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Austin Public Schools’ Christoph Dundas has been named as one of the finalists for 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

The Austin High School band teacher is one of 12 teachers who have been named finalists in the program. An independent selection panel of 21 leaders in the areas of education, business, government and nonprofits selected the finalists from a group of 31 semifinalists. 

There were 142 candidates for this program year. 

The selection panel will meet again on May 3 to conduct individual interviews with each of the 12 finalists and to cast votes for the 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. For a look at how the selection process works, go to https://educationminnesota.org/news/awards-and-honors/teacher-of-the-year/  

The 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Tracy Byrd of Washburn High School in Minneapolis, will announce this year’s honoree at a banquet at the Saint Paul RiverCentre May 4. Banquet tickets can be purchased through EventLeaf. 

Dundas was announced as APS Teacher of the Year on Nov. 21, one of 29 nominees in the district.

“Teaching for me is an opportunity maybe to connect with a student that maybe nobody else has connected with that day and that week,” Dundas said at the time. “Make sure students know that there are people that care about what happens with them and what they’re doing in life on a day to day basis.” 

Education Minnesota, the statewide educators union, organizes and underwrites the Teacher of the Year program. Candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade, Early Childhood Family Education and Adult Basic Education teachers, from public or private schools. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year program also receives support from the following organizations: Education Minnesota ESI, Educators Lifetime Solutions, EFS Advisors, Expedition Credit Union, Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation and SMART Technologies. 

The 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalists (listed alphabetically, with school, district, subject and grade[s] taught) are: 

• Stacy Bartlett, Stillwater Area High School, biology, 10-12 

• Katelyn Bruce, Minneapolis Public Schools, second grade 

• Ben Cuevas-Rengstorf, Minneapolis Public Schools, culinary arts, 9-12 

• Christoph Dundas, Austin Public Schools, band, 9-12 

• John Horton, Saint Paul Public Schools, grades 1-3 

• Amanda Jagdeo, Saint Paul Public Schools, pre-K 

• Zoe Kourajian, Mounds View Public Schools, U.S. history and girls’ leadership, 7-8 

• Soren Olesen, Roseau Community School District, welding, machine shop and work-based learning, 11-12 

• Sean Padden, Roseville Area Schools, health, 7-8 

• Araceli Pastrana, Eden Prairie Schools, third grade 

• Kong Vang, Saint Paul Public Schools, ethnic studies, 9-12 

• Linda Wallenberg, Eden Prairie Schools, English, 9 and 12