Volga kindergarten teacher Amy Verhelst named South Dakota's Teacher of the Year
Amy Verhelst, a kindergarten teacher at Sioux Valley Elementary School in Volga was named Thursday night as South Dakota’s 2025 Teacher of the Year during a special recognition banquet in Pierre.
The other finalists for the award were Erin Rieff, an art teacher at Brandon Valley Middle School; Megan Wilson, a high school math teacher at Sanborn Central High School; Christy Saltsman, a middle school math and K-8 physical education teacher in the Gettysburg School District; and Michelle Abbott, a second grade teacher at West Elementary School in Spearfish.
Each of the finalists were chosen from five regions in the state, representing both their schools, districts and regions for their outstanding work. The winner will go on for consideration at the national level, and the 2025 National Teacher of the Year will be announced at a ceremony in Washington D.C. this spring.
As the state’s Teacher of the Year, Verhelst won a $5,000 grant from the West River Foundation to use as she wishes, and $2,000 from the South Dakota Board of Regents to present a series of professional development seminars to aspiring teachers. She can also earn a master’s degree at no cost from the BOR.
Verhelst said in a video on the SDDOE YouTube page that she loves teaching because of the kids. She previously taught in the Brandon Valley School District and in Brownsburg, Indiana, after graduating from South Dakota State University.
“They’re the reason I come to school every day and have a smile on my face, and kindergarten is that beginning stage where I get to give them their first exposure to school, that first experience,” Verhelst said. “It’s like I get to unlock this whole new world for them.”
She said her preschool teacher and her mother, who taught special education, inspired her to teach.
DOE Secretary Joe Graves stated in a press release that Verhelst is the “kind of kindergarten teacher every parent wants their child to have.”
“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,” Graves said. “Her commitment to and competence with the science of reading practices was evident from the first moment we walked into her classroom.”
The National Teacher of the Year program remains the oldest, most prestigious honors program focusing on excellence in teaching since 1952.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Amy Verhelst named South Dakota's Teacher of the Year
