Recognizing Excellence in Park Education

Submission Deadline: June 1, 2025

Application: Coming Soon

Past Award Winners
2022 - Cara Reickenberg
2023 - Megan Doerr
2024 - Katy Paquette

Each year the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area welcomes applications for the Lyndon Torstenson Big River Teacher Award, recognizing outstanding achievement and innovation by a teacher participating in and extending the park’s education programs in their classrooms or school.

The award will include a $500 honorarium and a National Park Service plaque certifying the award, and the recipient will be honored at the Big River Awards on the evening of July 11, 2024 at Fort Snelling State Park.

The Big River Teacher Award recipient exemplifies dedication and enthusiasm to improving the understanding of the Mississippi River. Each year, teachers participate in park education programs and extend those lessons to their classrooms using innovative, culturally responsive, or creative teaching principles. Their lessons engage students, helping them apply learning to their daily lives both in and out of the classroom. The park’s annual teaching award recognizes and honors an educator who makes this special effort to go beyond park programming to further connect their students to the river in their classrooms, whether through science, environment, history, culture, art, or other education lessons.

The award is in honor of former park ranger and educator, Lyndon Torstenson, and celebrates his commitment to bringing lessons from the river into classrooms. This award highlights the accomplishments of a Minnesota educator who empower students to become avid learners towards building a lifelong relationship with the Mississippi River.

The impact that a high-quality teacher can have on students is extraordinary, and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is pleased to help motivate teachers to make a difference in the lives and learning of all students.

Eligibility

Minnesota licensed K-12 classroom teacher in a public, private, or parochial school
Participant in a Mississippi National River and Recreation Area park program (field trip, online, etc)
Ability to demonstrate teaching that extends park programming as related to the Mississippi River using innovative, culturally responsive, or creative lessons in a K-12 setting

NOTE THIS IS A DIRECT APPLICATION AWARD. It is assumed applicants are applying for the award themselves. Please do not complete the application for someone else without their knowledge.

Pre-Application

Essay Prompts -- Be prepared to respond to the following:

Explain how you have extended the park's programming into your classroom. Describe details about any extended lesson or classroom work you've developed and what made it innovative, creative, culturally responsive, or engaging for students.
Please provide information that demonstrates your passion for the Mississippi River and how and why it continues to serve as an important topic for teachers to pass on to their students. In other words, why teach about the Mississippi River?

Optional Documentation -- Have on hand the following:

A lesson plan related to the above prompt that shows how you extended student learning from your park experience and demonstrates your skill in innovative, culturally responsive, or creative teaching practices as related to the Mississippi River. Can be in the format of a document, PDF, spreadsheet, slide deck, or video.
A one page letter of support from a student, teaching colleague, principal, superintendent, parent, or other peer describing your success and impact on student learning. Letters should cite specifics about your teaching, including academic and program development, educational leadership, and professional growth.

For questions, please email David Kappelhoff, MPC Engagement Specialist, at dkappelhoff@parkconnection.org.