New Teachers

Have you met the new teachers at Horizon? If not, here’s all the information you need to know about them if you’re wondering who they are. 

The first new face is Mr. Sigette who was born and raised in Bismarck, ND. He attended Murphy Elementary School, Simile Middle School, and Legacy High school. Mr. Sigette is married to Alyda Sigette who teaches at BHS. On your right you can see him and his dog Remie. 

Mr. Sigette began teaching at Horizon this year. “There was a job opening,” is what he said, but there’s more to it. He came to Horizon looking for a new place to be and wanted to teach a new subject. Currently, he teaches 7th grade Health. It all started his junior year. This was the year he knew he wanted to teach. He wanted to make an impact on kids and give them better learning than when he was going through school. One of his biggest inspirations is his high school baseball coach Eddie Streeter. Eddie has inspired him to keep going and accomplish his dreams. He decided to teach Health because it's something that you can use for the rest of your life and can impact your overall well being. We asked him if he thought that middle schoolers would be scary. He answered no because he came from teaching at high school. So far it looks like a lot of kids like him, and Horizon has made him very welcome. Mrs. Newell is the next new face at Horizon.

 Mrs. Newell was born and raised in Chattaroy, Washington. Mrs. Newell is married to her husband Robert. Robert was in several explosions and is now a retired veteran who needs a little support with everyday activities. Mrs. Newell began teaching at Horizon this year. She chose teaching at Horizon because "After 8 years of being a stay at home mom while also taking care of my husband, it was time for a change." She currently teaches 3 different subjects, those being Communications (7), Exploring World Cultures (7) and U.S History (8). She has 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 2 Goldfish. She enjoys taking care of her pets and being with them when she's at home. When she was 23 years old, she found a desire in being around kids, which brought her to where she is today teaching at Horizon. One of her biggest inspirations was her grandma Geraldine. Geraldine always inspired her to follow her dreams and be passionate about her true self. She was then asked If she thought middle school would be scary. She answered no because she had already previously taught. Mrs. Newell is a very kind person and has a very bright personality, so far she is liked by most of her students.. Mrs. Newell is my U.S. History teacher, and I think she has been very good to me and my peers. For example she sets up game days, has hands-on activities, and gives very simple but important notes. As the year goes on, hopefully she has wonderful memories and continues to enjoy teaching at Horizon. Next we head to Mrs. Doll. 

Mrs Doll is the new 6th grade English teacher. Mrs. Doll was brought up in Bismarck, North Dakota. Mrs. Doll attended Solheim Elementary School, Wachter Middle School, and Bismarck High School. She grew up doing many things, but some of her favorite things she did while growing up were baking, hunting, and fishing. She also took guitar lessons as a middle schooler. “ My first semester of college I didn't know what I wanted to be.” That was the case until Mrs Doll found her 6th grade future letter to herself which reminded her that she wanted to be a teacher, and that's when it all started. Mrs. Doll now teaches English here at Horizon Middle School on Integrity. Mrs. Doll chose to teach at Horizon because she didn't want to teach anywhere but her hometown. She was told by other teachers that there was a job spot open at Horizon, so she signed up for the job and got in. Mrs Doll's biggest inspirations were Erica Quale and Jocelyn Wax because they helped her back as a student and are continuing to teach her new things as a teacher. Mrs. Doll wanted to be a teacher because she loves helping kids and making class fun, hoping to help them as much as her teachers helped her. Mrs. Doll also loves English because of her old teacher Jody Olheiser who made English fun for her instead of boring lectures which inspired her to teach it herself. Now let's learn about Ms. Ackerman.

Ms. Ackerman was born in Bismarck, ND. She attended Grimsrud Elementary School, Horizon Middle School, and Century High School. Her biggest inspiration is her Mom and Dad. "They are the hardest workers I know, and they show unconditional love to their children, always, they are the best!" Ms. Ackerman stated. She figured out she wanted to teach her second year of college. She was working as an aid with Special Education students and realized that she didn't want to give up helping out kids! She said, "I felt like I learned a lot about special education and wanted to switch to becoming a teacher." So, she switched to teaching kids. Ms. Ackerman teaches 6th Grade English on Team Inspire. We asked her if teaching middle school students was scary? She said, "No, it is actually not scary at all! The students, parents, and teachers have been very helpful to me. I'm lucky because it's the 6th graders first year here, and it's my first year working here! I am happy I get to work with all these people." 

She chose to teach English because, "I like to write," she said. "I enjoy English because I get to know the students better because in English you can write about personal stuff, and I feel connected to the students.”  "I feel like I am good at English even though I didn't go to school for it." Some fun facts about Ms. Ackerman are that she is not athletic, but she loves music. "I can play the piano by ear!" She doesn't have any kids or pets. But, she is a plant person! Ms. Ackerman also mentioned that she is getting married in October! She will have a new last name of "Curzio" (It is a Spanish last name) She actually met her fiancé in Mr. Price's 8th Grade Science Class!

Now that you know all about these teachers, make them feel welcome at Horizon. Continue to be kind to these teachers and help them out when needed. Some of them are new to teaching and some are just new to the school.