(Radio Iowa) – Sioux Central agriculture teacher Melanie Bloom is the 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year. The governor and Department of Education director made the announcement during an assembly at the school in Sioux Rapids this (Monday) morning. Bloom said she was shocked when she learned she was named the Iowa Teacher of the Year. “Humbled and really flattered, this is just really, really special” she says.

The Teacher of the Year award recognizes exceptional teachers who demonstrate excellence in the classroom, and who have made a significant impact on student outcomes and their fellow educators. The Teacher of the Year will spend the year traveling the state to work with other teachers. “I’m so excited to be bale to advocate for teachers and the profession like this,” Bloom says.

Bloom said her favorite part of teaching is seeing student’s faces light up and smile when they solve a problem. Bloom has been a teacher for 16 years. She established Sioux Central’s first full-time agriculture program, and serves as the F-F-A advisor. Bloom says keeping up with the technology and changes in the ag industry is a challenge.

Governor Reynolds, Teacher of the Year Bloom, Dept. of Ed Director MacKenzie Snow. (KAYL photo)

“I really rely a lot on our alumni and our community and the agriculture industry as a whole to help me bring kids up on the topics of importance,” she says. “It’s not possible for me to be a master of all trades, and so I really depend on outside help and industry experts to help me get our students where they need to be so they’re ready for careers in agriculture.”

Bloom was one of nine Regional Teacher of the Year winners who were finalists for Teacher of the Year. The Iowa Teacher of the Year award was established in 1958.