Two St. Cloud Area Educators Will Find Out This Weekend if They’re Tops in Their Class

(KNSI) – Two St. Cloud Area School District teachers are in the running to become the 2026 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, with the winner set to be announced Sunday at the Saint Paul RiverCentre.

Devon Bowker, who teaches biology at Apollo High School, and Paige Janorschke, a fourth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, are among 10 finalists for the statewide honor. They were selected by an independent panel of 22 leaders from education, business, government and nonprofits.

The selection panel meets on Saturday to interview each finalist before casting votes for the winner.

Sunday’s ceremony begins at 1:00 p.m. in Ballrooms A and B at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, with the surprise announcement expected between 2:30 and 3 p.m. The announcement will be broadcast live on the Minnesota Teacher of the Year Facebook page. Current Minnesota Teacher of the Year Linda Wallenberg will announce her successor.

This is the 62nd year for the program, which is organized and underwritten by Education Minnesota. The state has produced four National Teachers of the Year, more than any state except Washington and California.

The other finalists are David Davis of Park Spanish Immersion Elementary in St. Louis Park; Shannon Dodson of Somerset Elementary in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan district; Alli Kildahl of Battle Creek Middle School in Saint Paul; Amy Phung of Meadowbrook Elementary in Hopkins; Isaiah Pritzl of Eagan High School; Ricardo Rivera of Kennedy Senior High in Bloomington; Sher Unruh-Friesen of Glen Lake Elementary in Hopkins; and Maria Villavicencio of Eden Lake Elementary in Eden Prairie.

___