of Kaltag, Angoon, and Grayling before joining the new staff at the state-operated Mt. Edgecumbe High School in 1985. At MEHS, she has taught Alaska History, U.S. History, Alaska Issues, and Global Issues. She has participated in many state level social studies committees and has held various positions in the Alaska Council for the Social Studies (ACSS), serving as president 1989-90. In 1993 she received both the ACSS and the National CSS Outstanding Secondary Social Studies Teacher Awards, and in 1997 the National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation. In 1998, Campen was awarded travel to Irkutsk, Russia by the U.S. Dept. of State, and from 2000-2004 facilitated three exchange programs between MEHS and a school in Irkutsk. In 2006, Campen received the first Alaska History Teacher of the Year award from the Alaska Humanities Forum.