Help Select SDCTE's Next Teacher of the Year
As part of each annual Conference, The South Dakota Council of Teachers of English presents the English/Language Arts Teacher of the Year Award for the previous calendar year.
Outstanding regional educators are nominated for the award by SDCTE members. (Nominations must be in by December 15. You can download a copy of the nomination form here.) A committee consisting of Mary Moeller, Teresa Berndt, Karen Harrington, and past Teacher of the Year winners chooses the Teacher of the Year from this pool of nominees.
Criteria: The teacher of the year is professionally minded, visible in SDCTE (as well as other areas of professionalism), as well as an ongoing member of the SDCTE.
Becky Ekeland 2009 Teacher of the Year
Dodie Bemis (left) congratulates Becky Ekeland (right) as Teacher of the Year, 2009
More About Becky Ekeland
Brookings High School educator Becky Ekeland was named the South Dakota English Teacher of the Year at the annual South Dakota Council of English Teachers’ conference. Ekeland has taught all levels of English, from 9th grade English Foundations to AP English literature, in her nearly 25 years at Brookings High School. She has mentored many student teachers from the SDSU program by welcoming them into her classroom.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Becky has coached student journalists for all those years to produce award-winning yearbooks.
She was awarded the 1995 SD Teacher of the Year and subsequently helped direct the annual Teacher Forum at Chamberlain to bring together teachers and state legislators.
Ekeland has been a role model for many teachers, as well as an inspiration to many of her students who have gone on to become English teachers.
According to her principal, Paul von Fischer, “I believe outstanding teachers start out by being great people. Becky is among the top 1 percent of teachers I have ever had the opportunity to work with. She epitomizes professional behavior and is seen as a positive leader among the top-notch staff at Brookings High School.
She is able to balance providing rigorous, challenging coursework and building and maintaining respectful relationships with her students. There seems to be no limit to the compassion she has for her students nor for the enjoyment of the subject matter she teaches&emdash;and transfers&emdash;to her students. Becky is truly an outstanding educator and we are blessed to have her in the district.”
We would welcome nominations for SDCTE Teacher of the Year, 2010. If you would like to nominate a teacher for this honor, please use this form.
Previous Teacher of the Year Award Winners
2008 — Becky Ekeland
2008 — Dodie Bemis, Mitchell (Lake Area Technical Institute)
2007 — Karen Harrington, Mitchell
2006 — No Award Given
2005 — Carol Varliek (Wagner Community School)
2004 — Barb Unruh (Agar —Blunt —Onida)
2003 — Connie Krueger (Rapid City)
2002 — Doris Chmela (Kimball)
2001 — Staci Haag (Dakota Valley)
2000 — No Award Given
1999 — Jim Swanson (DSU)
1998 — Nancy Zuercher (USD) and Jean Helmer (Bell Fourche High School)
1997 — Sharon Olbertson (Beresford High School)
1996 — Donna Fisher, Mitchell