Minnesota's teacher of the year is a 1994 graduate of Parkview High School in Rock County.
Parkview Administrator Patrick Kennedy says teachers in the Parkview district are especially proud of Amber Place Damm. He says her former teachers remember her very well. She now teaches 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts at Clara Barton Open School in Minneapolis. She has taught there since 2001.
Damm will be Minnesota's nominee for National Teacher of the Year in 2010.
Scroll down for a podcast with more information on the award.
Click here to read about Damm's teaching philosophy.