Melissa Oberg Named 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year
Special Education Teacher // Cook County School District // Grand Marais, MN
National Rural Education Association (NREA) and Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA) are excited to announce and introduce the 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year – Minnesota’s very own Melissa Oberg! Melissa, a special education teacher at Cook County Schools in Grand Marais, was a 2023 MREA Educator of Excellence.
Melissa began her work in education as a paraprofessional. After some gentle nudging and support by teachers, Melissa began working toward her special education licensure and earned this through the Naadamaadiwin Tribal Special Education Cohort and later earned her master’s in education from Augsburg College. Melissa is committed to overcoming obstacles and ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive, driven by the belief that challenges can lead to growth and success with the right support.
Oberg creates unique experiences, meaningful peer-to-peer connections with other students and career skills opportunities for her special education students. She continually goes above and beyond to give her students incredible opportunities.
We could rave all day about Melissa Oberg. Check out the video below from Melissa’s 2023 Educator of Excellence Award that gives a peek into her classroom, her heart and the students she gets to work with each day.
A career that chose her
After leaving the corporate world searching for something more meaningful, Melissa Oberg fell in love with the hard, but rewarding work, of teaching special education at Cook County Public Schools in Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Sue Nelson, a former teacher, co-worker and parent at Cook County Schools nominated Melissa for the Educator of Excellence award saying “We may be one of the most isolated districts in the state, but thanks to Melissa Oberg we are the most inclusive.”
Melissa spends her days at Cook County schools pouring into students with significant disabilities, helping them reach their goals and potential and feel a sense of belonging.
In her decade at Cook County Schools, Melissa has developed many programs that focus on helping special education students feel included, safe, and that they belong. A few of these programs are the Unified Club, Special Olympics bowling, Unified Gym, Cathy’s Coffee Cart, daily Staff errand runs by special education students, Common Ground Curriculum, and Special Education Track and Field Day at University of Minnesota Duluth. 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.
Rural community involvement
One of Melissa’s passions in serving her students is preparing them for and helping them find meaningful employment within their small community. That often involves including the local community to support the efforts of her classroom.
In her reflection statement, Melissa shared, “When students were showing up without basic hygiene completed, I was able to find a donor to fund a “Feel Good Cart” for students to access when they didn’t have necessary hygiene supplies. I found mentor students to assist with combing and braiding hair, trimming nails and giving reminders that everyone is beautiful. In recognizing the need for and importance of transition and work skills, I found a local donor to purchase start-up supplies for a Coffee Cart. Now, my classroom has its very own student run business where my students can focus on communication, social and work skills, reading, following task instructions and more. Sometimes you can even find us taking our Coffee Cart into the community to help establish community relationships and spread awareness of inclusion in the workplace. As a Minnesota rural educator, I am proud of how my community has shown up for my students.”
A Tradition of Excellence
Each year MREA honors four Educators of Excellence throughout the state, highlighting the incredible people and work in Greater MN education. The MREA Board of Directors selects one Educator of Excellence each year to nominate as NREA’s National Rural Teacher of the Year. This is the second year in a row that a rural Minnesota teacher has earned the National Rural Teacher of the Year honor! In 2023, Jenny Maras from Morris Area Public Schools was NREA’s National Rural Teacher of the Year.
MREA is both proud and honored to elevate such incredible educators and have their work recognized and celebrated nationwide.
Rural Education Awards
Melissa will be honored at the MREA Awards Banquet, which kicks off the 2024 Greater Education Summit on November 17. We’ll also elevate and celebrate 2024 Educators of Excellence and Innovation Program Award honorees. Register today and join us at the Summit!
As part of Melissa’s recognition, NREA will host and celebrate Melissa at the National Forum to Advance Rural Education in Savannah, GA on October 31 – November 1. MREA’s alignment with NREA helps elevate the greatness of Minnesota public education.
