BEMIDJI — Terri Forseth, in her own words, is a Bemidji girl “through and through.”

She grew up in Bemidji, went to Bemidji public schools, graduated from BSU and has taught at Central Elementary School for 26 years.

Now, Forseth is Bemidji’s 2016 Teacher of the Year.

At its yearly gathering before the start of school, the Bemidji Education Association gave out its annual awards Wednesday in front of all district faculty and staff in the Bemidji High School auditorium, with the highest honor going to Forseth.

She humbly accepted her award and remained adamant during and after the ceremony that no one could achieve it alone.

“I want to give a big huge shoutout and a thank you to my Central School peeps sitting out there,” Forseth said as she held her plaque on the stage of the BHS auditorium. “I’m sharing this honor with you. Nobody can do this alone. We do it together.”

Forseth teaches fourth grade at Central Elementary School but has also taught second and third grade.

“My whole teaching career has been at Central Elementary,” Forseth said. “It’s an amazing, small school but we all are just a tight unit because it is small and we work really well together.”

Her class sizes have fluctuated through the years with anywhere from 20 to 32 students, and she said the rigors of teaching, in general, has changed.

“It is all about the standards and being aware of what you’re doing,” she said. “And remembering why you are teaching, what you’re teaching.”

Forseth is looking forward to the new academic year and said her classroom is all ready for school to begin, which is Tuesday, after the Labor Day weekend. A fresh start is what she said keeps her coming back to work each day.

“Every day is a brand new start when you’re working with little kids,” she said. “They’re excited to be there so you can’t help but be excited to be there, too.”

Forseth is now eligible to apply for the Minnesota Teacher of the Year award.

Other awards

• Other awards Wednesday went to Mike Bjerk for Lay Educator of the Year and it was a tie for Support Professional of the Year between Diana Barrett and Aaron Hesch. Bjerk volunteers eight hours a day in the classroom at Bemidji Middle School. Barrett is the secretary at Central Elementary School and Hesch works as a coach and paraprofessional at Bemidji Middle School.
• Brenda Cassellius, Minnesota Commissioner of Education, also spoke after the award ceremony on “early learning and current issues in education.”
• School leaders also read names of newcomers to the Bemidji School District and service awards for given to faculty and staff who have been with the district for 15, 20, 25 and 30 years.