Mara Drill Named 2022 Westonka Teacher of the Year

Click the above image for more photos from the April 12 Westonka Teacher of the Year surprise announcement

April 12, 2022 — Second grade teacher Mara Drill has been named 2022 Westonka Teacher of the Year. Westonka Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Borg surprised Drill in front of an enthusiastic group of teachers and staff at Hilltop Primary School Tuesday morning.

Representing each of Westonka's school buildings, candidates for the district’s top teaching award are nominated by their colleagues, students and community members for their exceptional commitment to student learning. Drill's fellow nominees were Lyndsay Geyen from Westonka Early Learning, Jodie Rasicot from Shirley Hills Primary School, Bailey Fowler from Grandview Middle School and Amy DiGaudio from Mound Westonka High School. Drill, Geyen and Rasicot were also among the 77 candidates for 2022 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

[Read more about the 2021-2022 building teachers of the year]

Drill came to Westonka in 2000 and has taught both second and third grade over the past 22 years at Hilltop. She notes that teaching has been her dream since she was in elementary school.

“I believe that second grade is a pivotal year in students’ education,” Drill said. “I’ve watched kids come in as reluctant readers and leave second grade as voracious book lovers.”

“When the light goes on in a child’s mind, it makes me feel so proud,” Drill added.

“As a teacher, Mara may leave the building at the end of each day, but she never stops thinking about her students and what they truly need to succeed,” wrote Hilltop Principal Mike Moch. “She is an idea seeker and implementer. If a student is struggling to be a stronger reader, she seeks out any strategy possible that will help them improve … She simply cannot rest until the student is making the gains needed to be a strong, independent thinker.”

In order to provide instruction that fits each child, Drill believes it’s important to form meaningful connections with students and make them feel safe and loved. She has her students write a letter to her each week as a way to check in and learn about what they love to do. “I make a point to respond to them and have intentional conversations with them,” Drill said.

Westonka staff, students and families agree that Drill’s impact reaches far beyond the classroom. She is heavily involved in White Hawks activities, serving in five high school booster organizations - football, volleyball, basketball, softball and choir. In addition, Drill serves on the Westonka Youth Basketball Board and as a volunteer with Westonka Community Theatre. Moch wrote, “I am not sure if Mara has actually said the word ‘no’ to anyone who asked for a volunteer, an organizer and a champion for both athletics and arts.”

Moch continued:

When you think about Mara, you think she is an absolute machine. Mara could easily be compared to a skilled juggler, balancing many plates perfectly to accomplish all that she can do in one day. Anyone who meets Mara asks, ‘How does she do it all?’ It is clear to see she does it all with great love and compassion for her students and her community.

Drill will be recognized, along with her fellow building teachers of the year, at the Westonka Staff Recognition event May 6 at Mound Westonka High School.