Awarded 2017 Educator Of Excellence

We would like to congratulate Mrs. Angela Hartman of Underwood Public School for being awarded as one of the Educators of Excellence for state of Minnesota. As a Business teacher and Academic Advisor, Angela has been working to bring the best opportunities for all of her students. From the classroom to extracurricular activities to advising students, Angela is, no doubt, deserving of this award. The Educators of Excellence award is p r e s e n t e d by the Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA) and is given to four teachers in the state. The state is broken into four areas (North, North Central, South, and South Central) with Angela being the teacher awarded for the North Central region. Judges then search for educators who “are inspiring students to learn and achieve by positively impacting them, modeling leadership in their school and community and bringing about new and innovative practices in education,” as stated by Fred Nolan, the executive director of MREA. Teachers can be nominated by either colleagues, students, parents, or community members, but they must be “directly involved in E-12 education within current MREA member school organizations and employed under the terms of a teacher master agreement,” according to the MREA website. Angela grew up in Fergus Falls and moved back to the Underwood area with her family. The move back came after finishing undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Accounting at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD, a Business Education degree at Winona State, and a Master’s degree in Family Financial Planning at Iowa State University. Following years of teaching around the Midwest, Angela, along with her husband, Jonathan (Art teacher at Underwood) and two boys (6th and 1st grade), she began teaching in Underwood. She has now been teaching there for just over ten years. From the start, Angela was determined to make the best classroom for her students. She began by making sure the physical components of her classroom were top notch. From uniform computers to exercise ball chairs for each student, she has created an environment that is beneficial to students and allows her to teach in the most effective way. She also offers two college credit courses to the junior and senior class, which allows students to transfer credits that they have earned in high school to their respective college. Apart from the classroom, Angela is a part of multiple school groups including: the Academic Advising Program, Staff Development committee, Union Negotiator, and BPA supervisor. Much of her involvement in these organizations is what led to her being nominated and chosen for this award.