Kim Olson, a teacher at East High School, was the recipient of the 2020 Goldfine Gold Star Teacher Award during a live-streamed event Wednesday night.
Olson was nominated by East Principal Dannette Seboe, who said Olson is known for her ability to build relationships with her students.
“Every kind of student is welcome and invited into her program and she will spend as much time and energy as she has to ensure they succeed,” Seboe said in a pre-recorded presentation video.
Olson teaches health occupations courses as part of the Duluth Public Schools Career and Technical Education program. She is also the advisor for the HOSA Future Health Professionals club.
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“She has permanently left a positive imprint on the students she has taught,” Seboe said. “In turn, many of those students who have benefited from her knowledge, caring and passion will surely continue to pay it forward as competent and compassionate members of the medical field for many years to come.”
Olson said, with tears in her eyes, that winning the award is incredibly humbling.
“I desire for my students to be educated, empathetic and have the ability to problem-solve. After teaching for 11 years in the Duluth public schools, I see the students' total result of accomplishments on their own and it's a great privilege to be part of their educational process,” Olson said during the event.
Olson will be sent a trophy and a $5,000 check. Manley and Lillian Goldfine established a fund for the Gold Star Teacher Award in 2006 through the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, to honor inspirational Duluth public school teachers for their dedication, skills and hard work. Last year, elementary school teachers were nominated for the award; this year secondary teachers were nominated.
The award ceremony is typically held in the Lincoln Park Middle School Auditorium, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it looked a little different this year. Principals pre-recorded their nomination speeches, which were then edited into a video presentation that was played during the live stream event.
