teacheryear2014BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Jack Dalrymple and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler today presented Dean Aamodt, a vocal and classroom music teacher with Wahpeton Public Schools, with the 2015 North Dakota Teacher of the Year award. The announcement was made during a ceremony at Wahpeton High School (WHS) which was attended by administrators, educators, representatives from the state’s education associations, and students.

 

(Pictured:  Gov. Jack Dalrymple, First Lady Betsy Dalrymple and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler presented Wahpeton High School teacher Dean Aamodt with the 2015 North Dakota Teacher of the Year Award.)

Dalrymple and Baesler were joined by Wahpeton Public Schools Superintendent Rick Jacobson, Zimmerman Elementary Principal Rose Hardie, and Wahpeton High School Principal Ned Clooten. The ceremony included performances by the WHS Concert Choir and Women’s Ensemble, and the kindergarten and first grade students.

“North Dakota has one of the best educational systems in the nation and that is due in large part to the great work that is going on in classrooms across our state,” Dalrymple said. “Dean and the Teacher of the Year finalists exemplify the innovative and inspiring work being performed by North Dakota’s teachers and their dedication to shaping the lives and futures of our young people.”

Aamodt was selected from a pool of four finalists that included Chris Harvey, an instrumental music teacher with Hazen Public School; Dawn Adair Johnson, a reading coach at Prairie View Elementary School in Devils Lake; and Melissa Stanley, an elementary teacher at Edison Elementary School in Minot.

“These educators who were nominated for Teacher of the Year are shining examples of the best our teaching profession has to offer, in North Dakota or anywhere else,” Baesler said. “Our children, and all of us, are honored and blessed by their passion, their honesty, their humility, and their willingness to push their students to reach their full potential.”

Aamodt has been teaching for more than 35 years and has been with Wahpeton Public Schools for the past five years. He teaches women’s ensemble, concert choir, show choir and guitar at WHS to students in grades 9-12 and classroom music to kindergarten and first grade students at Zimmerman Elementary School in Wahpeton. He also serves as student council advisor. He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, ND United, the National Association for Music Education and the National Education Association.

           “I am pleased to share this accolade with all the students, staff and community of Wahpeton and to represent the North Dakota education community and the thousands of dedicated educators in our state,” Aamodt said. “How fortunate I am to be a part of this noble profession that is charged with preparing students for lifelong productivity and fulfillment. Teaching has never felt like a job, but a calling to interact with students to encourage, guide, motivate, create and learn together solid life skills.”

The Teacher of the Year program recognizes and honors the contributions of America’s classroom teachers. The program is the oldest and most prestigious commendation to focus public attention on excellence in teaching. The state’s Teacher of the Year program is sponsored by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction in conjunction with the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Nominations for Teacher of the Year must come from a teacher, school administrator, school district trustee, local education association, student or parent, and are reviewed by a seven-member selection panel. Aamodt will advance to the national Teacher of the Year program.