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Red Wing Teacher Wins First Kindness 101 Teacher Award

5/23/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Neil Lahammer, a third-grade teacher in Red Wing, Minnesota, received the inaugural Kindness 101 National Teacher of the Year award at an April gala in Des Moines, Iowa.
Kindness 101, a free curriculum linking CBS News stories with Character Counts! lesson plans, serves over 100,000 teachers worldwide at no cost, according to executive director Scott Raecker.
Lahammer’s class meets weekly in a Kindness Club that runs food and glove drives.

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Story summary

Neil Lahammer, a third-grade teacher in Red Wing, Minnesota, received the inaugural Kindness 101 National Teacher of the Year award at an April gala in Des Moines, Iowa.
Kindness 101, a free curriculum linking CBS News stories with Character Counts! lesson plans, serves over 100,000 teachers worldwide at no cost, according to executive director Scott Raecker.
Lahammer’s class meets weekly in a Kindness Club that runs food and glove drives.