Cook County ISD 166 School Teacher Melissa Oberg Named 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year
Sep 05, 2024 09:32AM ● By Content Editor
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - September 5, 2024
On September 4, 2024, the National Rural Education Association (NREA) and Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA) announced that Cook County ISD 166 School Teacher Melissa Oberg was named the 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year. Oberg, a Special Education Teacher, has been with the district for 10 years. According to the MREA, "Melissa began her work in education as a paraprofessional." She was encouraged by peers to pursue her special education licensure (and a Master of Arts Degree), which she earned through the Naadamaadiwin Tribal Special Education Cohort, a program specializing in "post-baccalaureate special education licenses with a focus on tribal communities and learning styles." The Cohort is a partnership between the Augsburg University Master of Arts in Education Program and the University of Minnesota Duluth Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Language Revitalization.
Oberg's list of accomplishments and programs she's developed includes Special Olympics bowling, Cathy's Coffee Cart, Common Ground Curriculum, Special Ed Track and Field Day at the U of M Duluth, and many more. The MREA shared that "Melissa has also spearheaded a successful program within the school where mainstreamed high schoolers are paired up with special education students. This program helps foster a school culture of inclusiveness, empathy, and relationships." Oberg also found a way to fund a "Feel Good Cart" after students showed up to school without completing basic hygiene tasks. Student mentors were selected to assist with helping kids with their hair and nails and "giving reminders that everyone is beautiful."
In 2023, Oberg was recognized as one of four MREA Educators of Excellence. The MREA Board selects one of those four as the National Rural Teacher of the Year. She will be officially honored at the MREA Awards Banquet later this year.
In a 2020 interview with Oberg, she told Boreal Community Media, "My favorite part of my job is bringing people together. I love embracing uniqueness and celebrating strengths. Finding each student's special qualities and helping them utilize it is really a special experience."
A huge congrats to Melissa Oberg from all of us at Boreal Community Media!
On September 4, 2024, the National Rural Education Association (NREA) and Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA) announced that Cook County ISD 166 School Teacher Melissa Oberg was named the 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year. Oberg, a Special Education Teacher, has been with the district for 10 years. According to the MREA, "Melissa began her work in education as a paraprofessional." She was encouraged by peers to pursue her special education licensure (and a Master of Arts Degree), which she earned through the Naadamaadiwin Tribal Special Education Cohort, a program specializing in "post-baccalaureate special education licenses with a focus on tribal communities and learning styles." The Cohort is a partnership between the Augsburg University Master of Arts in Education Program and the University of Minnesota Duluth Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Language Revitalization.
Oberg's list of accomplishments and programs she's developed includes Special Olympics bowling, Cathy's Coffee Cart, Common Ground Curriculum, Special Ed Track and Field Day at the U of M Duluth, and many more. The MREA shared that "Melissa has also spearheaded a successful program within the school where mainstreamed high schoolers are paired up with special education students. This program helps foster a school culture of inclusiveness, empathy, and relationships." Oberg also found a way to fund a "Feel Good Cart" after students showed up to school without completing basic hygiene tasks. Student mentors were selected to assist with helping kids with their hair and nails and "giving reminders that everyone is beautiful."
In 2023, Oberg was recognized as one of four MREA Educators of Excellence. The MREA Board selects one of those four as the National Rural Teacher of the Year. She will be officially honored at the MREA Awards Banquet later this year.
In a 2020 interview with Oberg, she told Boreal Community Media, "My favorite part of my job is bringing people together. I love embracing uniqueness and celebrating strengths. Finding each student's special qualities and helping them utilize it is really a special experience."
A huge congrats to Melissa Oberg from all of us at Boreal Community Media!
Image: National Forum to Advance Rural Education
MREA: Melissa Oberg, Cook County Public Schools - 2023 Educator of Excellence
