Meet the Teacher: Minnetonka High School's Erik Sill

Erik Sill wants to make a difference. As a business teacher and DECA club advisor at , he’s doing just that.

Sill, who earned his business management degree from Luther College, did not always plan to be a teacher. His desire to pursue a career in marketing changed, however, after his study abroad experiences in South Africa.

“I couldn’t imagine myself in a cubicle all day,” he said.

He decided that he needed a career that allowed him to be active and to work with kids. Both of Sill’s parents are teachers, so teaching was a natural step.

Sill described his hometown of Bottineau, ND, as a small rural town about ten miles from the Canadian border.

“I can remember 100-degree below wind chills,” Sill said.

His high school graduating class had only 75 students. Minnetonka High School, on the other hand, boasts about 2,800 students.

This year marks Sill’s seventh year of teaching. Six of those years have been at Minnetonka High School. For four years, Sill has been a DECA club advisor, which has been at Minnetonka High School for just as long since a several-year hiatus. DECA is a not-for-profit organization that prepares students for careers in business. Student members come from both within and outside the United States.

The DECA students at Minnetonka High School have won many awards, and each year a student makes it to the international competition. Ninety-eight students will be at the state competition in March. Asked how he felt about the club’s success, Sill chuckled.

“At first I just expected us to do well,” he said. Then he added, “It shows how hard our students work. They’re dedicated to their academics and doing well.”

In his free time, Sill coaches boys basketball at Holy Family Catholic High School. When he’s not at school, Sill enjoys spending time with his fiancee, watching the Timberwolves and running. He has already run six marathons.