Macie Harris-Nelson

BISMARCK – Macie Harris-Nelson, a music educator at Kenmare Elementary School, has been named one of four finalists for North Dakota’s 2025 Teacher of the Year award.

The other finalists are Kendall Bergrud, a math teacher at Wachter Middle School in Bismarck; Ashley Nudell, family and consumer sciences at Lisbon High School; and Kayla Tatro, an English, math, science, music, and technology teacher at Roosevelt Public School in Carson.

“These finalists are exemplars of the outstanding teachers we are fortunate to have across North Dakota,” said N.D. Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, who announced the finalists Monday. “Our educators deserve our appreciation, respect and admiration for the work they do with our young people.”

Baesler will be traveling to the finalists’ respective schools as the 2024-25 school year begins to honor their achievements. The four finalists will be interviewed by an eight-member screening committee to select the 2025 Teacher of the Year, which will be announced before Sept. 30.

“Recognition programs such as the Teacher of the Year illustrate the important role that our educators fulfill,” Baesler said. “The person who is chosen is a representative of teachers across the state, speaks about the importance of the profession and gives voice to the issues that are on the minds of his or her colleagues.”

North Dakota’s Teacher of the Year will become a candidate for the national Teacher of the Year award, which is selected by the Council of Chief State School Officers, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that represents state education interests. Baesler is president of the CCSSO’s board of directors.