People in Education

Tamara Fisher Alley, a K-12 Gifted Education Specialist for the Polson School District, is among four finalists for Teacher of the Year.

This year, 41 teachers from across the state were nominated by community members, teachers, administrators, and parents. Of those nominated, 19 teachers successfully applied to be the 2024 Teacher of the Year.

According to the Office of Public Instruction, the process of selecting finalists is framed by two committees of stakeholders. This first committee reviewed and narrowed the applications to four finalists, and a second committee meets Sept. 12 to chose the Teacher of the Year, who will then compete for the national title.

All four finalists teach at schools located on reservations, received their degrees from the Montana University System, and have between 12 and 28 years of classroom experience. The other three finalists are: Teresa Heil, a K-12 Visual Arts teacher at Frazer Public Schools; Jacob Turcotte, a 7th grade English teacher and the lead teacher for the Buffalo Unity Project at Poplar Middle School; and Kevin Kicking Woman, a Blackfeet Language and Culture teacher at Browning High School.

“These four finalists reflect the qualities found in all of our Montana teachers,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. “I am very appreciative of the dedication these teachers have to our Montana students, families, and education system.”

Hakyla Riggs of Proctor is among 53 high school graduates from across Montana selected for the eighth class of Montana State University’s Hilleman Scholars Program. The program is named after Maurice Hilleman, one of the state’s most influential native sons and an MSU graduate and world-renowned vaccinologist.

Hilleman Scholars are eligible for up to $6,500 in academic support for their first year and $4,000 per year thereafter. If they make satisfactory academic progress and demonstrate exemplary commitment to the program in their first three years, scholars may become eligible for an additional $3,000 at the end of their junior year to apply toward a study-abroad experience.

Riggs also received a $1,000 Emma Sager Memorial Scholarship from the Women of Rollins organization through the Polson Scholarship and Education Foundation. The recent graduate of Polson High was in a dual enrollment program through Flathead Valley Community College through the STEM Academy at Salish Kootenai College. During her high school career, she was involved in SKC Upward Bound, high school band and attended ground school with Red Eagle Aviation. She plans on majoring in computer science at Montana State University.