Baesler Celebrates 2025 ND County Teachers of the Year

State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler on Thursday congratulated 46 North Dakota educators who were named Teachers of the Year in their respective counties. One of the group will be chosen as North Dakota’s state Teacher of the Year in September.

“It is a pleasure to honor these outstanding teachers, who have been recognized by their peers and the students and families they serve as being exemplars of their profession,” Baesler said. “All North Dakotans should be grateful for the work our educators do to help develop our state’s new generations of citizens.”

The 2025 county winners are:

• Barnes: Sarah Lerud, Valley City Jr. Sr. High School
• Benson: (Tie) Leo Jem Frondarina, Warwick Public Schools; Elise Kallenbach, Maddock Public School
• Bottineau: Amber Thorenson, Bottineau Public School
• Bowman: Lisa Kalstrom, Bowman County Public School
• Burke: Brooke Wisthoff, Powers Lake School
• Burleigh: Leah Wheeling, Simle Middle School, Bismarck
• Cass: Lucas Bush, Northern Cass Public School, Hunter
• Cavalier: Rachel Avdem, Langdon Area Elementary School
• Dickey: Mike Marquette, Southeast Career And Technology Center, Oakes
• Dunn: (Estella) LeAnn Nelson, Killdeer Public School
• Eddy: Lori Demester, New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School, New Rockford
• Emmons: Savanna Mattern, Strasburg Public School
• Foster: Sierra Tweed, Carrington Elementary School
• Grand Forks: Emily Dawes, J. Nelson Kelly Elementary, Grand Forks
• Grant: Kay Rivinius, Elgin New Leipzig Public School/Grant County Jr. High/High School
• Griggs: Sarah Berg, Griggs County Central, Cooperstown
• Kidder: Jodi Olson, Kidder County School, Steele
• LaMoure: Brittany Sayler, Kulm Public School
• Logan: Logan Klitzke, Gackle-Streeter Public School, Gackle
• McHenry: Joan Birdsell, Drake-Anamoose High School, Drake
• McIntosh: Breigh Schlepp, Ashley Public School
• McKenzie: Whitney Wold, Fox Hills Elementary/McKenzie County Public School District #1, Watford City
• McLean: Antenniell Neumiller, Washburn Elementary School
• Mercer (Tie): Susan McCarthy, Hazen Elementary School; Chantel McKay, Beulah Elementary School
• Morton: Candace Brannan, Mandan High School
• Mountrail: Amy Campbell, Parshall Elementary School
• Nelson: Carrie Eidsness, Lakota Elementary School
• Oliver: Lacey Hanson, Center-Stanton Public Schools
• Pembina: Adam Riddle, North Valley Career and Technology Center, Grafton
• Ramsey: Kristi Bommersbach, Central Middle School, Devils Lake
• Ransom: Hannah Sagvold, Lisbon Public School
• Renville: Melanie Jones, Glenburn Public School
• Richland: Rachel Line, Wahpeton Middle School
• Rolette: Crystal Good, Mount Pleasant School, Rolla
• Sargent: Benjamin Ponzer, Sargent Central Public School, Forman
• Stark: Robin Rivinius, Taylor-Richardton Elementary, Taylor
• Steele: Sara Sorby, Hope-Page Public School, Page
• Stutsman: Ryan Nelson, Montpelier Public School
• Towner: Kelsey Olsen, North Star Public School, Cando
• Traill: Frannie Tunseth, Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg Public School, Mayville
• Walsh: Laura Lindell, Park River Area School District #8
• Ward: Risha Allen, John Hoeven Elementary, Minot
• Wells: Michelle Kukowski, BM Hanson Elementary, Harvey
• Williams: Deanna Donnelly, Ray Public School

During her tenure as North Dakota’s state school superintendent, Baesler has expanded the Teacher of the Year program, with a goal of having county award winners from all 53 North Dakota counties.

The county awards announced Thursday are part of North Dakota’s state Teacher of the Year recognition program. County award recipients are eligible to apply for state Teacher of the Year honors, which will be announced in September. The incumbent state Teacher of the Year is Kendall Burgrud, a mathematics teacher at Wachter Middle School in Bismarck. His term ends Dec. 31.

County Teacher of the Year candidates were nominated in January and February. A total of 254 educators were nominated from 47 counties; 130 of those nominees, from 44 counties, applied for County Teacher of the Year consideration. These applications were reviewed and scored, and winners from the 44 counties were chosen earlier this month.

Because of ties in the scoring of applications, Benson and Mercer counties have two County Teachers of the Year. Nine counties had no applications: Adams, Billings, Divide, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Pierce, Sheridan, Sioux and Slope.

Nominations for County Teacher of the Year may come from anyone, including students, family members, teacher colleagues, or administrators. Teachers may nominate themselves as well.