5 named finalists for 2023-24 ESP of the Year award
Five education support professionals from around the state have been named finalists for the 2023-24 Education Minnesota ESP of the Year award.
The finalists are:
- Darci Brown, a bus driver from St. Francis.
- Laura Denney, a special education intensive education support professional at Elton Hills Elementary in Rochester.
- Shawn Perez, a resource room paraprofessional at Watertown-Mayer High School in Watertown-Mayer.
- Amanda Phenix, a special education support professional at Waconia Middle School in Waconia.
- Dante Pirtle, an education assistant at Henry High School in Minneapolis.
Finalists will now take part in an interview with the selection committee. The winner will be announced at a ceremony this Saturday, Oct. 28. The announcement will be streamed live on Education Minnesota’s Facebook page.
This year, after a record number of nominations and candidate submissions, Education Minnesota is also recognizing four deserving semifinalists for the 2023-24 ESP of the Year award.
The semifinalists are:
- Aria Campbell, a school success program assistant at Transition Plus in Minneapolis.
- Angela Duske, a special education paraprofessional at Watertown-Mayer Elementary School in Watertown-Mayer.
- Kelli Hanson, a paraprofessional at Baxter Elementary in Brainerd.
- Jason Norden, an education assistant at Edison High School in Minneapolis.
The selection committee consists of:
- Education Minnesota’s vice president.
- Education Minnesota’s field director.
- The previous year’s ESP of the Year Award winner.
- A representative of another education stakeholder organization.
The ESP of the Year receives a $1,200 honorarium; their choice of a Chromebook or iPad courtesy of Education Minnesota ESI; and an expense-paid trip to the National Education Association’s Education Support Professional National Conference.
Education Minnesota has honored ESPs with this statewide award since 2007.
