Max Schuelke Becomes First South Dakotan to Win at Nationals 

Four members of the Milbank Chapter of Educators Rising – Carlos Oliveres Zuniga, Matti Scott, Max Schuelke, and Lydia Street – competed at the National Educators Rising Conference in Washington D.C. from June 27 through July 1.

Max won first place and a $500 scholarship in the Creative Lecture category with his lecture about teacher salaries. Max became the first South Dakotan to take home the top place in any category at the national competition. Educators Rising is the only national pre-collegiate program for prospective teachers that strives to develop the strong leadership traits that are found in high-quality educators.

The students were accompanied by Milbank teachers Robin Schuelke and Nicci Stengel and parent chaperones Matt and Nicole Scott. During the trip, the group went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, met with South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson, toured the U.S. Capitol, attended education-related break-out sessions held by experts in their fields, and attended a college and career fair.

One evening, Mrs. Stengel guided the group on a tour of the Washington Mall. Highlights included the Supreme Court, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial –where the students were able to find the Kilroy inscriptions hidden in the memorial, the Korean Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Wall. From the Mall area, they also had a view of the Jefferson Memorial across the Potomac River.  

On June 30, Max and all of the other state officers of Educators Rising, had the honor of placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The other students also participated in the ceremony. A tour of the Arlington Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum followed. They were then joined by other South Dakota chapters of Educators Rising and treated to a meal at Pinstripes – a restaurant, bowling alley, and bocce ball establishment. The meal was sponsored by donors back home in South Dakota. 

The 2025 National Educators Rising Conference will be held June 26-29 in Orlando, Florida.