Sartell-St. Stephen School Have Nine Educators Up For Teacher of the Year

(KNSI) – Nine educators from the Sartell-St. Stephen School District are in the running for the 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year award.

Sartell St. Stephen was bested by only Bloomington Public Schools, with ten and tied with the Anoka Hennepin School District, which also had nine teachers chosen.

District 748 Superintendent Dr. Jeff Ridlehoover offered his congratulations and praised the talent level within the district, saying, “There could be even more than that. We have an incredible staff here in our school district. This year in particular, I think people are really noticing the great work.”

Dr. Ridlehoover says part of their success is finding the right people and community support. “I think the secret sauce is to hire really, really good people. Give them the resources to do their work, be supportive of them, and then get out of their way. And this doesn’t happen without great staff but I also want to give a shout out to the family support that we’re getting from all throughout our community.”

An independent panel of leaders will read candidates’ portfolios over the next few weeks and narrow the list to a group of semifinalists. In March, the panel will convene to choose finalists. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year banquet is set for May 7th at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, where a winner will be announced.

Here are the nominees:

Barbara Eaton – Special Education at ORELC
Cris Drais – 1st Grade Teacher at PMPS
Karrie Fredrickson – Social Studies at SHS
Shannan Houghton – 3rd Grade Teacher at RIS
Holly Lathe – Music Teacher at PMPS
Nikki Perius – Instructional Coach at RIS
Joe Schulte – Technology Education Teacher at SHS
James Sinkel – Social Studies Teacher at SHS
Lindsey Trimbo – Kindergarten Teacher at ORELC

___