Sarah Lancaster is a first-grade teacher at Onamia Public Schools District #480 in Onamia, Minnesota. Having been born and raised in Onamia, she has always felt a strong sense of community pride and dedication to her hometown. Lancaster has taken every opportunity to give back to her community, including coaching over 20 seasons of athletics and arts programs, directing three of the annual high school musicals and volunteering with local youth groups as well as through her church. Leadership is a natural role she finds herself in and she currently serves as president of the Onamia Area Civic Association.

Lancaster believes in the power of relationships and the importance of building connections with all people in the community. Her teaching philosophy is student-centered through communication, consistency and transparency. Teaching in a rural area has taught her the importance of culture, tradition and recognizing a student’s individuality and identity. She makes every effort to connect not only with her students but their families as well.

Lancaster landed her dream job and began her teaching career with Onamia Public Schools with third-grade students. She is currently completing her 10th year of teaching, with the last eight spent teaching first-graders at Onamia Elementary. Lancaster earned her Bachelor of Science in education through Saint Cloud State University in 2013. In 2020, she completed her master’s in curriculum instruction and design from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Lancaster received the title of Minnesota Teacher of the Year in May 2022.