This award validates the hard work and sacrifice of the past two decades of my career. I continue to learn from the dedicated and fair-minded educators that have been a part of my many professional learning communities over the years. I am thankful for the opportunity to show that mathematics is attainable for all students. To hear students say that they finally “get math” or share that the work was hard but worth it, is the reason I am called to this field.

Sarah Volk Fargo, ND | 7-12, Mathematics, 2023

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Sarah Volk has taught high school mathematics for the last 14 years at Fargo North High School. She spent the previous five years of her 19-year teaching career at Oak Grove Lutheran School. Sarah currently teaches Advanced Placement Calculus AB and BC and Algebra 1 to students in grades 9-12. During her career, Sarah has taught most high school course offerings as well as some middle school mathematics courses. Sarah is passionate about contributing to the mathematics education community at the local, state, and national level. She has hosted student teachers and mentored new teachers. Sarah has led and organized professional development in her school district and planned conferences for K-12 mathematics educators across the state of North Dakota. Sarah serves on the board of the North Dakota Council of Teachers of Mathematics, most recently as president. She has presented at state and national professional conferences on the topic of flipped classroom and is a reader for AP calculus exams. Sarah believes that good ideas should be shared and that we all do better when we all do better. Sarah’s core belief is that all students can learn mathematics. Her goal with students is to help them build capacity within themselves to be mathematicians and have the confidence to reach their goals after high school. She is dedicated to a growth mindset in her teaching and models this philosophy for her students. Sarah is a National Board Certified Teacher. She earned her B.A. in secondary mathematics education from Concordia College and her M.A.T. in mathematics from Minot State University. Sarah is certified to teach secondary mathematics grades 7-12.

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