Mr. Salminen was nominated for the Weddington High School Teacher of the Year award for the 23-24 school year. 

Salminen explained, “I was humbled and surprised. It’s an honor and privilege to have something like this in my career.”

As a result of his outstanding achievements, Salminen’s name has also been nominated for the Union County Public Schools Teacher of the Year award. 

Teacher of the Year recognizes and honors outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching. Robert Salminen has shown his dedication toward his students and the transformative impact he has made in the classroom and beyond. Salminen was nominated For Weddington Teacher of the Year and now for Union County Teacher of The Year by the county’s superintendent Dr. Andrew Houlihan and other board of education leaders.  

When asked why he won the award he stated, “To be honest, I’m not entirely certain. I was nominated and I am currently in the third round: running for top-ten teacher in Union County.” 

“Teaching is a calling: a passion; a drive; a desire to make the world a better place. As a younger person, I cannot imagine ever being a teacher. As a teacher of 22 years, I cannot imagine being anything else. Well…..maybe a lacrosse coach.”

Robert Salminen is a teacher at Weddington High School who teaches English 2, 3 and Speech and Debate. He has been a teacher for 22 years, 5 of those years being here at Weddington High School. 

While Salminen shows his excellence in teaching, his outstanding dedication has also earned the prestigious Coach of the Year award for women’s lacrosse in the 2022-2023 school year.