MHS Educators Rising Members Compete at Nationals in Orlando

The five MHS students who qualified for the 2025 National Educators Rising Conference  were in Orlando, Florida, from June 25-29.  Kalli Moser, Charlotte Street, and Keira Steffen competed in the Job Interview competition and Max Schuelke and Yanderyn Olivares Zuniga competed in the Creative Lecture division.

This year’s conference –its 88th – was the largest ever with 3,800 attendees representing 46 states. Membership in Educators Rising has grown to more than 25,000 students and 1,400 chapters across all 50 states and D.C.

Nicci Stengel, co-adviser of the Milbank chapter and chaperone to Orlando,  stated, “We did not bring home any national finalists,  but we did bring home students that will succeed in anything they put their minds to. I could not be prouder of how these students represented Milbank. We are so blessed by a community that supports the positive growth of our youth and essentially our future.” 

 “I, too, am so proud of our students for making it to the national level,”  Robin Schuelke, also a co-adviser and chaperone, said,  “It has been inspiring for us to watch them grow from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. That only happens with their dedication.” 

The national conference consists of three days of competitions, a college fair that included colleges from all over the nation, and breakout sessions given by experts in the education field. Missy Testerman, 2024 National Teacher of the Year, delivered the keynote address. She spoke about the importance of teachers investing in their students and finding their voices to become advocates.

Students were given the chance  to socialize with students from all over the United States and to participate in the pin trading tradition. Max Schuelke, Travis Lape – State Director of South Dakota’s  Educators Rising, and students from Aberdeen represented South Dakota in the lip-syncing karaoke competition. 

Students were rewarded with a half day to explore the city. Monday morning before the opening ceremony, students carved out some time to visit Disney Springs.    

Mrs. Schuelke thanked the community and school district for their support and for giving the students the opportunity to experience the world outside of Grant County.

The 2026 Educators Rising National Conference  will be held  in Portland, Oregon.

Submitted Photo