Top Teacher: Echo Park Elementary 1st grade teacher Ameshia Hamlet

BURNSVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - As part of FOX 9’s Top Teacher awards, we went to Burnsville’s Echo Park Elementary School of Leadership, Engineering and Technology.

The school is currently in safety week and cleverly surprised their teacher with an evacuation drill to the front entrance where the award was presented by FOX 9’s Dawn Mitchell.

First grade teacher Ameshia Hamlet was the recipient.

After moving to Minnesota from California, Hamlet has made a big and immediate impact in her first year.

She says her mission is to do more than just educate.

“Who you are matters to me,” she said. “So, really, before I even go hard on all that academics and stuff, we have a lot of conversations about who we are here.”

Echo Park Elementary also receives $1,000 from Royal Credit Union.

“Mrs. H”, as she’s known, gets a Subway sandwich party for 50 people as well as a Top Teacher trophy.