Superintendent Arntzen Announces Linda Rost of Baker as Montana’s 2020 Teacher of the Year
September 3, 2019
BAKER, MT—State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen joined Baker High School students, teachers, and administrators Tuesday morning to congratulate Linda Rost on being named Montana’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Rost is a high school science teacher with a Master’s Degree in Science Education from MSU and is working towards a Ph.D. from Texas Tech. She will go on to represent Montana in the 2020 National Teacher of the Year competition.
“Congratulations to Mrs. Rost and the entire Baker community! It is an honor to appoint Linda to represent Montana in the National Teacher of the Year program,” State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen said Tuesday. “Linda will serve as a teacher-leader in Montana and as a strong voice for our rural schools on the national stage. Her passion for student-centered learning along with college and career readiness will greatly benefit education in our state.”
“Mrs. Rost is an inspirational teacher who motivates deep learning in her students and we are very proud and honored to have her on our educational team,” Baker High School Principal Dave Breitbach said Tuesday. “In a small school setting, using instructional strategies that engage all students in a diversified classroom is just one challenge Mrs. Rost must overcome on a daily basis. At Baker High School, classroom diversity may begin with the mixing of age groups and then is further complicated by a wide range of comprehension levels, science backgrounds, and varied areas of interest. Regardless of the student make-up in her classes, Mrs. Rost finds ways to connect to each and every student, who ultimately leave her classroom better than when they entered.”
Mrs. Rost rose to the top of the field after a rigorous and competitive selection process. An initial selection committee met to review applications last month and recommend finalists who were interviewed by a separate committee. Other finalists included Jordan Lankford-Forster from Great Falls, Traci Doll from Billings, and Connie Wittak from Scobey.
The selection committees consisted of representatives from the Montana Advisory Council on Indian Education, the Montana University System, the Board of Public Education, the Governor’s Office, the Montana Small Schools Alliance, the Montana Chamber of Commerce, the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, the Montana Legislature, the East Helena School Board, and 2019 Montana Teacher of the Year Dylan Huisken.
Visit the OPI’s website for more information about the Montana Teacher of the Year Program: http://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/Montana-Teacher-of-the-Year.
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CONTACT: Dylan Klapmeier
Director of Communications, Montana Office of Public Instruction
dylan.klapmeier@mt.gov
406-444-3559