Award-Winning Teachers Start at Moorhead

It’s no secret that Minnesota State Moorhead develops some of the best teachers around. With over a century of experience preparing educators, Moorhead combines academic rigor, experiential learning, and passionate faculty to shape future educators who make a real difference in schools and communities.

From Day One: Real Classrooms, Real Impact

Moorhead doesn’t wait until the last semester to put students in the field. Our future educators are in classrooms from their first year. This early, sustained exposure to real-world teaching environments helps build confidence and competence from the start.

School of Teaching & Learning

And it’s working. We’re proud of those who are educating the next generation and especially thrilled at how many Dragons have been recognized for their excellence.

Just this past year, six MSUM alumni in the Moorhead Public School district were recognized as Teachers of the Year at their respective schools:

• Angela Keeping ‘10 – Horizon Middle School West
• Aaron Hamblin ‘20 – Dorothy Dodds Elementary School
• Sarah Martin ‘05 – Probstfield Elementary School
• Courtney Grout ’13 & ‘17 – S.G. Reinertsen Elementary School
• Jill Filipi ’99 – Horizon Middle School East
• Mellisa Grosz ‘00 – Vista Center for Education

Elsewhere in the state, Jake Pundsack ’22 — only in his third year of teaching in Melrose — received the 2024 Minnesota Science Teaching Award. This prestigious honor is awarded to one outstanding secondary science teacher each year. Jake is the fastest teacher ever to earn the award.

Jake credits MSUM for setting a high bar. “It was the hands-on experience, and great examples of instructors, that made me the teacher I am today,” he says.

Moorhead students look to their professors for models of creative and engaged educators, and they connect classroom theory to practice, while building confidence, in applied practicum experiences that start during their first year.

Many teacher preparation programs wait until your final semester to place you in a classroom, but Moorhead gives early and ongoing exposure in a variety of school settings, from rural to international. After all, part of Moorhead’s CAEP-accredited approach is to immerse students in the field right away so they get more than 200 hours of observation and teaching in the classroom.

“MSUM taught us to have that drive to keep pursuing our careers and knowledge,” says Casey Mills ’09, the 2024 Bottineau County (N.D.) Teacher of the Year. “We came out of school know what we needed to do and how to do it.”

His wife, Kaley Mills ’09, was the 2022 Bottineau County Teacher of the Year. The dynamic Dragon duo continues to apply the latest research on brain development and literacy instruction to their classrooms.

“The way we used to teach kids how to read has changed. We bring best practices and the latest knowledge into our curriculum, so we’re doing our best to support all our students,” they say.

Also passionate about supporting students, Amanda Hetland ’13 returned to MSUM to get her master’s degree in special education after a degree in early childhood education and four years as a paraprofessional in a special education classroom.

“I chose MSUM because they have high standards, and I knew it is a good school, especially for education,” she says.

The choice proved fruitful as Hetland went on to be named the 2024 Fargo Public Schools Teacher of the Year, just as another Dragon, Angela Hase ’05 & ’15, was named the 2023-24 Moorhead Public Schools Teacher of the Year. Fellow master’s in special education graduate, Mendi Blake ‘08, was honored as the West Fargo Public Schools 2024-25 Professional Licensed Staff of the Year.

Teaching with Purpose and Perspective

Moorhead’s legacy in teacher education spans over 130 years. Founded in 1887 as a normal school (a college for training teachers), the university has stayed true to its mission of preparing exceptional educators while evolving to meet the needs of today’s classrooms.

Understanding how schools function within broader social systems is key to becoming an effective educator. That’s why Moorhead collaborates with local schools and faculty members in planning, implementing and assessing each experience in education and puts a strong focus on the social foundations of education.

At Moorhead, students explore the roles that history, culture, identity, and community play in shaping learning environments. This equips educators to create inclusive and equitable classrooms where every student feels seen and supported.

“We were in the classroom every semester with real-life applications,” says elementary inclusive education graduate Paige Weston ’16. “I knew how to handle children’s behavior, how to teach English using a specific curriculum, and I had the support from my professors to ask questions. I believed I could thrive.”

With comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs in early childhood, elementary, secondary and special education — offered online and on campus — Moorhead provides students with high-quality teaching skills and solid grounding in their chosen discipline.

“World educators need to be more than just familiar with curriculum,” Kayla Heller ’20 & '25 says. “They need to know how to differentiate lessons, build relationships, utilize the newest technology and develop a lasting love for learning. Moorhead taught me all of this and more about becoming the best educator I could be.”