The Professional Educators of Iowa named Sarah Nowack ’96 as Iowa’s Professional Educator of the Year.

The honoree has roots and experiences across northern Iowa. Nowack graduated from Forest City High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Buena Vista University and a master’s from Viterbo University (in La Crosse, Wis.). For the past 30 years she has served the Decorah Community School District in northeast Iowa.

The award was presented as part of an all-school assembly at Decorah Middle School in May, as the school year was about to conclude.

“We have a monthly assembly at Decorah Middle School,” says Nowack, who teaches fifth-grade reading. “Our principal shared how excited he was to have this assembly. And I saw one of my former students who was deployed with the Iowa National Guard in Syria. She gave a great speech and as I was wiping away tears from my eyes when another person, who I learned was from the Professional Educators of Iowa began talking and describing me, saying they are present to recognize a special teacher.”

Soon, Mrs. Nowack’s students were turning and saying, “They’re talking about you, Mrs. Nowack!”

More tears accompany the applause and the photos that come with earning the coveted award, presented by Professional Educators of Iowa Executive Director Terry Gladfelter.  Nowack remains grateful but insists on sharing the honor with her fellow educators. “I am just one of many wonderful teachers,” she says.

The award, according to Gladfelter, distinguishes Nowack for her dedication to students, excellence in education, and impact within her school and community.

Sarah (Seaton) Nowack has almost always wanted to teach. She came to BVU and majored in education, hesitating over her major for what she remembers as only a “12-hour period of time” her freshman year.

A student employee at the Lehnus Bookstore and the Information Desk serving Siebens Forum, Nowack also participated on the dance team and was a football cheerleader, where she met her future husband, Phil Nowack ’93, who played for the Beavers.

Following a student-teaching assignment in second grade and sixth grade within the Pocahontas Community Schools, Nowack earned a position with the Decorah Community Schools, which remains her only employer.

“I am always looking for ways to improve and meet the needs of our students with the vast differences and needs they present,” she says. “I strive to make lessons fun and engaging.”

Last March, Nowack completed an intensive two-year program on the science of reading, an illustration of her drive to continuously sharpen her skillset.

Nowack began her career in Decorah with fourth graders. She moved to an eighth-grade math position for one year in the late 1990s. “Teaching math in the eighth grade wasn’t my cup of tea, but our principal assured me I could do it,” she remembers.

For the past 26 years, she’s been serving fifth graders, currently specializing in reading instruction. For 20 years, she coached in the Vikings’ cross-country program.

Following the awards ceremony, Nowack was struck by how many former students reached out or stopped in her room to offer their congratulations. “We have a hall exclusively for fifth graders, but so many of our older students stopped by to see me,” she says. “It really made me feel good not only for myself, but for everyone in our school district.”

With the honor, Nowack received $1,000 and a complimentary one-year membership to Professional Educators of Iowa.

Nowack continues to love what she does with students. She has no plans of slowing down, and envisions herself teaching for another decade, eyeing a tenure that reaches four decades.

“My place is in the classroom with our kids, full time,” she says. “I would love to have a 40-year career, all of it in Decorah, where I’m so fortunate to teach.”