Winona State University announces Luke Merchlewitz (‘01) will be honored as a Distinguished Alumnus during Homecoming 2016.
Merchlewitz received his Bachelor of Science in elementary education from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 1983, and completed his education with a master’s from Winona State University in 2001. He currently teaches second grade at Washington-Kosciusko Elementary School in Winona.
An award-winning teacher, Merchlewitz’s accolades include: 2009 Winona Teacher of the Year, 2009 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Top 10 Finalist and 2010 Minnesota Teacher of Excellence. He was also named a 2010 Top 10 Finalist for the NEA Foundation for Excellence in Washington, D.C., a 2011 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow and an NEA Foundation Senior Global Learning Fellow, 2012 to present. In 2014, Merchlewitz was the Winona Area Public Schools Foundation “Dare to Dream” recipient. He attended the EF Global Leaders’ Summit in Davos, Switzerland, in 2015 and the Maverick Teachers Global Summit in Kuppam, India, in 2016.
At WSU, Merchlewitz has served as an adjunct faculty member, a Teach 21 participant and speaker, and he currently serves as the WAPS liaison member on the Education Village Task Force. He has also supervised practicum students and student teachers, co-created the ‘Warriors to Readers’ program and hosts reading tutors from Joan Sax Bendix’s WSU class to work with his second graders at W-K.
Merchlewitz and his wife, Brenda, have two children, Peter and Sarah. The couple lives in Winona, where they are avid community volunteers.
Every year the Winona State University Alumni Society recognizes alumni, faculty, staff and community members for the accomplishments they have made in their careers and contributions they have made to Winona State and their communities, living Winona State’s mission to improve the world.
More information on the awards can be found at www.winona.edu/alumni.
