EPHS English teacher Linda Wallenberg named 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year!

For nearly 50 years — almost all of which have been spent teaching at Eden Prairie High School — "Wally" has been inspiring her students to reach their full potential both in and beyond the classroom. “By helping students find their authentic selves–what they were made for–we can get them excited about their future,” she wrote in her nomination materials. “Although we cannot promise students that learning content will guarantee them worldly rewards or that they will always know the answers… I do know that as teachers we can help students gain integrity, confidence, stamina, and resiliency.”

Linda was nominated alongside a dozen of her Eden Prairie Schools colleagues and was selected from among 142 nominees across the state. “Before meeting Wally, I did not understand what true, unbridled devotion looked like,” wrote former student Sophia Yoerks (‘24) in a recommendation letter to the selection committee. “Not only does she teach impactful and informative material, but she also finds countless ways to connect both herself and her students with it.” Current 12th grader Sedona MacFarlane wrote in another letter of recommendation: “Her energy and compassion shine through all the lives she’s touched, and it is truly an incredible sight to behold.”

Linda has not only been a devoted English teacher but has also taught Swedish and coached the Eden Prairie High School gymnastics team. She was named Eden Prairie Teacher of the Year three times and was previously a finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2005. She has also inspired many other future educators, including at least three other Teacher of the Year Finalists in just the last five years. Earlier this spring, three former Eagles at North Middle School in Hopkins sent along their thanks and encouragement as Wally advanced in the selection process.

“If students see our authenticity,” Linda wrote, “we can be the most privileged of professions because in this ‘best and worst of times,’ we help young minds envision the future with hope.”