Baesler praises finalists for North Dakota’s 2026 Teacher of the Year

North Dakota State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler has commended four educators who have been named finalists for the state's 2026 Teacher of the Year award. The finalists are Emily Dawes, a first-grade teacher at J. Nelson Kelly Elementary School in Grand Forks; Hannah Sagvold, a business education teacher at Lisbon Public School; Frannie Tunseth, who teaches grades 4-8 at Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg Public School in Mayville; and Leah Wheeling, a sixth-grade teacher of physical education and digital literacy at Simle Middle School in Bismarck.

These educators were selected from among 48 County Teachers of the Year recognized earlier this year. Once the new school year begins, Baesler plans to visit each finalist's school to honor their achievements.

“These finalists represent the skilled, compassionate educators that we blessed to have in our North Dakota schools,” Baesler said. “Our Teacher of the Year program is intended to lift up the teaching profession and show the respect, appreciation, and admiration we have for our teachers, and celebrate the work they do to educate the young people who represent our future.”

The selection process for Teacher of the Year is detailed in state law (NDCC 15.1-02-21). The finalists will be interviewed by an eight-member screening committee that will choose the winner for 2026. An announcement is tentatively scheduled by Baesler and Gov. Kelly Armstrong on September 26 in Memorial Hall at the state Capitol.

The recipient will also become eligible for consideration as National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers. Currently holding North Dakota's Teacher of the Year title is Kendall Bergrud from Wachter Middle School in Bismarck. His successor will take over on January 1, 2026.