'Hood magazine has announced the 2015 Teacher of the Year, and this year the award goes to an elementary school music teacher.

Mark Ferri of Lawrence Elementary School in Canton, South Dakota enjoys sharing his greatest passion, the gift of music, with his students.

Ferri has spent the last five years at Lawrence Elementary School and was nominated by one of his 4th grade students, Emerson, because of his enthusiasm and encouragement in the classroom.  The 4th grader plans to pursue a career in music one day and says she enjoys Mr. Ferri’s music class and the time he spends helping her practice her singing.

Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Ferri received his bachelor of arts in K-12 Vocal and Instrumental Music from William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.  Along with his family, Ferri lives in Sioux Falls and continues sharing his musical talents outside of Lawrence Elementary as a worship leader at Messiah New Hope Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls.

Ferri was one of dozens of teachers nominated by students and parents throughout the area for ‘Hood Magazine’s third annual Teacher of the Year award.  The complete list of nominations the Teacher of the Year Award can be found in the February, 2015 edition of  'Hood Magazine.

‘Hood Magazine is a resource magazine for local families who value spending time together. ‘Hood is short for parenthood, childhood, motherhood, fatherhood, or grandparenthood - all the ‘hoods for all the stages of family life.

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