Moorhead public schools

The winner of the district’s Teacher of the Year award for the 2023-24 school year is Angela Hase, an English teacher at Moorhead High School. In her 12th year at Moorhead High School, Angela comes from a long line of teachers in her family.
“My great-grandmother, great-aunt, and sister are teachers, which may be why I take teaching so seriously,” said Mrs. Hase, who started teaching in 2006 in Fort Yates, N.D. “I view teaching as part of my identity, which is not always true with careers. An accountant does not necessarily believe that being one is part of who they are, but for me, teaching is who I am.”
This passion for both her profession and subject matter shines through to Angela’s colleagues, who have observed how she succeeds in the classroom.
“I have seen her students engaging in collaboration, graphing, creating artistic representations and writing rhetorical analysis,” explained Angela Jelinek, an instructional coach at MHS. “She teaches every level of students from English Language Learners who are not ready for a ‘regular’ English class to our most motivated AP students—and they are all better because Angela has been their teacher.”
The numbers also bear out Angela’s success: her AP students improved from 43% earning passing exam scores to 85% passing in 2023.
Not only is Angela dedicated to teaching her students, but she also strives to inspire growth in her fellow teachers. She is the co-director of the Red River Valley Writing Project, the local chapter of a professional development network of teachers, university faculty, writers, and researchers dedicated to advancing the teaching of writing. She is also a published instructional writer, having written a chapter in the educational textbook Increasing Visual Literacy and Critical Thinking Skills Through Graphic Novels. In 2023 alone she presented at professional development conferences in Minnesota, Washington, Ohio and North Dakota.
“She has provided professional development for staff and encourages staff to develop their skills in order to better support students in English Language Arts best practices,” noted Cadi Olson, a special education teacher at MHS. “Several years ago, Angela encouraged me to take a summer writing course from NDSU Red River Valley Writing Project. It was very helpful in developing my knowledge of argumentative writing and best practices.”
Each year, Education Moorhead selects school-level Teachers of the Year based on peer nomination and voting, with a second round of voting determining the district-level winner from among the school winners. The 2023-24 winners for each building are:
Christa Burson – Dorothy Dodds Elementary School
Christina Stoa – Ellen Hopkins Elementary School
Elizabeth Donahue – Probstfield Elementary School
Trevor Wickenheiser – Robert Asp Elementary School
Liz Fritel – S.G. Reinertsen Elementary School
Emily Olson – Horizon West Middle School
Brittany Kuehl – Horizon East Middle School
Angela Hase – Moorhead High School
Grady Carlson – MHS Career Academy/West Central Academy/Moorhead Alternative Learning Center/Vista Center for Education