For Audreanna "Audrey" Green, teaching social studies at Meridian High School isn't just a first job—it's a homecoming.

"I went to elementary school here from kindergarten to fifth grade," Green explains, her voice brightening with the memory. "I was actually at the old building. I remember having classes at the old Meridian elementary that was behind the school before it got knocked down."

At 25, Green embodies a new generation of educators with deep community ties. Her mother and father graduated from Meridian. Her older sister did too. Even her boyfriend is a Meridian alumnus. Those connections helped draw her back to the school district where she first discovered her love of learning.

The path from Meridian elementary student to high school teacher wasn't entirely straightforward. After graduating from nearby Century High School, Green attended Shawnee Community College, then Southeast Missouri State University during the COVID pandemic. When online classes—particularly science labs—became overwhelming, she made what turned out to be a pivotal decision.

"I took about a year off," Green says. It's a choice she now discusses openly with her students. "I try to tell them, don't be afraid to take time for yourself, work, and just decide—try different things. Decide what you like to do with your life. There's no shame in that."

After her gap year, Green transferred to Southern Illinois University, where she switched from science to history education. She graduated in May 2023 and began teaching at Meridian just three months later.

As the only full-time social studies teacher in the high school, Green faces unique challenges. But she's determined to elevate a subject she feels has been overlooked.

"I think that social studies curriculum has been so overlooked for previous years," she says. "It's kind of like it's a liberal art, so people don't really put as much emphasis on it. And I think that has long-term consequences to how people look at the world."

Green's passion for history and current events drives her teaching philosophy. "I wanted to be able to let the kids see what they can do to make changes and make them feel like their place in the world is actually important," she explains. "You're not just doing your own thing. You were always part of some movement that's going on."

Her approach resonates with students, who find it easy to connect with her. "Since I am so young, they think I'm like 18 in their head," she laughs. "They think that we're a lot closer in age. We're really not. But they connect with me in that way."

That connection allows Green to offer practical life advice based on her recent experiences. "I give them lots of advice. If you're gonna go to college, this is what I think you should do. I graduated college mostly debt-free, so I try and encourage them—go to community college first. It's not embarrassing. A degree is a degree."

At Meridian, Green appreciates the close-knit atmosphere but has ambitious goals for the future. "I wish we could get more parents out to educational things rather than games and sports," she says. "I'd like to see more club involvement, kids who go because they really care and want to make changes."

Though she now drives from Carbondale each day, Green feels at home at Meridian. The school's small size—classes of about 15 students—suits her teaching style and allows for meaningful connections.

"I have lots of ideas for the coming years," she says with quiet confidence. "It's good that I'm a first-year teacher because I've learned so much and I plan to stick around for a while and hopefully make some good changes to the community and to the kids. Hopefully they remember me years down the line, at least a couple of them."