Honors Newsletter 2 Northern State University Alyssa (Becht) Cassels, NSU class of 2015, was recently chosen as the 2023 S.D. Teacher of the Year. Originally from Clear Lake, S.D. and a graduate of Deuel High School, Cassels came to NSU to pursue her music education career. Cassels shared a fun fact that she is a “a 3rd generation Northern graduate; however, all three generations attended while the school was under a different name: Northern State Teachers College, Northern State College, and Northern State University.” She married Justin Cassels in 2014. She graduated with a BME, in Honoribus summa cum laude in 2015. They have two dogs and reside in Aurora, SD. Her Honors thesis was about Music Theory Learning. She “organized and hosted a Music Learning Theory Conference, with guest speaker Jennifer McDonel, Executive Director of the Gordon Institute for Music Learning.” Cassels is the 5-12 Band Director in her hometown, Clear Lake, and teaches Beginner Band (5th), Middle School Band (6th-8th), and High School Band (9th-12th). She also keeps busy “giving lessons, marching band, pep band, jazz band, concert band, solo/small group contests, drum line, and so much more.” NSU Honors Alum chosen as the 2023 S.D. Teacher of the Year! When asked what her favorite Honors memory was, she stated, “I was able to take a Lord of the Rings Literature class with Dr. Haller, and it was the best semester of my life. I knew I would love the class simply based on the content, but Dr. Haller made it so much more than Literature. I’ll never forget the first time Viggo Mortensen came on the screen and Dr. Haller whispered something along the lines of ‘be still my heart.’” Cassels’ advice for current Honors students is, “Get involved early, and say yes to the things that scare you. I was afraid to step out of my comfort zone as a freshman and part of sophomore year as well, and I missed out on a lot of experiences that I could’ve had and memories I could’ve made. There are so many exciting opportunities at Northern and through the Honors Program, but you have to take that initial leap into the unknown.” Cassels stated that the Honors experience really helped her develop confidence in who she was and what she had to offer. She enjoyed being in Honors specific classes because they “really helped challenge me in my way of thinking and gave me courage to defend those thoughts.” As the 2023 S.D. Teacher of the Year, Cassels will be preparing her paperwork for the National Teacher of the Year selection this spring. She doesn’t know exactly what the process is yet, but believes it will “be similar to the state application that includes: a written portion, a short video component, a resume, and 3 letters of recommendation. The panel will select 4 finalists out of 56 applicants and those 4 will go to D.C. to complete interviews in February with the Selection Committee. The National Teacher of the Year will be recognized in a ceremony in Washington D.C. in March or April.”
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