Caption: Nora (Seda) Krieger, a 2014 graduate of Buena Vista University, was recently recognized as an Educator of the Year by the Rotary Club of Des Moines. Krieger, who started her career at Storm Lake Elementary School, teaches English Language Learners at Capitol View Elementary School in Des Moines.

Storm Lake, Iowa (May 7, 2021) -Nora (Seda) Krieger, a 2014 Buena Vista University graduate, had to get her photo taken for a request she’s never had before.

“I never imagined I would be on a billboard,” Krieger says. It’s what comes with an educator recently named Educator of the Year by the Rotary Club of Des Moines. Krieger will be one of five teachers featured on the traveling signage for the next several months.

Krieger teaches ELL (English Language Learners) and serves as the ELL team lead at Capitol View Elementary School, a Des Moines Public Schools site just four blocks east of the Iowa Capitol. Krieger’s principal nominated her for the award because of her leadership in implementing the co-teaching model and BeGLAD strategies school wide. She was also nominated because of her involvement on the school’s Anti-Racism and Equity Team and for her continuous volunteer work within the school community.

For the award, Krieger earns a plaque and a $1,000 stipend she’ll use to help create an anti-racism resource library at the school. “I am humbled and honored by this award, but it truly represents the incredible work that is happening at Capitol View Elementary,” she says.

“A big part of my work this past year involved our implementation of anti-racism professional development and presenting multiple perspectives in the classroom from people representing marginalized populations,” Krieger adds.

The BVU elementary education major says she was fortunate to attend college in a town with great diversity. Having practicums and other experiences within the Storm Lake Community School District helped pave the way for her first job as a teacher at Storm Lake Elementary.

“Without the influence of my BVU advisor, Dr. Katya Koubek, I wouldn’t be an ELL teacher,” says Krieger. “Katya Koubek encouraged me to pursue a TESOL, teaching English to speakers of other languages, endorsement as she felt I had some strong skills in this area. All of the professors in BVU’s School of Education cared for students on a personal level. I appreciated our class sizes at BVU and how our professors worked to help us recognize and build on our strengths.”

While in Storm Lake, Krieger served on the committee to plan the Iowa Culture and Language Conference. The work allowed Krieger to serve with educators from Des Moines who would one day become coworkers of hers in the Des Moines Public School District.

In December, Krieger earned her master’s degree in culturally responsive leadership and instruction from Drake University. She added a reading endorsement as well.

Krieger and her husband, Joe Krieger, who earned his bachelor’s from BVU in 2015, reside in the Des Moines area. Joe, like Nora, recently earned his master’s in education from Drake University. Besides being educators, the couple share a unique way of paying homage to BVU, the University that brought them together: their pet dog is named Beavy.