Q: What is your name and department?

A: Matt Smuksta, Social Studies

Q: Why did you become a teacher?

A: I kind of grew up in a family, related to education. 
My parents were both teachers and so I didn't know what I wanted to do. I just majored in what I was interested in like history and political science at UW Madison. 
And then after I graduated, I had studied abroad in Europe during my semester of college, and I wanted to get over toward Asia. And I saw a cool program called the Jet Program, Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. And so I went over to Japan and was teaching English there after college, and I just found I really enjoyed teaching and working with young people and helping them learn it. 
And like the energy that young people have. And it was never a boring job. Because I worked at a senator's office and a state assembly, US senator's office in Madison and a state assembly person's office and It was okay and could be interesting sometimes, but, it wasn't nearly as much fun as teaching. Yeah. So after I got done, or after I was in Japan for a couple years, I came back, worked toward getting a teaching license through a Viterbo university in lacrosse. 
And then I came to Reedsburg.

Q:why did you choose social studies?

A:I just always love social studies. Yeah, I grew up around it a lot. My dad was a history high school history teacher, and then a college history professor and so yeah, I just always loved history. And I had a great, I had some great history teachers in high school, which definitely got me down that road as well.

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: After college, I taught English in Japan for two years and discovered I really loved teaching. Then I worked in a coffee shop in downtown La Crosse while taking classes toward a teaching license here.

Q: What is the difference between the school you taught at in Japan and RAHS?

A: You know, there's actually a lot of similarities. Both towns were about 10,000 people.  The kids were, and the townspeople were, The kids were really good, and the townspeople were really nice, and I think that applies to Reedsburg, too. 
You know, in terms of the difference, I guess, Japan is a more formal culture.it's a more formal culture, so that takes some getting used to. Although there was a lot of respect accorded to teachers. The school was quite a bit smaller that I taught at. 
It was a middle school that was, maybe a quarter the size of this high school. So for me, that's been different.
But, you know, kids are kids anywhere, you know, whether it was Japan or it's here, I've enjoyed the energy that young people bring and the questions and curiosity that they have about the world.

Q: What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?

A:I teach Western Civilization, Asian & African Studies, and Modern World. I really like them all, but the one I teach the most and like the best is probably Western Civ. The Greeks and Romans were pretty awesome.

Q: Why specifically is Western Civ your favorite class to teach.

A: I think because the Greeks and the Romans are great subject matter. 
A lot of people are interested in them. There's great questions to dive into, like why did the Roman Empire decline and fall, which is actually what we're working on right now on Western civilization, researching about that and writing about that. There's something for everybody. 
You know, there's there's dramatic battles, there's mythology, you know, the beginnings of our of our government systems, democracies, and republics. So, even though it's history that's 2000 years ago, it just feels really alive today. 

Q:What is your name and department?

A: Kevin Runde     Social Studies

Q: Why did you become a teacher?

A: I was struggling in college, and I went back and talked to one of my former teachers, a social studies teacher, by the name of Richard Ducker, and he taught at the dolls his whole life, and he gave me some food for thought and told me I like working with kids'cause I was coaching at the time. and he said, "Why don't you think about teaching? 
And then it kind of just took off from there, and then I had to find what age rub I wanted to do high school, elementary, and I figured elementary was no good for me, so I went high school.

Q:Why did you choose social studies?

A:Because I have a passion to love history. 
Absolute total geek when it comes to history.

Q:What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: I was a college student at. UW Platteville and worked in Wisconsin Dells

Q: What would you say the difference in the communities of Plattville, the Dells and Reedsburg are?

A: Plattville's a typical college town. It's a suitcase college. At least what I went there back in the 80s, kids came, went to school, and then left because there wasn't a lot to do in the town, but then you had Dubuqe nearby, and then for me, going back home, paying through college out of my own pocket, the opportunity to work in the Dells. 
I had a winter employer that paid me very well to come home the for the weekends. But Reedsburg, myself, when I chose this town, I initially chose it because it was close to home, and then I developed a distinct love for it. I can't say that I would say anything different that town's very, very welcome.

Q: What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?

A: Early 20th U.S. History, Modern U.S. History and Economics. My favorite is Early 20th U.S. History.

Q: Why would you say early 20th? U.S. history is your favorite class to teach?

A: Because it's the period in history where it is the most change, which I try to reiterate with my kids when I teach so many things that happen that affect them in an indirect way, and if they understand how it affects them today, they might understand why things are the way they are today. 

