The South Dakota Department of Education is naming a Volga educator as Teacher of the Year.
Amy Verhelst is a kindergarten teacher at Sioux Valley Elementary School. She received the award Thursday evening.
Officials say she’s been teaching since 2014. The SDSU grad previously taught at Brandon Valley and at a school in Indiana.
“Amy is the kind of kindergarten teacher every parent wants their child to have,” said education secretary Joseph Graves. “Her classroom is full of kindness and optimism. She operates with a steady hand that sets her students up to succeed in school for years to come. Her commitment to and competence with the Science of Reading practices was evident from the first moment we walked into her classroom.”
For being named Teacher of the Year, Verhlest receives a $5,000 grant from the West River Foundation and a $2,000 honorarium from the Board of Regents to speak at seminars for aspiring teachers. She also has the opportunity to earn a master's degree at no cost from the Board of Regents.
Verhlest next represents South Dakota as a candidate for the 2025 National Teacher of the Year award.