Seven district educators named candidates for Minnesota Teacher of the Year

Posted Date: 01/27/2020

Candidates for the 2020 Minnesota Teacher of the Year award have been named and Anoka-Hennepin has seven educators who were nominated.

The teachers are:

• Heather Birklid, seventh-grade science, Anoka Middle School for the Arts.
• Amber Delliger, math, Adult Basic Education (ABE).
• Teresa Dwyer, fifth-grade, Rum River Elementary School.
• Stephanie Gwin, eighth-grade English, Jackson Middle School - A Specialty School for Math and Science.
• Patricia Halsey, work experience coordinator, Anoka-Hennepin Technical High School.
• Amy Quinn, media specialist, Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts.
• Andrea Whitcomb, music, Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts.

The seven Anoka-Hennepin teachers are among 134 candidates for the award statewide. Last year, Blaine High School (BHS) science teacher Timothy Riordan was one of nine finalists for the award.

This year’s program will name the 56th Minnesota Teacher of the Year, celebrating the tradition of excellence in teaching in Minnesota. Eligible candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade, Early Childhood Family Education and Adult Basic Education teachers, from public or private schools.

The 2020 Minnesota Teacher of the Year will be announced Sunday, May 3, at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. Over the coming weeks, a 25-member panel of community leaders will name a group of semifinalists and finalists.

Read more about the award, or see the statewide list of all the candidates at the Education Minnesota website.