Tea Area Educators Rising Chapter earns State honors, sends seven to National Conference

The Tea Area High School Educators Rising Chapter delivered a record-setting performance at the annual state conference held Feb. 22-23 at Black Hills State University in Spearfish. Educators Rising is a state Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) that provides students interested in entering the education field with opportunities to explore teaching careers. South Dakota Educators Rising is affiliated with the National Educators Rising organization.

Each year, the state organization hosts a conference where students compete in education-related events for the opportunity to qualify for the national conference. This year’s national event will be held in Portland, Oregon, June 20-23. 

In addition to competitions, the state conference features numerous breakout sessions designed to help students explore a wide range of topics and concepts related to the teaching profession.

Tea Area sent seven students to this year’s conference — the largest group of competitors in chapter history — and all seven qualified for nationals.

At the State conference, Jaxon Johanneson was recognized for his leadership as a 2025-2026 State Vice President of Communications. He is the first Tea Area student to hold a state office in Educators Rising.

All seven Tea Area competitors scored high enough in their respective events to qualify for the National Conference in Portland.

Individual competition results included:

Riley Clark — 1st place, Varsity Creative Lecture (TED Talk) with the presentation “Reimagining Schools: A Student’s Vision for the Future of Learning.”

Jaxon Johanneson and Jacob Birger — 1st place, Varsity Public Service Announcement (teacher recruitment PSA).

Zaiden Johnson and Lily Graham — 2nd place, JV Children’s Literature (Pre-K) for their book “Pippy the Penguin.”

Claire Hyronimus — 3rd place, Varsity Children’s Literature (K-3) for her book “Mr. Bear Goes on Vacation.”

Ben Grunewaldt — National qualifier in the Varsity Job Interview competition, which requires students to complete a mock interview for a paraprofessional position.

In addition to her third-place finish, Claire Hyronimus was honored with a “Light” Award, recognizing students who demonstrate leadership and service within their local school and Educators Rising chapter.

The Tea Area chapter was also awarded a Bronze Chapter Award in recognition of its efforts and activities promoting education at Tea Area High School during the school year.