Eastview's Mia Battistone Named One of the Top Career Teachers in the Midwest
TLDR
- Eastview High School teacher Mia Battistone was named Region 3 Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year.
- Region 3 covers Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.
- She leads Eastview's FCCLA chapter, the largest in Minnesota, which sent 25 students to nationals.
- She'll be honored in New Orleans in December, where the national winner is announced.
At Monday's District 196 school board meeting in Rosemount, the board recognized a teacher who's already a familiar face at these meetings. Eastview High School's Mia Battistone just picked up another big honor, and this one puts her in the running for a national title.
A Big Regional Honor
Battistone teaches family and consumer sciences (think cooking, child development, personal finance and career skills) at Eastview in Apple Valley. She was first named Minnesota's Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year by the Minnesota Association for Career and Technical Education. Then she won for Region 3, which covers six Midwest states.
The award honors "the finest career and technical education teachers at the middle and secondary school level," Eastview Principal Bruce Miller said.
She'll be honored at the ACTE awards gala in New Orleans in December. That's where the national CTE Teacher of the Year is announced.
It's not her first big win, either. In 2025, the district reported she was named National Teacher of the Year for Family and Consumer Sciences by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
A True District 196 Story
"We are doubly proud of Mia," Miller said. She grew up in the district. She's a Rosemount High School graduate, taught at Dakota Hills Middle School in Eagan, and was part of Eastview's very first group of teachers.
She also helps train new family and consumer sciences teachers across Minnesota through a mentoring program for career and technical education teachers.
The Biggest FCCLA Chapter in Minnesota
A big part of Battistone's work is FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America). It's a student club where kids build leadership skills, connect with people working in different careers, and compete in projects.
Eastview has the only FCCLA chapter in District 196, and it's the largest in the state. Here's what members did this year:
- 34 students qualified for the state conference in March
- 25 students qualified for the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., July 6-10
- Several students placed in the top 10 in the nation
Student projects covered a lot of ground: pushing for therapy dogs at Eastview, researching microplastics, starting small businesses, making instructional videos, and building nutrition plans for athletes.
The chapter also gives back. Members make desserts for school events, provide child care during Eastview conferences, and volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House and the Minnesota Children's Museum.
Several state and national qualifiers were at the meeting with their families and got a round of applause.
The Bottom Line
It's been a big year for District 196 students and staff, from spring state championships to Rosemount girls basketball's state title. Now an Eastview teacher could be the best career teacher in the country. We'll find out in December. If your teen at Eastview is into cooking, business, child care or careers, FCCLA is worth a look. It also pairs nicely with District 196's new personal finance requirement.
Hero photo: District 196 (at Battistone's 2025 AAFCS national award)
