Proctor Journal

A Special Education teacher in Proctor is a finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

Mary Ellen Wade is one of 10 finalists selected from among 27 semifinalists who were initially selected from a field of 101 candidates.

Mary Ellen Wade becomes the fifth Proctor educator in the past 10 years to be named a finalist, and the fourth in the past five years.

Wade teaches students at the Proctor Middle School. Her peers at Proctor first nominated her for the prestigious award given by Education Minnesota, the state teachers’ union.

“We are very proud and excited about the upcoming outcome,” stated Jedlicka Middle School Principal Kim Belcastro.

Wade has been at Proctor since 1999. She has been involved in education for 19 years. She taught in Chicago, Manitoba and Kansas before coming to Proctor. She started with kindergarten and first grade before taking time to raise two boys.

The 2009 Teacher of the Year will be named at a ceremony on May 3.

Last year, Gordon Westendorf became Proctor’s fourth Proctor teacher to be named a top 10 finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. PHS’s Glen Sorenson was named 2005 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. The other finalists were: Virgil Boehland in 1999 and Lynn Peterson in 2007.

Glen Gilderman and Patricia Muckala were semi-finalists and received “Teacher of Excellence” honors.