Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Soupir surprised by WCCO Excellent Educator recognition



DELANO, MN – Kelli Soupir suspected that something unusual was happening as she descended the stairs from her second-floor classroom to the Delano Elementary School media center Sept. 13.

Her students waited expectantly below. Other students and staff members ringed the room, waiting.

“I thought, ‘OK, this is not what a normal day looks like. Something must be going on,’” the third-grade teacher said with a laugh.

She was right, of course. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Kim Johnson, an anchor for WCCO-TV, approached and presented Soupir with a plaque identifying her as one of the station’s “Excellent Educator” award winners.

An on-camera interview followed, and Johnson and her cameraman followed Soupir and her class as they resumed lessons in order to gather some additional footage.

“It was very unexpected, a total surprise,” Soupir said later that afternoon. “I had heard about similar things on the radio, but never in a million years did I think that I would be selected for it. I put teachers who earn that up on such a high pedestal. They are veteran teachers. So getting that honor myself was just a really big shock.”

Following the presentation, Johnson explained that she fields nomination letters and chooses one school staff member to highlight on the Excellent Educator segment during each week of the school year. That means about 39 teachers are honored annually, and Johnson said that total does not come close to the total number of nominations she receives.

Because of that competition, only the most compelling nominations result in an award. What made Soupir stand out, Johnson said, was the praise she received from a parent of a student she taught last year.

“This parent thought she was so caring and fair with her students, and that she displayed such wisdom and skill for a first-year teacher,” Johnson said. “This person felt she truly cared for the parents of her students, as well. By the time I finished reading the nomination, I wanted to share her story. I wanted to meet her.”

Soupir hastened to credit her fellow staff members for helping her negotiate the challenges that come with the start of any new teaching career.

“It is so humbling, as a second-year teacher, to be recognized, because you don’t always know that what you’re doing in the classroom is the right thing. You’re just trying it out on your own,” Soupir said. “It’s really a testament to how great this community is and how the other teachers at Delano have really embraced their new teachers and helped make them successful. I definitely could not have been the teacher I was last year or the teacher I am this year without their help. I’m really honored, and really grateful for the opportunity I’ve had here.”

* WCCO’s feature on Soupir aired twice Wednesday. The feature can be found by following the link at minnesota.cbslocal.com/2018/09/19/third-grade-teacher-excellent-educator/

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