In March, Education Minnesota began a partnership with TV stations around the state to sponsor an "Excellent Educators" recognition program. On a monthly basis, these stations call for nominations to honor the work of a teacher, educational support professional or higher education faculty member.
Then, during the last week of the month, a new “Excellent Educator” will be featured on a news segment of the station in his or her viewing area.

The first recipients of the “Excellent Educators” recognition program include the following:

• Mike Gullingsrud, Ada-Borup High School, Ada-Borup (KVLY-TV)
• Holly Inniger, Atkinson Elementary, Barnesville (KVLY-TV)
• Mike Prescher, Pine Island Middle School, Pine Island (KAAL-TV)
• Stan Tordsen, Stewartville Middle School, Stewartville (KAAL-TV)
• Jenna Diem, Weaver Lake Elementary, Osseo (KSTP-TV)

Below are the stations Education Minnesota is working with now (more may be added later):

• KSTP-TV in the Twin Cities 
• KAAL-TV in the Albert Lea-Austin area
• WDIO-TV in Duluth (starting in June)
• KVLY-TV and KXJB-TV in the Fargo-Moorhead area

Look for “Excellent Educator” icons on the Web sites of each station for nomination information. The “Excellent Educators” program is part of Education Minnesota’s Schools First! initiative.