Honored as Tea Teacher of the Year

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“I nominated Mrs. Sutton because she’s always inspired me to be the best version of myself, pursue my dreams, she gives back to our community a lot, and she’s very humble — so I thought she deserved it,” Lydia Decker told the Moody County Enterprise.
Decker, a senior at Tea High School, was behind the nomination of her choir teacher, Mary Beth Sutton of Flandreau, for the Tea Area School District’s Teacher of the Year award. The Parent Teacher Organization each year, along with area individuals and businesses, sponsor the recognition. Recipients receive a certificate, an engraved crystal apple, and a $2,500 cash bonus.
“She volunteers her time in the musicals, the plays, one-act, and she’s the Quiz Bowl coach as well for the Middle School,” Decker added. “She doesn’t even live in Tea but she does so much for us, coaching and helping with all of those activities. When I go to college, I hope to be just as fun and welcoming as her and the type of person that can also encourage others to be the best version of themselves and carry out the attitude that she has.”
Sutton, of Flandreau, does make the drive to Tea each day to teach during the school year. In fact, she’s just wrapped up her fifteenth year of teaching in Tea and her twenty-fifth year in the profession overall.

“I am terribly humbled to receive this recognition,” said Sutton. “I know the caliber of the amazing teaching staff in Tea in all buildings at all levels and it is an incredible honor.”  
Sutton began her career at Simmons Jr. High in Aberdeen, team-teaching three sections of band and three sections of choir. In the three years that she was there, she started two show choirs and co-produced “Grease”. She then moved to Washington State and taught for four years in the North Kitsap School District in Poulsbo, WA and Kingston, WA at Junior Highs of eight hundred students. There she produced three musicals, “Annie Jr.”, “Guys and Dolls, Jr.”, and “The Fiddler on the Roof Jr.”. She also started a vocal jazz ensemble while there.
Upon moving back to SD, she spent two years in the Flandreau Public School District as the 5-12 Director of Bands. In the Fall of 2007, I was hired to be the choral director in Tea, teaching grades 6 -12 and produced some great musicals like “Back to the 80’s”, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, and “Seussical, Jr.”. There was a position in Harrisburg teaching a sixth-grade exploratory music class before she found her home in Tea. Over the last ten years, she’s held a variety of positions. As the district has grown, she’s been the assistant middle school and high school band director, middle school choir and currently sixth, seventh and eighth grade director of bands.
Her role as a teacher, she said, is her calling.
“I brainstorm and plan throughout the summer listening to pieces that I would like to program. I look for new, creative ways to utilize rehearsal time. I try to incorporate technology and variety in planning for the school year. I work nights and weekends and sometimes have complete tunnel vision in the process. My parents instilled my work ethic through the work on the farm with the cattle and farming. My husband Dan and my Mom, Hertha are a huge guidance and support of my passion. I can recite brain wave studies that demonstrate what happens in your brain when performing music, but then you add in working as a team to build something special and there is nothing like it. I am blessed to make music everyday with these students and create a band family. It is bigger than one person and it takes everyone contributing and playing a role in the success of the group. I want my legacy to be instilling a life-long passion and appreciation for how special it is to make music,” said Sutton.
This summer, she plans to take a continuing education course in Minneapolis. Sutton said Tea has an active Middle School marching band and she rehearses the middle school color guard in the summer. Her vision and goal for next year is to start a wind ensemble and expand the middle school jazz band.