An Appoquinimink High School student was among the many Delaware students who delivered extraordinary performances at the 2025 Educators Rising National Conference, which took place in Orlando, Fla. from June 26 to June 29.

Samantha Klein earned first place in the Lesson Plan & Delivery – Arts competition.

More than 3,000 middle school, high school, and collegiate students from throughout the U.S. attended the event, which is considered a premier gathering for future educators nationwide. Under the theme “Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders,” the Delaware team had many standout achievements—39 percent of the Delaware participants finished in the Top 10 in their categories, 26 students placed nationally, and there were 3 national champions, 3 second-place finishers, and 3 more third-place finishers.

Educators Rising aims to eliminate the teacher shortage by reimagining educator pathways, and working to inspire and grow current and rising educators to become community leaders and advocates for high quality education.

After her success at the national conference, Klein shared with her home school district some thoughts about what she gained by participating in the Educators Rising programs.

“I got involved with Educators Rising and its competitions in my freshman year,” she said. “I wanted to join the Appoquinimink High chapter because of my desire to get involved with education and inspire the young minds of tomorrow, and I thought that this would be a good way to do this, alongside being in the Education and Leadership Pathway.”

As part of the competition, Klein created a lesson plan and delivered that plan completely from scratch to a class of fifth-grade students. 

“I think that getting first place at both states and nationals really shows my skills and ability to work and teach at a professional level,” she explained. “I hope to use this accomplishment to demonstrate my future performance as an actual teacher to different universities and opportunities that come my way. I hope that creating a lesson and delivering it to this success allows me to gain a profession as an elementary school teacher in the near future, and be able to inspire generations to come.”

Klein credited the work of several teachers, as well as the education program offered by Appoquinimink School District, for helping to prepare her for the Educators Rising competition

“My experience being in the chapter at the school, state, and national levels was always extremely positive due to the amazing staff members and funding from the Appoquinimink School District. My two chapter advisers from Appoquinimink High, Mrs. Lindsay Myers and Dr. Elizabeth Koch, always helped and inspired me to pursue my competition and work as hard as I could. I truly couldn’t have done it without their help throughout the school year. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Mrs. Emily Miller of Odessa High School, Mrs. Janice Nelson of Middletown High School, and Mr. Mike Trego at the District Office. Educators Rising Nationals would not have been the same without them, and I doubt I would be in the position I am now without the countless practices and feedback they gave me to help me grow throughout the conference. I am thankful for everyone who has helped me stay involved with the chapter and ultimately led me to become a national champion.”

Klein also talked about how participating in Educators Rising has helped inspire her work as she prepares for a career as an educator.

“The recognition from this win is something that I certainly didn’t expect when I heard my name called in the Educators Rising conference, but nevertheless, it is greatly appreciated,” she said. “However, with my win in a visual art-based category, it truly does mean a lot to me because creativity and art have always been a passion of mine ever since I was little, so it feels like both a tribute to my younger self as well as all the young creative minds in fifth-grade class I taught at Old State Elementary. I believe that it shows that if you have the passion and love for something, that small spark can turn into a roaring flame faster than you could ever imagine.”