Mr. Brian J. Esselman is a lifelong resident of St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from St. Louis University High School, Mr. Esselman attended Truman State University. There, he earned a degree in Philosophy and Religion. After briefly considering a graduate track in Philosophy, Mr. Esselman enrolled at the University of Missouri in St. Louis in order to earn his teaching certificate and pursue a Master's degree in the field of history, a subject area that always constituted his first love in the world of academics. After working as a teaching/research assistant and completing his student teaching practicum, Mr. Esselman was thrilled to take a teaching position at Affton High School. Immediately, Mr. Esselman set about establishing himself as an effective teacher of American History. Only a year after gaining his position, Mr. Esselman was honored to take over the college credit/Advanced Placement sections of this subject area. In this post, he has worked to increase college credit enrollment and promote Affton's participation in the annual Advanced Placement testing. Additionally, Mr. Esselman has worked every year to integrate technology into his classroom. In this capacity, he has also taken the lead by serving on a number of technology-related committees throughout the district. Also, Mr. Esselman was the faculty sponsor of Affton High School's Mock Trial team for three years and, in an alternate role, recently helped to escort sixteen Affton High School students to the historic 2009 Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. . In 2004, he was presented with the SOAR award for exceptional service to the district. More recently, Mr. Esselman was honored to receive Affton High School's Teacher of the Year award for 2007. Perhaps a more rewarding honor came, however, when the graduating class of 2007 asked Mr. Esselman to be their commencement speaker at Affton High School's graduation ceremony in May. There, Mr. Esselman spoke of his belief that all students must take genuine ownership of their learning if it is to lead to both a successful and rewarding life. An ardent supporter of public education, Mr. Esselman looks forward to a future in which the public schools of this country are refitted to face the challenges of the twenty-first century, a century in which education will be our children's greatest asset.