MALT Teacher of the Year

The 2025 MALT Teacher of the Year is Dana Holland!
Everytime you talk to Dana, you walk away as a better teacher. In the smallest interactions, she demonstrates the depth of her understanding of what it means to teach a language. Dana's administrator said it best when he describes Dana as dynamic, her classes as student centered, interactive and fun, and on top of that, she has emerged as a faculty leader in her school. Dana’s classes focus on proficiency and she differentiates within her class so that every student feels success.  She heads up the Spanish honor society, and spanish club at school while also working together to organize a world language day bringing all language classes together. We are thrilled to award Dana with the Teacher of the Year award for Montana.

MALT Friends of Language Award

The 2025 MALT Friends of Language Award goes to
​Blakely Hay!
​Blakely has been on the MALT board since 2015 where she first designed the MALT website. She then moved into VP and then President and then past president of Malt. She was a key figure in working on the Montana Seal of Biliteracy, presenting on proficiency testing and the steps towards the Montana Seal of Biliteracy. She also piloted the Stamp Test in preparation for adopting the MT Seal. On top of this she has assisted families of english language learners in her region in and outside the school setting as well as creating a course of study for heritage Spanish speakers in Beaverhead county. Blakely is truly a champion for Spanish language learners and speakers and for World Language education in Montana as a whole.

Outstanding Contributions Award for MALT

The 2025 MALT Friends of Language Award goes to
​Claudia Albrecht!
Claudia has been a dedicated member of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) for the past 4 years. Recently she took on the role of vice-president of AATG MT, re-organized and updated the AATG webpage and organized 2 immersion weekends with guest speakers. On top of the time she dedicates to AATG, Claudia also has attended MALT conferences and cultivates professional relationships with colleagues in AATG. She is so professional in all she does. She has stepped in to teach classes at MSU, and has co-taught a class as well. She always goes above and beyond and is detail oriented and thorough in everything she does for AATG.  We love Claudia and are thrilled to offer her the Friends of Languages award.

MALT Postsecondary Teacher of the Year

The 2025 Postsecondary Teacher of the Year is
​Paola Torres- Huayhualla!
Paola Torres-Huayhualla is an outstanding Spanish teacher at MSU. Her instruction is proficiency driven, her classes are immersive experiences, and culturally rich. Diversity and inclusion take center stage in her teaching, as she guides students to think about and recognize the richness that diversity brings to Montana. As she is concurrently working on her PhD in Education while teaching Spanish classes, she is up to date on the latest strategies for teaching language. She is equitable and thoughtful in assessing students and integrates technology in fun and engaging ways into her classes. Not only does she work hard to provide the best Spanish learning experiences for her students, but her work extends beyond the classroom, advocating for the Spanish speaking population in Bozeman, presenting at conferences, and even starting a summer program for families with English Language Learner children entering the Bozeman Public Schools. Paola is innovative and simply exceptional.

---

2024 Winners: Paul and Tana with their MALT Awards at Spring conference.

History Of MALT Awards

• 2025 MALT Outstanding Contributions Award- Claudia Albrecht
• 2025 MALT Friends of Language Award- Blakely Hay
• 2025 Teacher of the Year Award - Dana Holland
• 2025 MALT Postsecondary Teacher of the Year- Paola Torres-Huayhualla
• 2024 MALT & PNCFL Outstanding Contributions Award- Tana Luptak
• 2024 MALT & PNCFL Friends of Language Award- Elizabeth Williamson
• 2024 Teacher of the Year Award , & PNCFL Nominee- Paul Asleson
• 2024 MALT & PNCFL Postsecondary Teacher of the Year- Galen Brokaw
• 2023 MALT & PNCFL Outstanding Contributions Award - Lisa Werner
• 2023 MALT & PNCFL Friends of Language Award - McCall Flynn
• 2023 Teacher of the Year Award , & PNCFL Nominee- Alice Nation
• 2023 Postsecondary Teacher of the Year, & PNCFL nominee- Kate Kithil
• 2022 Outstanding Contributions Award - Teresa Mountains
• 2022 Friends of Language Award - Hannah Jacobsma
• 2022 Teacher of the Year Award - Christy Peeples
• 2021 Teacher of the Year Award, PNCFL Teacher of the Year Nominee- Teresa Mountains
• 2021 Outstanding Contributions Award - Kristen Wolf
• ​2020 Postsecondary Teacher of the Year- Marton (Marty) Marko
• 2020 Outstanding Contributions- Kristi Schell
• 2019 Teacher of the Year- Kristen Wolf
• 2019 Outstanding Contributions. Also won the regional award for Outstanding Contributions- Sarah Buley
• 2018 Teacher of the Year- Kerri Hiatt, Spanish Teacher at both Belt and Highwood Schools
• 2018 Outstanding Contributions. Also won the regional award for Outstanding Contributions- Lynette Pottenger, Spanish Teacher in Fort Benton
• 2017 Teacher of the Year- Erika Shupe, Latin Teacher at Bozeman H. S. and MT Digital Academy
• 2017 Outstanding Contributions- Debbie Kelley, French & Spanish at Billings Skyview H. S.  Debbie also won the regional Outstanding Contributions Award for 2017

LILL Participants

• Kristen Wolf     2023-2025           Spanish Teacher         Headwaters Academy         Platform- MALT Membership growth
• Megan Wong     2017-2018           French Teacher           Bozeman H. S.          Platform-Seal of Biliteracy

​MALT Awards Information

 MALT offers three annual awards in coordination with the Pacific Northwest Council for Languages: 

• MALT Language Teacher of the Year (becomes state nominee for PNCFL's Northwest LanguageTeacher of the Year)
• MALT Postsecondary Teacher of the Year (becomes state nominee for PNCFL's Ray Verzasconi Northwest Postsecondary Teacher of the Year)
• MALT Outstanding Contributions to the Teaching of World Languages (becomes state nominee for PNCFL's Outstanding Contributions to the Teaching of World Languages in the Pacific Northwest)

Please see the PNCFL website under "Awards and Grants" for more information and eligibility criteria for each award. 
Also check out the ACTFL Professional Awards for further language education award opportunities.