November 21, 2024 — Superintendent Kevin Borg and Westonka Education Minnesota (WEM) representative Jack Boland surprised five Westonka Public Schools educators Wednesday with their respective school’s top teaching award.
Congratulations to Westonka’s 2024-25 building Teachers of the Year: Wendy Richards from Mound Westonka High School, Libby Ackerson from Grandview Middle School, Sarah Wright from Shirley Hills Primary School, Alyssa Kanive from Hilltop Primary School and Lindsai Djerf from Westonka Early Learning.
WEM received a total of 449 Teacher of the Year nominations this fall from students, parents, staff and community members, and 98 individual teachers received nominations.Teachers in each building had the difficult task of selecting one teacher to represent their school as Teacher of the Year. Criteria for the annual award includes impact on student learning, both in and out of the classroom; contributions to and improvement of the school community; and years of service in the profession, district and/or building.
Richards, Ackerson, Wright, Kanive and Djerf will have the opportunity to represent the district in the Westonka Teacher of the Year and Minnesota Teacher of the Year competitions. Both of these honors will be announced in May 2025.
Please read an excerpt from each candidate’s nominations below.
Wendy Richards, high school biology teacher
Student nomination: AP Biology with Mrs. Richards was the most inspiring class I have taken. She challenged us every day to push our curiosity, creating an environment that accepted our mistakes and kept us pursuing knowledge. Her unending support allowed us to experiment with our learning styles. Additionally, the organization with which she created discussion based learning allowed each of us to take learning at our own pace and to thoroughly understand each concept before moving on.
Libby Ackerson, fifth grade math teacher
Staff nomination: Libby is an outstanding teacher, coworker and advisor. She goes above and beyond to advocate for her student's needs to be sure that they are successful in school. She prioritizes forming relationships with her students and it is evident that her students love her. Libby is a great asset to the 5th grade team. She is organized, commutative and reliable. She is often taking on extra work to help the team and filling in for others when needed. We are lucky to have her at GMS!
Sarah Wright, speech-language pathologist
Staff nomination: Sarah has so many hidden talents that most of us don't see unless you work closely beside her. Her ability to lead the specialized services team as the SPED liaison is amazing. She is organized, thoughtful and patient. She also does a wonderful job co-leading the PBIS committee. I've watched her in IEP meetings with families and the way she gushes over her students' progress is so heart-warming. She loves her speech kiddos and advocates for them fiercely. I love to hear her speak of her "graduating from speech" students because while she is proud and excited for them to exit, you can tell how much she will miss her time with them. Her heart is for her students and she is truly dedicated to making Shirley Hills the best place for them to be!
Alyssa Kanive, fourth grade teacher
Student nomination: She is a very good teacher because she helps me with my problems and she is so kind.
Student nomination: She is the most nice, kind-hearted teacher I have met. I miss having her as a teacher.
Lindsai Djerf, preschool teacher
Staff nomination: Lindsai is an outstanding three-year-old preschool teacher. Her dedication to the families and children in her classroom goes above and beyond. She involves families in their child's first educational exposure to our school district, while always making it fun.
