SIOUX RAPIDS — Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow today announced Melanie Bloom, a 16-year veteran agriculture teacher, as the 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year during an assembly at Sioux Central Community School District in Sioux Rapids. “Learning from Melanie Bloom means something more than just reading from textbooks or preparing for
tests ,” Governor Reynolds said. “It involves experiencing a field not only of study but also of building and doing- and that means preparing for life. This is what teaching looks like at its very best, and it’s no wonder Melanie is the first CTE and agriculture educator in many years to become Iowa’s Teacher of the Year. It was a pleasure to present this award to Melanie in the presence of her students and colleagues.”
The Teacher of the Year award recognizes exceptional teachers who demonstrate excellence in the classroom and who have made a significant impact on student outcomes and their fellow educators. “Iowa’s amazing teachers, like Melanie Bloom, provide students with what they need to meet high expectations and realize their incredible potential ,” Snow said. “Melanie creates a classroom community where students are deeply engaged in what they are learning and why it matters. Through careerconnected learning, she empowers students to make informed postsecondary choices and succeed in what comes next. Melanie invests in new and future educators, and believes that, together, our students make the greatest difference in the world .” Bloom was selected from nine finalists who were named last month as Iowa’s first-ever Regional Teachers of Year representing all education regions of the state. Bloom also serves as the Prairie Lakes Regional Teacher of the Year.
“Getting to know students, each of them, who they are, where they’re coming from , what they’re bringing to the classroom, I think that is the most fun part of teaching ,” Teacher of the Year Melanie Bloom said.
Bloom is an Iowa native, farmer and agriculture educator who established the district’s first full-time agriculture program and serves as the FFA advisor. With about one in five Iowans earning their living in agriculture and agriculture-related industries, Melanie helps students explore diverse career opportunities in agriculture-related fields through engaging classroom instruction and work-based learning experiences.
“I think students need to be exposed to as many different careers of interest as early as they can ,” Bloom said. “My job is to find and connect to opportunities and then prepare my students to take advantage of those opportunities.”
Beyond her classroom , Bloom is an expert in the development and implementation of high-quality agriculture instructional materials. She has served as a beginning teacher mentor and faculty member in an Iowa teacher preparation program. Bloom is currently pursuing a PhD. in agriculture education, working to support the implementation of evidence-based instructional practices.