If you stopped to check out the “tiny home” at the McLeod County Fair this year, or saw it in a parade, then you’ve seen the results of an education by Hutchinson High School technology teacher Daryl Lundin.

It was announced this week that Lundin was nominated by Hutchinson High School Principal Patrick Walsh for Education Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year program.

“He is being nominated for his innovative strategies, cordial nature and career influence,” Walsh said. “Daryl is a jack-of-all-trades. His students have built and remodeled homes in partnership with the (Housing Redevelopment Authority), his teams have won seven state championships in the Real World Design competition and many other things. This past year, his students completed their first tiny home that is a model for high schools across the country.”

Money from the sale of the tiny home, built as part of Hutchinson High School classes, will go back into the program. In the Real World Design Challenge, Lundin guides students to complete a design concept, and pitch it in competition. This past year, students designed an unmanned aerial system to scan farm fields for crop moisture content, and made it to the national level.

Lundin has also guided students on projects that led them to build a boat that runs on solar energy, create prosthetic legs, and 3D print jet propulsion components.

“We have a very independent structure,” Lundin said of his science, technology, robotics, engineering, art and math class this past year. “A lot of what we hear in the industry is kids don’t have a lot of creativity. So I try to give them a chance to explore, learn and let them not be afraid of making mistakes. Basically, I want to teach them how to think and how to find answers.”

Lundin, a 1992 graduate of Litchfield High School, has taught in Hutchinson for 18 years. He graduated from St. Cloud State University in 2001, and earned his masters degree there in 2008. In 2012, he earned an administrative degree from Hamline University.

“Congratulations to Mr. Lundin on this honor, and to his fine service to ISD 423 and Hutchinson High School,” Walsh said.

Lundin’s application will move on to the state level, where he will compete with other local teachers of the year for Minnesota State Teacher of the Year.