Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award down to 11 finalists
The finalists will be interviewed by a selection panel, with the winner being announced May 1.
The annual Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award has gone from 77 candidates to 11 finalists. They are:
- Edward T. Barlow – music teacher at Anwatin Middle School (Minneapolis)
- Younna Eiden-Giel – social studies teacher at Park High School
- Jon Fila – English teacher at Northern Star Online, Intermediate District 287
- Kendall Gonzalez – kindergarten teacher at Matoska International School (White Bear Lake)
- Paul Houck – English and math teacher at Southwest Metro High School
- Bradley Hubred – science teacher at Moose Lake Community Schools
- Erin Karlgaard – third-grade teacher at Lowell Elementary School (Brainerd)
- Sarah Lancaster – first-grade teacher at Onamia Elementary School
- Rachel Volkmann – fifth-grade teacher at Gatewood Elementary (Hopkins)
- Andrea Welvaert – ASD/SPED teacher at Cottage Grove Middle School
- Eric Zuccola – English teacher at Robbinsdale Cooper High School
A selection panel will interview the finalists and cast votes at the end of April, with the winner of this year's award being announced at a banquet May 1 at the St. Paul RiverCentre.
The 2021 teacher of the year was Natalia Benjamin, a high school English learner and ethnic studies teacher at Century High School in Rochester.
