10-11Candidates

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108 teachers are candidates for Minnesota Teacher of the Year
St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 20, 2011 – One hundred and eight teachers have accepted their nominations and completed the required candidate materials to become eligible for the honor of 2011 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

This year’s program will name the 47th Minnesota Teacher of the Year, celebrating the tradition of excellence in teaching in Minnesota. Candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers from public or private schools.

The 2011 Minnesota Teacher of the Year will be announced Sunday, May 1, at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Over the coming weeks, a 23-member panel of community leaders will name a group of semifinalists, and then narrow the field to finalists.

Education Minnesota organizes and underwrites the Minnesota Teacher of the Year Program, which receives program and award support from the following organizations: the SMARTer Kids Foundation, the Northland Inn, 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 candidates for 2011 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, listed by their school districts, are:

Mark Nechanicky, Albert Lea
Connie Williams, Alden-Conger
David Brown, Austin
Jean Dirckx, Battle Lake
Brian Fitzgerald, Battle Lake
Catherine Riewer, Bertha Hewitt
Jesse Hickman, Blackduck
Beth Kiene, Bloomington
Patricia Mosey, Burnsville
Tony Meyer, Cannon Falls
Teri Townsend, Cannon Falls
Tina Jeurissen, Carver Scott Educational Cooperative
Sarah Coumbe-Guida, Cass Lake-Bena
Diane Joseph, Centennial
Debra Alberts, Chokio-Alberta
Donald Kitzmann, Columbia Heights
William Pocernich, Cromwell-Wright
Gwen Briesemeister, Delano
Pam Daly, Detroit Lakes
John Bushey, Duluth
Dave Hogberg, East Central
Karen Murray, Eastern Carver County
Mary Perrine, Eastern Carver County
Tom Connell, Edina
Catherine Diaz, EdVisions Off Campus Charter School
Linda Felska, Elk River
Nichole Hahn, Elk River
Joice Forster, Fairmont
Renee Schultz, Farmington
John DeMuth, Fergus Falls
Charles Wake, Frazee
Kathryn Nordine, Goodridge
Dorie Carlson, Grand Marais
Amy Dougherty, Hancock
Laura Zabel, Hastings
Kim Ulven, Hawley
Jennifer Young, Herman-Norcross
Craig Hattam, Hibbing
Chris Johnstone, Hopkins
Mary Fleming, Kenyon-Wanamingo
Greg Antoine, Luverne
Scot Hovan, Mahtomedi
J. Scott Urban, Mankato
Eric Meyer, Maple Lake
Jim Barnhill, Minneapolis
Barb Boerboon, Minneapolis
Cay Gjertson, Minneapolis
Patricia Kelly, Minneapolis
Jessica Neukirch, Minneapolis
Amy O'Hara, Minneapolis
Maria Singh, Minneapolis
Jeremy Engebretson, Minnetonka
Kim Hoehne, Minnetonka
Lisa Dreyer, Montevideo
Lauren Rood, Moorhead
Muriel Lindback-Eggebraaten, Morris
Juanita Appleton, Mounds View
James Siedschlag, Murray County Central
Amy Kilian, New Prague
Amy Sieve, Northfield
Mary Ofstedal, Norwood Young America
Connie Ferris, Osakis
Peter Guenther, Owatonna
Kerry Johnson, Park Rapids
Robert Tangen, Perham Dent
Tory Peterson, Perpich Center for Arts Education
Tracy Kristo, Princeton
Debra Sunderman, Prior Lake-Savage
Jeff Gunderson, Proctor
Mickey Dunne-Laughland, Rochester
Carrie Kouba, Rochester
Eric Stanslaski, Rochester
Betsy Pennuto, Rockford Area Schools
Joyce Baumann, ROCORI
Sue Jenkins, ROCORI
Sara Olson, Roseau
Kelli Ellickson, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan
Laura Sharp, Roseville
Jo Anne Agrimson, Rushford-Peterson
Nancy Johnson, Saint Paul
Christopher Nelson, Saint Paul
Molly Power Theisen, Saint Paul
Christi Schmitt, Saint Paul
LeQuyen Tran, Saint Paul
Mary Levinski, Sauk Rapids-Rice
Molly Raske, Sibley East
Weston Bolin, South Washington County
Ann Vogel, South Washington County
Brooke Magid Hart, Spring Lake Park
Lori Thompson, Spring Lake Park
Jill Adelman-Weis, St. Cloud
Mike Farrell, St. Louis Park
Peter Redmond, St. Louis Park
Janet Peterson, St. Michael-Albertville
Colleen Hayne, Stillwater
Lora Rantanen, Thief River Falls
Pamela Anderson, Tracy
Kimberly Swanson, Triton
Karen Robbins, United South Central
Kelly Youngbauer, Verndale
Jena Carrels, Wabasha-Kellogg
Doreen Oelke, Waseca
Joseph Hannon, Wayzata
Megan Speers, Wayzata
Robert Hanson, West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan
Jennifer Norris, West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan
Mary Dahle, White Bear Lake
Katy Smith, Winona