Q: What is your name and department?

A:Katie Huber, Science

Q: why did you go into teaching?

A:Um, Mr. Huber had started teaching first, and I really liked the idea of having summers off with him. So honestly, that's probably why in the beginning, but I've always enjoyed helping people.

Q: why did you choose science?

A:Cause it's amazing. I think that science has so many connections to our life, and I really enjoy the living aspect of science and trying to put some of those pieces together with things that you see on the daily.

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A:I was a teacher in Stevens Point at a junior high for several years, before that I worked with training and rehabilitating birds of prey

Q: what would you say the difference between Stephen's point in Reidsburg are community wise?

A:the size is very different. Steven's point was a lot larger, so I up in Steven's Point, I worked at a junior high, and we had two junior highs and probably nine different elementary schools that fed into our high school. So it was really big compared to here. 
And I like the small town feel.

Q:What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?

A: Biology and Zoology/Captive Wildlife, I love both for different reasons!

Q: What do you love about your classes?

A:Well, the zoology course is sort of my baby, and I absolutely love animals. 
So being able to kind of fit together pieces of the puzzle on all of the different species that exist and the types of animals in phyla that are out there, but also how we handle them when they come into captive care. I find very fascinating. So I've really enjoyed building that class.

Q: what is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A:I wish the community knew how hard some teachers work to provide their students with the best education possible 

Q: What is your name and department?

A: Mr. (Joe) Cannistra, Science (Chemistry)

Q:Why did you go into teaching?

A:I kind of fell into teaching. So I was asked as an undergraduate at UW Madison back in like 2000-2001 I was asked by a friend who was asked by the director of Labs at Madison, like, do you know of anyone else who did well at chemistry that would like to TA as an undergraduate? So that's kind of how I discovered that I liked teaching. 
So I was an undergraduate teaching assistant, you know, 20, 21 years old, teaching 18, 19 year olds, and just really loved that. Or those relationships between the TA and being students and having people discover chemistry and have fun with it. And so that's kind of what started that path. 
And so, that's kind of how I got started with it.

Q: Why chemistry?

A: I was good at it. I just, I kind of, I had a knack for sciences, and I had a knack for math, and I did have a couple really good chemistry teachers thinking back. Like, they kind of have stuck in my mind as being good teachers or having empathy or, you know, just having a good relationship with them and, like, they were kind to me and then also tested my abilities and kind of pushed me. So I think that's maybe why chemistry, but I could have easily gone into like electrical engineering versus chemical engineering initially, and then switched. 
But my dad owned a company, like an electric motor company. And so I think I rebelled a little bit away from electrical engineering, to chemical engineering, and then found out I just liked the chemistry part of it versus the engineering part of it.

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: Prior to RAHS, I was a chemistry teacher at a similarly sized high school, Plymouth Area High School, near Sheboygan, along Hwy 23 by lake Michigan. Before that I was a graduate student working towards a Ph.D. in chemistry (ABD only, never conferred). And prior to that I worked for my father for a year as an inside / outside salesman of electric motors and controls primarily for agriculture applications, e.g. milk pumps, barn cleaners, elevators, etc. This brings me to my first job after graduating from UW-Madison; I was a forensic toxicologist (chemist) for the state of Wisconsin at the WSLH! 

Q:What would you say the differences between Plymouth High School and RAHS would be?

A: That's a great question. What's interesting is that the people that I knew in Plymouth when they told them that I was taking a job in Reedsburg and they're like "Oh, I know someone in Reedsburg." And sometimes when I hear or talk to people in Reedsburg, I'm like "Oh, I know people in Plymouth, right?" 
So they're very similar cities in terms of the populations, both their small, rural. Both have like an industry built up around them. So I would say the similarities far outweigh the differences. 
The biggest difference is the geographical location, I have family and friends that are closer to the Madison area, so I am a little bit closer to my family and friends. So that's the biggest difference for me. 
I think we actually I think RAHS has maybe more of a collegial atmosphere amongst all of the science teachers a little bit more than Plymouth, but it was still a very strong. That's not saying anything against Plymouth. It's just that It's stronger here at RAHS. 
And we worked together and. Yeah, that's about it.
Like, it's a very, very strong similarities and very minimal difference in that we just seem to mesh together a little bit better.

Q:What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?

