Ten selected as Teacher of the Year finalists

Ten teachers from across the state have been named finalists in the 2014 Minnesota Teacher of the Year program.

A selection panel of 25 leaders in the areas of education, business, government and non-profits selected the finalists from a group of 33 semifinalists. There were 128 Teacher of the Year candidates for this program year.

The selection panel meets again May 3 to conduct individual interviews with the 10 finalists and to cast votes for the 2014 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

The 2013 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Megan Olivia Hall of St. Paul, will announce this year’s honoree at a banquet at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington – Minneapolis South May 4.

Education Minnesota, the 70,000-member statewide educators union, organizes and underwrites the Teacher of the Year program. Candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers from public or private schools. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year Program also receives support from the following organizations: The SMARTer Kids Foundation, the DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington – Minneapolis South, the Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation, United Educators Credit Union, McDonald’s Restaurants of Minnesota, Teacher Federal Credit Union, Pearson Education and Education Minnesota ESI.

The 2014 Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalists are:

• Emily Anderson, Anoka-Hennepin, social studies, grade 12, Blaine High School
• Gretchen Baglyos Reed, West Metro Education Program, choir, grades 6-12, FAIR School Downtown
• Terrace (Terri) Evans, Anoka-Hennepin, library media specialist, grades 9-12, Champlin Park High School
• Lora Hill, Winona, special education, grades 9-12, Winona Senior High School
• Kim Jirik, Lakeville, speech language pathologist, pre-kindergarten, Crystal Lake Education Center
• Billy Koenig, Shakopee, biology and ecology, grades 10 and 12, Shakopee Senior High School
• Charlotte Landreau, St. Paul, history, philosophy and dance, grades 11-12, Highland Park Senior High School
• Virginia Mancini, Mahtomedi, language arts, grades 9-12, Mahtomedi High School
• Thomas Rademacher, West Metro Education Program, English, grades 9-12, FAIR School Downtown
• Kathryn Kim Westra, Inver Grove Heights, elementary, grades 4-5, Salem Hills Elementary School