Weather Alert
Cook County teacher Melissa Oberg nominated as National Rural Teacher of the Year
Kalli Hawkins
School

Cook County teacher Melissa Oberg nominated as National Rural Teacher of the Year

On Mar. 18, Cook County ISD 166 received news that Melissa Oberg, a special education teacher, had been selected as the National Rural Teacher of the Year candidate. 

The Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA) recognizes teachers across Minnesota for their commitment and dedication to their students each year. In Nov. 2023, Oberg was one of four teachers who received an Educators of Excellence award during the annual MREA conference in Brainerd. The award ceremony celebrates and showcases the incredible work happening in the Greater Minnesota school districts. 

The MREA Board of Directors then selects one of the four Educators of Excellence to nominate for the National Rural Teacher of the Year award, which the National Rural Education Association gives. 

Oberg was selected as the 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year candidate. She will be honored with the award during the National Rural Education Association’s National Forum to Advance Rural Education in Savannah, GA, between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2024. 

“We’re really excited about that,” Josh Belanger, the ISD 166 principal told WTIP on Mar. 18. “A big congrats to Melissa on this recognition. We are really lucky to have staff like Melissa in our school.”

MREA said in an announcement shared by ISD 166, “Congratulations, Melissa, MREA is confident you’ll do an incredible job representing Great Minnesota education!”

Watch a MREA video of Melissa Oberg’s 2023 Educator of Excellence recognition below: