Middle School English Teacher Monica David Wins Prestigious Leo Weiss Courage to Teach Award

Breck Middle School English teacher, Monica David, has been selected as this year's recipient of the Leo Weiss Courage to Teach Award. Presented annually by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, the award recognizes an educator who goes beyond the requirements of curriculum to inspire young people through the lessons of the Holocaust. 

In Monica's classroom, literature is a vehicle for expanding worldviews. Through carefully chosen texts, small book groups, and the powerful testimony of descendants of Holocaust survivors,  her seventh-grade students develop the skills to think critically, ask meaningful questions, and draw connections between history and the world they live in today. Her approach is deeply personal, drawing on her own experience growing up in Communist Romania, where she witnessed firsthand the fragility of freedom and the conditions that make oppression possible.

As one JCRC education speaker stated: 

“[Monica's] students are prepared and engaged- and relating what they’ve learned in class to the story I’ve shared, and then building from that a framework for personal growth. Monica often interjects with stories from her own personal story that authenticates and magnifies the power of the lessons learned… I think she represents what is best about education- helping students understand their world through history, literature, and learning and applying those lessons to their own lives within a moral and ethical society.”

Named in memory of Holocaust survivor Leo Weiss, the award carries a message at its heart: that even in the face of adversity, hope and human dignity must be defended. Monica's acceptance of this honor was characteristically thoughtful. "By learning to recognize the seeds of hate in what they read, hear, or see," she reflected, "the students gain the courage to stand against it. It may not be enough, but it is a necessary and sturdy place to start."

Click here to read more about this award and Monica's acceptance remarks at the 2026 Yom HaShoah Commemoration.

Photo Credit (all images including thumbnail): Darrell Owens Photography