Mr. Ellenbecker

English Teacher

Freshman Football Assistant

Professional Background

I graduated from UW-SP in December of 2009 with a Bachelor's Degree in English and Secondary Education. I also minored in history. I completed my student-teaching in Wausau at West High School and John Muir Middle School and spent my first year as a teacher in Wausau, as well, split between Wausau East and Wausau West High Schools. In the summer of 2011, I was fortunate to interview for and be offered a job here in Merrill, and I have been in room 247 in the English pod ever since.

What do I teach?

Throughout my career I have taught various courses, including American Literature, Narration/Description, and English 9. For the past few years, I have settled in on the English 10 and English 11 teams here at MHS, primarily teaching sophomores and juniors. I have taught E9, E10, and E11 for summer school at various times over the years, as well.

What else do I do at MHS?

I have coached multiple sports at various levels since I was a high school student myself, and I have continued to do so in my time at Merrill High School. I have been a freshman football coach since 2011, and I served as the head softball coach for 10 years, as well. I have always loved sports, and the opportunity to interact with students beyond the classroom environment is invaluable. My son, Edison, and I are shown at left before we headed back to Merrill on the bus after winning the sectional semi-final in 2016.

What do I do outside of MHS?

My life outside of MHS is centered around my family. My wife, Jenna, and I have two children, Edison and Veda. We enjoy spending time up on Burrows Lake in the summer, where Jenna's family has a cabin. Family trips to Brewers games are an annual event, and Jenna and I enjoy going to concerts and other events. Jenna and I enjoy traveling, both domestically and abroad. The pictures to the right are from our trip to Ireland in 2018.

I spend a good deal of my free time participating in and following sports. I play slowpitch and fastpitch softball in the summer and really enjoy doing that. I'm also a huge fan of the Badgers, as well as the Brewers, Packers and Bucks.