ThefiveSouthDakotaRegionalTeachersof theyearcametogether in Pierre on Thursday, July 28th. They were able to participate in a meet and greet to get to know more about each other and were given tips on how to deal with media and interviews. Next, they met with the current SD Teacher of the Year, Stephanie Ballard, who teaches at George S. Mickelson Middle School in Brookings. She gave a presentation that detailed what the responsibilities of the SD Teacher of the Year would entail. This includes deciding on a platform to use for about a dozen various speaking engagements, visiting pre-service teachers at 5 SD regent schools, representing SD for National Teacher of the Year, a couple trips to Washington DC, and being an advocate for education with help from the SD Department of Education.

A luncheon was served after the presentation. Next, each of the regional teachers had a one on one interview with a selection committee of about 10 people, lasting about 10-15 minutes each. The selection committee chose the new 2023 SD Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at a banquet in Pierre on Thursday, October 13th. Duties for the candidate they selected, will begin her responsibilities in January 2023.