Teachers
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Hi—my name is Cathee Bruinsma—this is my 10th year at Harrisburg and 8th year at Harrisburg North Middle School. I have taught kids from kindergarten through seniors in high school and have coached athletes from grades 5 through seniors in college—but my love has always been teaching science and coaching in the middle school. Prior to coming to Harrisburg I taught and coached in Canistota for 15 years, where I raised, taught and coached my four kids. After they all graduated it was time for a change. I now have nine grandchildren-with the tenth one coming in January. I have retired from coaching but am still trying to stay active with volleyball by referring and line judging and watching . I enjoy playing pickleball—a great new sport for anyone looking for something new. My husband, Scott, and I also enjoy walking, working on our house and garden and spending hours of time playing with ourgrandchildren and our almost 4 year old dog, Blaze!
Hello and welcome to HNMS! I started my teaching career back in 2005 and all but two of those years have been teaching middle school science. My husband and I moved to Sioux Falls in 2012 and I’ve been with the Harrisburg District since then. We have two sons, Marek and Carson. I am a self-proclaimed science geek as I absolutely love all things science and always have. Learning how the world works and how science is a part of our everyday lives has always interested me. I think I literally took every science class I possibly could in high school.
My hope is I can spark some of that curiosity in each of you this year in life science. Also, I’m originally from Minnesota, so I bleed purple and gold no matter how good or bad their season is going. #SKOLVikings #thisisouryear In addition to watching the Vikings, I love to spend time with my family at the lake, read, scrapbook, and just hang out. My boys are growing up too fast, so I take every free minute I can get with them.
HEY! I am Christine Johnson and I teach MATH! I have the 7th Grade Traditional Math! This is my second year at North! I started my teaching career 21 years ago. My career includes the Sioux Falls School District, Explorer Elementary and Endeavor Elementary.
I am super excited to be at HNMS. My husband and I have twin boys, Lukas and Paul. They just graduated from SMSU in Marshall, MN. (Go MUSTANGS!) They are both onto grad school. I have two Labrador retrievers. Koda is our huge black lab that likes to pet you back~ aka Licks-A-Lot! Echo is our little yellow lab that is addicted to fetching! My favorites include: football, Q-doba, Star Wars, elephants, Marvel, Starburst and riddles! In my class, mistakes are expected, inspected and respected!!
As a student I was determined to dislike math because I felt that I wasn’t very good at it. In Highschool I took remedial math classes so that I felt more confident. Math is that one subject that a lot of people are afraid of or have decided that they just don’t like. I don’t want students to feel that way, I want students to enjoy math and feel that it is worthwhile and important to understand just like reading. A lot of students will decide that they will just “never math” but students don’t give up like that when it comes to reading, or writing, and I want to change that. I am trying to Make Math Meaningful to students who come through my doors. Not everyone is going to go to the grocery store and buy 32 watermelons, half of a loaf of bread, etc. but they might want to know if it’s cheaper to pay their Xbox Live account monthly or annually or how much they spend on Takis with their a la carte money per week. How to be a math person: be a person, do math.
Hello! My name is Miss Elizabeth Anderson and I am a 7th grade ELA teacher! In 2018, I graduated from Augustana University with degrees in English and Secondary Education. I just began earning my Masters degree this summer through Augustana as well. I’m so excited to begin my third year of teaching in the Harrisburg School District! I am from Sioux Falls, SD and currently reside there as well. I enjoy doing anything to stay active and get outside. I also love to cook and bake, and I enjoy spending time with family and friends! I strive to take life with a positive attitude; that being said, I cannot wait to see what this year brings!
Hello! I'm Miss Randi Johnson. I started teaching 7th grade ELA in the Harrisburg School District in 2017. I'm from Sioux Falls, SD, originally from Canton, and graduated from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. I now live in Sioux Falls with my fiancé, Lyndon, and our two cats, Artemis and Osiris. We like to spend our time adventuring outside and playing video games. I love gardening and doing crafts. I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, Marvel Universe geek, and cat-lover. I am excited to see what the year brings and for all the fun we will have!
I’m Abby Burnside, and I am excited to be starting my second year at Harrisburg North Middle School. This is my ninth year of teaching. Before coming to North, I taught in Sioux Falls. During my time in the classroom, I have worked with students at all levels: elementary, middle, and high school.
When I am not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I have been married to my husband for seven years. We have a son who is in the toddler stage, which keeps us on our toes, entertained, and full of laughter and joy. Additionally, we are looking forward to the arrival of baby #2 in early 2021. In my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends, playing the piano, cooking, and drinking coffee. I am excited to begin the school year and cannot wait to see what this year holds!
Hi! My name is Kelsey Parmley and I teach 7th grade Personalized Learning ELA! I grew up in Sioux Falls and went on to Augustana University. I graduated in 2014 with majors in English and Secondary Education. I’ve been married to my husband, Nick, for seven years and we have two sons named Weston (4) and Emmett (3 in October), and a daughter named Nolan (born May 2020). My husband is a huge sports fan, so during the fall/winter we spend most of our time cheering on our Minnesota teams, the Vikings and the MN Wild. In my free time (when I’m lucky enough to get it!), I love to read, write, and be crafty. My husband and I are both lucky enough to have almost our entire families live in Sioux Falls, so on weekends we spend a lot of time with them. I can’t wait to see what this year brings!
Hello, my name is Craig Swensen. I teach 7th grade Geography. This will be my sixth year teaching but my seventh year in the Harrisburg district, as I did my student teaching at the High School.
My wife, Kristen, and I have been married for six years. We do not have any children but do have a dog named Kenobi, named after the Star Wars character Obi Wan Kenobi, because I am a nerd.
Since I was 12 years old, I have also been the owner of a shave ice business, Craig's Shave Ice, where I travel around the area, during the summer months, selling deliciousness in a cup and mini donuts! Some of my favorite things, in no particular order, are Cornhusker football, the Seattle Mariners, sports in general, Star Wars, Dr. Who, Batman, the Flash, Bob’s Burgers, American Dad, The Umbrella Academy, Parks & Rec, and the Office... I wasn’t lying about being a nerd.
Hello, I am Chris Larson and I teach 7th grade Geography. I will also be coaching 8th grade girls basketball this year. This will be my 11th year of teaching and my 5nd at HNMS. I previously taught 4 years in Hot Springs teaching high school and 2 years before that at Bennett County Junior High. While in Hot Springs I organized two trips to Washington D.C. through the Close Up Foundation in which I took a total of 60 students to learn about government at our nation's capital.
I received my teaching degree from Chadron State College and my Masters degree from USD. I have been married to my wife Kristin for 7 years. We have a daughter named Kennedy who turned 5 this summer. We also have two dogs, Gizmo Cornelius and Perseus George. This summer I had the opportunity to represent South Dakota at the Street Law Supreme Court Institute, where I took part in a week long in depth seminar about the Supreme Court. I am very excited for this school as we have some awesome stuff planned for the 7th grade this year.
Hello! My name is Amanda Kuntz and this is my third year teaching in the Harrisburg School District!! I am so excited to be a part of this great community and district. This is my 10th year of teaching all together. I was in Huron for the first 7 years teaching Special Education Resource Room in 7th and 8th grade. I was born and raised in Colorado. I have an older brother and younger sister. I graduated from University of Northern Colorado in May of 2010. I married my husband in June of 2010 and that fall we moved to Huron, South Dakota. We have two beautiful children. Our daughter will be 6 the beginning of October. Our son will be 4 at the end of September. They keep us very busy, but they are so much fun! I also coach 7th grade volleyball for Harrisburg South Middle School. I am excited for the year ahead.