A: I teach chemistry, AP Chemistry, and Organic & Biochemistry; my favorite class actually varies from day to day depending on what we are doing, but I really enjoy the challenge of the fast paced AP Chem as well as the opportunity to introduce Organic & Biochemistry more in depth to students; I was trained as an analytical and organic chemist, so I really nerd out on organic chemistry.

Q: Is there anything specifically about organic chemistry that makes it your favorite?

A:That's a good question. I have not really thought about it in a while. 
Um. So, to answer that question, I just have to talk a little bit about organic chemistry. So I think the thing that makes organic my favorite was initially that it was supposed to be very hard. 
So it's kind of the weed out class for anyone that wants to go into the medical field or whatever, and I excelled at it again. So, again, I like things that I'm good at, or I do well at, and I think we all kind of find that to be true. And then being good at it, there was a part of it called nuclear magnetic resonance, or NR for short. 
So, for example, if you go and have to get an MRI, a magnetic resonance imaging of your knee, essentially, it's the same physical phenomenon that AnemR is, but at the particle level. So anyways, using NMR, you can identify the structure of a molecule or a substance, and it's kind of like putting a puzzle together. And so I really like putting puzzles together and solving problems like that, So I think that's why organic is my favorite, because within organic, we get to put puzzles together and figure out how the molecules are put together.

Q:What is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A: I care deeply about each and every one of my students and if you think you are my favorite, then you are! And whether you know it or not, I am a big supporter of your growth as a human being and in your academic (and extracurricular) journey! 

Q: What is your name and department?

A: Drew Lockwood - Science

Q: Why did you go into teaching?

A: So, I worked in fisheries for a few years, and the jobs were kind of like, they were tech jobs, so they were almost like field seasons instead of like a full-time position, typically. I wanted to go get my master's in something, a Masters in Fisheries would allow me to kind of stay there and maybe stay in like one place a little bit longer, but the jobs are still kind of sporadic and it was kind of difficult to find one that was in a place that I wanted to be, which was Wisconsin. I met my wife and I decided to settle down into something where I could stay in one place for a while. 
So teaching was a good option that allowed me to still use my bachelor's degree. And I went back and got my teaching license.

Q: Why did you go into, like, science and biology?

A: I really like the life sciences specifically. Um, especially anything with the natural world. I grew up fishing, being outside, and I really took like this really, I was really intrigued by fish, so that's why I went and got a fishery's degree. 
And biology was just kind of tagged on that. So then learning that about myself, I was able to kind of apply that to the classroom as well. And I really enjoyed teaching people about science. 
And I thought that was really fun when there's like a connection people make about the living world, especially things around them.

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: After high school I went to UWSP for a B.Sc degree in fisheries/biology. I worked as a fisheries technician for a few different jobs including lake trout suppression in Yellowstone National Park and various work with lake sturgeon with MSU and MI DNR. After a few years of fisheries work, I went back to UW Milwaukee for my teaching license.

Q: Other than the fact that they're colleges, what would you say the differences are between Stevens Point, Milwaukee, and Reedsburg?

A: Steven's point, um was, I mean, it's a really good, natural resources school. Milwaukee, I felt like, was just Milwaukee's more in the city. I didn't spend a ton of time on campus in Milwaukee. 
I mean, I didn't live on campus in Milwaukee like I did in Stevens Point. So I don't know if that's just a little bit more bias in that direction. But I mean, Steven's point, like, outdoors, you have the river, so I can go fishing whenever you want, outside of class time. 
There was, everyone's wearing flannels, I guess, that kind of makes sense. So you can kind of compare it to a little bit more rural, like Reedsburg is, while Milwaukee is much more urban.

Q: What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?

A: I currently have 4 preps in the Science dept. here at RAHS. I teach freshman biology, Ecology, AP Environmental Science, and AP Biology. In the spring semester environmental science will replace the semester-long ecology course.  

My favorite class to teach is AP Environmental Science, it carries a lot of relevance to my previous career, but also, as an AP class, has hard working, focused students in it.  

Q: Why is AP Environmental Science your favorite to teach?

A:Well, it's just, um. of the first half of its all ecology stuff, which I love teaching ecology, um, but then you can see how there's all the applications that you take from ecology and apply it to. How can we protect our environment? It's a class that gets through all of that coursework and content in the year and you can see students really start to come up with reasons for how to protect the environment and be better stewards of what gives us food and gives us the ability to live here. So it really is. 
And then it's also, I mean, like high achieving students because it's an AP course as well. So it just, it flows a little bit better and there's more we can get through and talk about.

Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A: My family and I love the sense of community here in Reedsburg. I grew up in a town that was similar in size with a family name that was well known there. Here we get to be the only Lockwood's which makes this town our home. I am excited to see my children grow up here and be a part of this community. 

By, McKenzie Osborne

Q: What’s your favorite part about your job?

A: “Meeting people. I love being a part of the community.”

Q: What are you hoping to accomplish here at RAHS?

A: “For staff I hope to learn everyone’s names, and a little something about them. For the innovation center, I hope to support students and staff by combining things in unprecedented ways.”

Q: What was your favorite subject when you were a student, and why was it special to you?

A: “It’s hard to pick, I’ve had so many great teachers. Art history was my major in college. I really liked it because it bridged subjective subjects like art and history, but required you to be objective to get a transcendental truth. I don't know, it's something you need to experience.”

Q: If you could instantly become an expert at one thing, what would it be?

A: “Being a mom. If I could somehow be an expert at that.” 

Q: If you could travel anywhere for a holiday, where would you go?

A: “Back to Hawaii. Pictures and videos don’t do it justice, it has quite the energetic spirit.”

Q: What’s the most surprising or interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

A: “Time blocks and scheduling are very complex. I’ve subbed at Prairie Ridge and Pineview, and here as well, but for the last eight years I’ve been a stay at home mom. It was difficult to come back from a fluid schedule to high school because everything is a very minute to minute structure.”

Q: What is your name and department?

A: My name is Kristen Sporkowski. 
I work in the music department as the choir director.

Q: How did you get into teaching?

A: It was a career path that I didn't think I was going to do, but when I got to college, my first class was a music class and I fell in love. 
Music has always been a passion of mine, so it seemed like a natural place to go in my career path.

Q: What did you do before coming to Reedsburg?

A: I was a teacher at Waupaca High School in Waupaca, Wisconsin for 14 years. It was my first job out of college, and I taught choir and band.

Q: What would you say the difference between that community and our community is?

A: I would say that similar sized communities, the arts were very, very prevalent in Waupaca, and where I feel Reedsburg is a growing community of the arts. 
So I want to continue to see it thrive and grow in our community.

Q: What's a fact do you want our community to know about you?

A:I was born and raised in Ripon, Wisconsin. 
I went to school in Iowa at Cornell College, which is one of only four colleges in the United States that teaches one course at a time.

Q: What classes do you teach and which one would you say is your favorite?

A: I teach three choirs during the school day, chamber singers, coro belle, and chorale. I also teach many extracurricular ensembles, like our competitive show choir, the Choraliers, vocal jazz, our current musical, I'm the vocal director. Can't really say that I have a favorite, a new exploratory class that I started last year was a musical theater performance class. 
So all of those things are very different in a lot of ways and give me joy in a different variety of ways.

Q: What's your name and department?

A: My name is Jennifer Gibbons, and I work in the Technical Education Department as a computer science and business teacher.

Q: What brought you into teaching?

A: I enjoyed working with computers in the business area, so after being a programmer analyst for a regulation company, I decided to get my teacher certifications in business and in computer science.

Q: What did you do before coming here to Reedsburg?

A: Before coming here to Reedsburg, I was a teacher at Hillsboro and I was a teacher at middle school. 
And I was also an FBLA advisor 

Q: What would you say is the difference between Reidsburg and Hillsboro?

A: At Reedsburg, we have a lot more opportunity and in terms of the different types of classes, just about what students have access to. 
There's more funding, which is unfortunate for Hillsboro, but as a result, we're able to do more for students. And we have a great network of teachers to work with and a great administration.

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: I teach several classes, so I teach computer graphics, app design, AP, computer science, and principles. I teach web design, animation, and IT. computer programming in Python and I also teach personal finance and accounting when needed.

Q: Which one is your favorite teacher?

A: Oh, that's hard, well, I have several favorites. I really enjoy my computer graphics and animation because I get to be more creative with that. 
I also enjoy my computer science because it's the program being the creative of the app design. Yeah. in Web design. So I really enjoy them all.

Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A: I work really hard to make sure all students' needs are met and that all students with their abilities are able to learn in my classes.

Q: What is your name and department?

A: Mrs. Olson Family and Consumer Science Teacher

Q: Why did you start teaching?

A: I just always wanted to teach from a young age on. I had a really good first grade teacher. 
I thought she was really cool, so I thought teaching would be good. Okay, and that never changed. Yeah.

Q: Why did you choose family and consumer science?

