VOLGA — Amy Verhelst knew from the age of 4 that she wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. And today she’s not just teaching kindergarten at the Sioux Valley District — she’s also been named the 2025 South Dakota Teacher of the Year.

“I really am living my dream job,” Verhelst said. “I get paid to do what I love every day.”

Each school district in the state sets up its own criteria for selecting a local teacher of the year. Out of that pool of nominees, five teachers are chosen for regional recognition as finalists for the annual statewide award. State Education Secretary Joseph Graves announced Verhelst the 2025 South Dakota Teacher of the Year at a banquet in Pierre on Sept. 26. 

It was never an honor Verhelst sought. She just wanted to be like her own kindergarten teacher.

“My kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Maxwell — Barb Maxwell. And she made such an impact on our community and was such a great teacher and just made everyone feel so loved and important and special,” Verhelst said. “I remember as a 4-year old like — I want to be Mrs. Maxwell when I grow up, and that never really went away.”

Teaching is also a family tradition.

“My other inspiration is my mother,” Verhelst said. “She’s worked in special education for a very long time. She specifically works with children with Down’s Syndrome, and just the patience and heart that she’s had for those kids. And the one thing that I took from her … just celebrating every win. With kids with special needs, their victories aren’t going to be the same as everybody else. Nor are anybody’s successes the same. But just make all of those little wins a big deal and celebrate all of that together — that’s the most impactful thing I can do for my kids.”

This year will be Verhelst’s 11th year as a teacher. Before this she taught at a district outside Indianapolis, and before that at Brandon.

“I’ve seen what the big and small is like,” Verhelst said. “Definitely coming back to small-town Volga has been where my heart is. Getting to feel like a member of the community and starting to getting to know the families and that’s been great. So I’ve been at Volga now, this is my sixth year.”

Being in small-town South Dakota has enabled her to make more intimate connections with the families of the kids she teaches. 

“I’ve had a lot of parents, too, reach out,” Verhelst said. “I’m so grateful for the time that I got with their children — it’s a true honor to have that experience with them — that they trust me to teach the number one person in their life.”

When she was announced as one of the five statewide finalists, Sioux Valley put on a school-wide celebration for her.

“They had the entire school come out in the hallway — all of the kids, all of my former students and they had me bust through a sign like I was a cool football player, and they had music playing and the kids were cheering and hugging me,” Vehelst said. “That’ll be the coolest moment of my career. I don’t care if I get the award. I feel like I’ve already won in my heart. Then I turned the corner of the hallway to where I had all of my big kids — my first class that I had in Volga now will be fifth graders this year, and I’m all tore up about it because they were hooting and hollering. That was a long time ago that they were in my room, and that made such an impact on me.”

Those moments of celebrating joy and success is something she tries to have her kindergartners experience regularly as they learn.

“They might not remember what they actually learned in my classroom that one day — their math curriculum or their writing curriculum,” Verhelst said. “But they’re going to remember the way they felt in my classroom and how they felt successful and the way their teacher shared in that joy and celebration with them along with their peers.”

That love of learning is something she applies to herself professionally.

“Learning all of the techniques and strategies that it takes to become not just a good teacher but a great teacher — that takes time,” Verhelst said. “You’re not going to learn it all in your first year of teaching. I mean I have transformed so much from even just since my first year in Volga.”

She said every day brings new challenges. 

“I actually enjoy the challenging parts of school because it brings people together — how can we make things better? How can we help this kid?” Verhelst said. “Probably the most difficult thing for me is when they walk out my door — I hope they’re OK and I hope they’re getting what they need. I feel like all educators feel that way, too. We wouldn’t be in this field if our kids’ overall well-being wasn’t our top priority. We all want them to learn, but we also want them to be safe and be happy and feel loved. Each kid is so amazing — you can find a way to connect with them.”

One of the biggest changes for her has been adapting to a new style of teaching kids to read.

“Ever since I started learning about the science of reading, that was a big shift in my career and my motivation; and I just felt like my passion just completely ignited and I wanted to learn more. And learning the practices of the science of reading and then applying it to my classroom and seeing how effective it was and how much better my teaching strategies were in the things my kids were capable of doing, I just want to be able to share my experience with any educator that would be willing to listen,” Verhelst said. “When you know better, you do better. And every day I just and try to be better for my kids because I want to give them the greatest gift that I can — and that’s the ability to read, and to feel successful for themselves, and know that they are valued and they are capable of anything.”

As the next South Dakota Teacher of the Year, that’s a message she wants to share with young, prospective teachers across the state.

“I really want to talk to those teacher candidates that  are ready to come out into the field and reassure them that like it’s going to be great, it’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be so rewarding,” Verhelst said. “And you get to share your passion and you get to be that person who’s going to make an impact on those kids.”

Verhelst is now a candidate for the 2025 National Teacher of the Year — an award that’s been giving out since 1952. The winner will be announced this spring in Washington, D.C. 

Email Jay Roe at jroe@brookingsregister.com.