Education Minnesota announced 11 finalists for the 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award, with a St. Cloud State alumnus making it on the narrowed down list.
Joe Schulte ’01 ’08 advanced to the round of finalists after advancing to the list of 44 semifinalists announced in March out of the initial list of 132 candidates named.
Schulte, who graduated from SCSU with a bachelor’s degree in Technology Education and a Master’s degree in Environmental and Technological Studies, teaches 9th-12th grade technology education at Sartell High School within the Sartell-St. Stephen School District 748.
In March, Schulte was joined by SCSU alumnae Angela Mahowald ’10 and Lisa Neaderhiser ’92 on the list of 33 semifinalists. Mahowald teaches 5th-grade elementary education teacher at Hillcrest Community School within Bloomington Public Schools, and Neaderhiser teaches 7th-9th grade English, reading and social skills at Jackson Middle School within Anoka Hennepin Schools.
This year’s program will name the 59th Minnesota Teacher of the Year, a program that celebrates the tradition of excellence in teaching in the state. Eligible candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade educators, Early Childhood Family Education and Adult Basic Education teachers throughout the state.
A selection panel of 21 community leaders will review portfolios and conduct individual interviews with each of the 11 finalists before casting votes for the 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year on May 6. The 2022 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, SCSU alumna Sara Lancaster ’13, will announce her successor at the annual Minnesota Teacher of the Year banquet on May 7 at the St. Paul RiverCentre.
