Former Volunteer—Now Red Cloud High School Principal—Awarded Yale University’s 2016 Yale Educator Award
posted November 9, 2016
When Marlee Kelly ‘16 was a freshman at Red Cloud, she developed a strong bond with her English teacher Clare Huerter, a first year Red Cloud volunteer. Over the next four years, Clare became a trusted mentor and friend to Marlee, helping her to discover her academic passions and to earn acceptances to some of the nation’s top colleges. This fall, as Marlee began her first year at Yale University, she had the chance to nominate Clare, who now serves as Red Cloud High School’s principal, for the Yale Educator Award. And she was thrilled when Yale announced Clare as a recipient, honoring all she did to support and enrich Marlee’s education.
“Clare has played an essential part in who I've become over the past four years,” wrote Marlee in her nomination letter. “Clare has been a significant influence in where I've chosen to attend and how I've been able to reach my goals. She has not only helped me, but also the hundreds of students that go through the school on a yearly basis.”
In addition to being a trusted teacher, Marlee says that Clare was instrumental in helping her earn acceptances to her dream colleges. When Marlee was applying for the competitive Gates Millennium Scholarship, Clare worked with her to create a binder to organize all of her application materials. That binder became a crucial resource for Marlee—and she drew heavily on its contents in order to complete her college applications.
Marlee was accepted at schools across the country, and she ultimately narrowed her choices to Yale, Brown, Harvard, and Washington University in St. Louis. Clare and Marlee had a long conversation about the advantages and disadvantages of each school, Marlee’s academic interests, and her hopes for the future. During that conversation, Marlee says Clare helped her realize that Yale was the right school for her.
“[Clare] was always this super inspirational teacher to me. She’s definitely helped me become who I am and figure out what I want to do with my life,” Marlee says. “All through the college process she was really a strong support system for me.”
When Clare received an email from Yale informing her she had won the award, she was surprised; she wasn’t aware Marlee had nominated her.
“I was not expecting it and was completely shocked when I got the e-mail,” Clare says. “With everything that had been going on this year, I allowed myself to really step back, be quiet, and reflect on the importance of what had just come to me. It was as if everything stopped and I was able to really focus on why I am doing what I am doing—for these amazing students who are full of life and potential. To know I played a part in inspiring a student makes all this work real and all this work worth it.”
The same day that Clare learned she won the award, Red Cloud superintendent Walt Swan organized an impromptu ceremony to honor her in the school’s Cuny Commons. In the presence of faculty and staff, he presented Clare with a bouquet of flowers and a quill bracelet to celebrate the honor. Yale University also sent Clare an engraved desk set. Out of 326 nominees, Clare was one of 83 recipients of the award and the only awardee in the state of South Dakota.
As she speaks about the notification process, Clare notes she was unable to call Marlee until the next day. She says she was overwhelmed with emotion knowing that Marlee had nominated her for the award. “It meant more to me than I could express,” Clare explains.
When she finally did speak to Marlee, “I told her that I believed in her and knew she would be doing well,” she says. “Marlee was destined for big things.”
Now thriving at Yale, Marlee still credits Clare and Red Cloud with helping position her for success. “Red Cloud put me in a place where I could be proud of who I am and where I’ve come from,” she says. “[Red Cloud] helped me figure out who I am and how to be proud of being Native American and having that pride in my culture and my traditions.”
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Photos © Red Cloud Indian School