St. Michael's Canton One of 34 Semifinalists for State Award

The field of possible candidates for this year’s Minnesota Teacher of the Year honor has been narrowed to 34. A selection panel of 22 community leaders meeting in St. Paul had the difficult task of choosing the semifinalists from an initial field of 111 candidates from across the state.

Making the big cut is St. Michael-Albertville Middle School West teacher Ryan Canton, who teachers social studies at the school and is also an assistant soccer coach.

The panel will meet again in late March to select about 10 finalists from among the group of semifinalists. The current Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Katy Smith of Winona, will announce her successor at a banquet at The Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park on May 6.

Education Minnesota, the 70,000-member statewide educators’ union, organizes and underwrites the Teacher of the Year program. Candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers from public or private schools.

The Minnesota Teacher of the Year Program also receives support from the following organizations: The SMARTer Kids Foundation, The Northland Inn, the Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation, United Educators Credit Union, McDonald’s Restaurants of Minnesota, Teacher Federal Credit Union, Pearson Education and Education Minnesota ESI.