The South Dakota Teacher of the Year will be announced during a ceremony Thursday in Oacoma.
Five teachers are finalists for the award: Katie Anderson from the Rapid City School District; Connie Gretschmann from the Avon School District; Milbank School District teacher Shelly Loehrer; West Central School District teacher Carolyn Spielmann and Kenneth "Lance" VanderVorst from the Herreid School District.
The winner in South Dakota will be in the running for the National Teacher of the Year, which will be announced during a ceremony in Washington in April.
