Megan Helberg

Taylor

Megan Helberg grew up on a ranch in the Sandhills of Loup County. She currently serves as the chairperson of her local NCF affiliated fund, the Calamus Area Community Fund, which includes the counties of Garfield and Loup. Megan was selected to attend David Brooks’ conference, “Weave the People” held in D.C. in 2019 with the Foundation. Megan thoroughly enjoys learning through experience, which has been the catalyst to take her across the world. She proudly calls rural Loup County her home, where she teaches secondary English at Loup County Public School.

Holocaust and genocide education is a passion for Helberg and she feels strongly about providing opportunities for her students that include glimpses into various cultures and ways of life. In 2013, Helberg received a Fund for Teachers grant. She used this opportunity to visit Holocaust-related sites throughout Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Helberg also used the grant money to purchase class sets of Holocaust literature resources for her school. Megan was named a Museum Teacher Fellow for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in 2016 and has spent extensive time at the USHMM learning from world-renowned historians, authors, and survivors.

Helberg founded a travel club for her school and community members to travel together and bridge the gap between school and community. She brings her travel experiences back to her classroom in Taylor. Megan is passionate about moving struggling communities from surviving to thriving. Helberg received the prestigious honor of being named the 2020 Nebraska Teacher of the Year.