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Peter Cox

St. Paul teacher named Minn. Teacher of the Year

Amy Hewett-Olatunde
In this photo provided by Education Minnesota, Amy Hewett-Olatunde speaks after being named 2015 Minnesota Teacher of the Year by Education Minnesota in Bloomington, Minn., Sunday, May 3, 2015. Hewitt -Olatunde teaches ESL at LEAP High School in St. Paul, Minn.
Janet Hostetter | AP

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A St. Paul high school teacher who teaches writing and English to immigrant students has been named Minnesota's 2015 Teacher of the Year.

Amy Hewett-Olatunde was announced Sunday as the 51st winner of the award. She is the fourth Minnesota Teacher of the Year from the St. Paul district.

Hewett-Olatunde teaches students at LEAP High School in St. Paul. The school enrolls students up to age 20 who are new arrivals to the U.S. and are not native English speakers.

She calls the award an honor. "Every day is wonderful with every single one of my kids. They're just excited to be in the classroom. A lot of them come from backgrounds where they weren't given the opportunity to go to school. I try to make lessons that are going to be engaging and rigorous but also fun for the kids," she said.

Hewett-Olatunde has taught at LEAP High School since 1999. She recently received her doctorate in education from Hamline University.

Education Minnesota, the statewide teachers union, organizes and underwrites the Teacher of the Year program.