Central's Nicole Rusch, Highland Park Senior's Vashisht Honored by BestPrep

Congratulations to Central High School teacher Nicole Rusch and Highland Park Senior High School Assistant Principal Rashmi Vashisht, who were both honored by BestPrep at a l luncheon last month.

Rusch received an Educator of Excellence Award. This year, the Educator of Excellence Awards were given to 15 valuable educators from Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota schools who have played a vital role in BestPrep’s program delivery and success.

Rusch has been involved with BestPrep since 2013, incorporating programs like The Stock Market Game™, Cloud Coach, and eMentors into her curriculum. “The Stock Market Game has provided a fun, risk-free way for students to engage with investments,” she shared. Nicole has also had students attend Minnesota Business Venture, helping them develop crucial networking and communication skills. She values how BestPrep bridges the gap between the classroom and the business world.

Vashisht was honored as BestPrep’s Board Member of Distinction. She has been a dedicated advocate of BestPrep for over 20 years, beginning with the Technology Integration Workshop. As a teacher, she facilitated the eMentors program in her classes. She later helped to implement the Cloud Coach online mentoring program to the entire ninth grade classes at Como Park Senior High School. She then transitioned to assistant principal at Highland Park Senior High School, where she introduced Cloud Coach for a second time. Rashmi has worked closely with BestPrep staff to integrate programs into the curriculum, ensuring students gain career readiness skills.

BestPrep is a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing students with business, career, and financial literacy skills. BestPrep offers six innovative programs and has served nearly 2 million students and teachers since its creation in 1976, mobilizing 5,000 volunteers annually. To learn more about BestPrep, go to bestprep.org.