Appreciate your teachers this week and every week!

PIERRE, S.D. (KOTA) - A Spearfish teacher was recognized and is up for the award of Regional Teacher of the Year. May 8-12 is Teacher Appreciation Week, and as part of the observance, the Department of Education is recognizing five outstanding educators as South Dakota’s Regional Teachers of the Year. In the fall, one of these people will be chosen to be the state Teacher of the Year.

“Teachers do meaningful work. They make a genuine difference in children’s lives,” said Secretary of Education Joseph Graves. “This week gives us an opportunity to celebrate that work. Congratulations to this year’s state Teacher of the Year candidates, and thank you to the dedicated, caring professionals across the state who they represent.”

The Regional Teachers of the Year are:

Region 1 – Caitlyn Graf, Math, Milbank High School

Region 2 – George Hawkins, Social Studies, Jefferson High School, Sioux Falls

Region 3 – Valerie Nelson, Kindergarten, Chamberlain Elementary

Region 4 – Lindsey Bachman, 3rd Grade, Mobridge-Pollock Upper Elementary

Region 5 – Alyssa Walters, English Language Arts, Spearfish High School

A panel will select one of these regional finalists to represent the state as the 2024 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. That individual will be South Dakota’s candidate for the National Teacher of the Year Award.