The Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award is an annual award given to an outstanding teacher, nominated by fellow colleagues, students, parents and community members. At Stillwater Area High School, where academic and personal growth are important, there is a teacher who stands out amongst the crowd. Biology teacher Stacy Bartlett has been teaching for over 25 years. She is an inspiration because of her amount of passion, dedication and commitment she has to her students and her job. As a semi-finalist for the 61st Teacher of the Year Award, Bartlett’s impact goes beyond the lesson plan, changing her students’ lives with her creative teaching methods, support and her genuine care for students’ success.

First off, Bartlett puts a lot of effort into making her classroom a positive environment and what she teaches. Students can tell she loves her job by the way she teaches and interacts with them. She always gives positive encouragement to her students and provides a hands-on approach to teaching.

“I feel very welcome in her class. I think she really loves what she teaches, which makes me like science more,” sophomore Clara Wipperfurth said.

Then, students described how Bartlett always goes above and beyond to help her students understand the material even if it means teaching the material a different way.

“She is just set apart from other teachers because she really cares about what you learn. It’s not about your grade, it’s about what you take from it,” sophomore Grace Garvin said.

Bartlett always has a positive mindset for herself and always makes sure that the students do as well. Her positivity impacts students beyond the classroom, affecting their whole day.

“Ms. Bartlett deserves this award because she has never failed to make me have a good day, even if I’m having a bad day,” junior Ruby Peterson said.

Bartlett had a lot of obstacles and career changes along the way to becoming a teacher. Bartlett talked about how these events shaped her life today.

Bartlett explained why she became a teacher, “I got my undergraduate degree, I started out as pre-medicine because I knew I wanted to do something where I helped people. I liked to solve problems and be creative. At the end of my junior year, I knew it didn’t feel quite right, so I was like I’m just gonna take an education class. I was really against teaching when I went into college, though, because both my parents were teachers, and I didn’t want to turn out exactly like them. I took that education class, and it was like a sigh of relief, like I’m home, this is what I’m supposed to do. It was such an opportunity for that creativity that I didn’t have in my undergraduate classes, so no regrets at all. I was meant to be a teacher, I was just trying to pave a different path, and the universe had its plans laid out for me.”

Next, Bartlett always makes it a priority to help her students learn something beyond just her biology class. Bartlett went into depth about specific parts of teaching that she enjoys.

She described one of her favorite parts about teaching, “All teachers love the a-ha moment where a student is like ‘Oh my gosh’, because then you know you’ve made a difference, you know they’ve learned something, it’s kind of your mic drop moment,” Bartlett said.

Bartlett prioritizes her connections with students and follows through with them even after they move on from her class. She believes that is the key to success with being a good teacher.

“I think that those who have been nominated, including myself, have that connection with students, and it’s not a connection you have with every student. Different teachers connect with different students, and for example, I had this one student who I really connected with, and then she went on to become a science teacher, so that connection was really important,” Bartlett said.

Finally, Bartlett believes teachers are the foundation of society and believes that this award would symbolize that for her. This award would also help to highlight the importance of teachers and honor her dedication to her students.

Bartlett explained what this award would mean to her, “We’ve all had an experience with amazing teachers, everybody is where they are because they had a whole bunch of teachers that loved them and wanted the best for them. I have never won this award, but to me these are the memories I’m gonna carry with me forever, knowing that I made a difference in someone’s life, like my teachers did in mine.”

The 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet on Sunday, May 4. at the Saint Paul River Centre. As Bartlett remains a semi-finalist in the competition, students, staff and community members continue to show unwavering support for her. Her dedication to creating a positive learning environment in her classroom and inspiring her students has earned her the appreciation of all who work with her. Regardless of the outcome, Bartlett’s impact on teaching will continue to stick with her students and fellow staff for years to come.