Education Minnesota has named 25 semifinalists for its annual teacher of the year award.
A panel soon will begin paring the list to roughly 10 finalists, with the winner being named May 1.
Semifinalists from the East Metro are: Ariana Lynch, of Pinewood Elementary in Mounds View; Ira Sanders, of Roseville Area High School; Kendall Gonzalez, of Matoska International School in White Bear Lake; Andrea Welvaert, of Cottage Grove Middle School; Younna Eiden-Giel, of Park High School in Cottage Grove; and MacKenzie Hildahl, of East Ridge High School in Woodbury.