A: Because I get to teach real life things every day when I was in college, I actually started school to be an elementary teacher, and the director of the family consumer Science Department kind of met with a group of us that we're going to a meeting. She's like, "Hey, you want to chat?" 
And she kind of talks about both family, consumer science and sounded cool 'cause it's like, real life things. Like, we just meet to talk about cookies, and they can just take that home and use it. So that's a really cool thing about what I do. 
Everything is like, relatable right now.

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: I went to UW Stew's Point, majoring in Family Consumer Science. I have my masters in child and family studies in psychology.

Q: What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?

A: Foods, Culinary, Hospitality, Early Childhood Health Safety and Nutrition, Early Childhood Child Development. I love them all, they all have something about them that I love.

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: I was an FCS teacher in Baraboo

Q: What is the difference between our community and Baraboo?

A: I don't know that I notice a huge, huge difference between the two in the two communities. 
The districts are both pretty supportive. Kids are great.

Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A:I love my job and I am thankful for the wonderful community we have. 

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: I came to the school district in the fall of 1996 and started teaching as a Special Education Teacher at Webb when it was the high school so I started teaching at RAHS when the building opened in 1998.  Prior to that, I taught 1 semester in Watertown Wisconsin.  I have also been a Theater Technician, Designer and Technical Director as well as a Mental Health Counselor, a sales person and I worked as an installer in the communications industry.

Q:  What is your job in the school district of Reedsburg?

A: My teaching job is not a "class" as you know it.  I am the Coordinator and teacher of RAHS' Vine Street GED Option 2 Program.  This is an Alternative Education Program for students 17 and over that are at risk of not graduating with their class.  It is "Off Site"  meaning that my classroom is not on the RAHS Campus but is housed in the Boys and Girls Club building in Downtown Reedsburg.  Vine Street provides instruction in Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math as well as Employability Skills.  I do this part time.  The other part of my teaching job for the school district and the one that puts me at RAHS is, I am the Technical Director for the C.A.L. Center.  I am in charge of the lights, sound, staging and all other technical elements of operating the CAL Center.  I am also the Drama Club Advisor, Technical Director and Director of the RAHS Plays and Musicals, and the Mock Trial Coach.

Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A:  In addition to the above information a fact about me that many know is that I was a Civil War Reenactor portraying a Union Cavalry Officer for nearly 30 years and have provided the Civil War Day activities held annually for the District 5th graders.  Though I am no longer actively reenacting, I do still occasionally do some local events.  Most recently, I portrayed Reedsburg Area Civil War Veterans at Cemetery events in Loganville and Reedsburg.  Over the years the Reenacting hobby and theater background has given me the opportunity to be in several movie, T.V. and video projects.   

Q: What is your name and department?

A: Mike McCarville, Tech ED

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: RAHS was my first teaching job out of college, so I was just a college kid.

Q:Why did you go into teaching?

A: I was convinced in my senior year of high school by my tech ed teacher to become a teacher but before that it wasn't on my radar at all.

Q: Why did you go into tech ed?

A:My father was a carpenter so I was kind of drawn to that and I had some prior experience and wood working was always a hobby of mine.

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: Uw stout

Q: What is the difference between the communities of Menemonie and Reedsburg? 

A: A lot of similarities stout is a little bigger because it is a college town and a little extra things to do but similar in regards of people and community

Q: Why is house flipping your favorite class to teach?

A: As a teacher we get to plan a curriculum with that class there is a structure to building and fixing but there is a lot of freedom in what we do and its very problem solving 

Q: Why did you choose to come to Reedsburg?

A: I went to UW-Stout and my home town was Silver Lake Wisconsin so Reedsburg is in the dead center of college and home but my family went to Wisconsin Dells every summer because we weren't really a vacationing family.

Q: What is your name and department?

A: My name is Meg Howe. I teach in the art department at Reedsburg area High School.

Q: Why did you choose to go into teaching?

A: I always tell the story at the start of every year. So I have a background in art and art history. 
I have what you call like, a BFA, a bachelor of the Fine arts. I went to art school, and then I got a BA, because I went to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. So at my old high school, which is where I taught my first eight years, both of the art teachers were pregnant the same year, so they were like, we need a long-term sub. 
So they called me, and so I kind of fell into teaching. I always loved art. I'm super, super passionate about my subject. 
I absolutely love art, but I didn't want to be one of those teachers who, like, doesn't like kids. I always say to my students, I' m like we all had that teacher, but don't name names. And so I, after that first year subbing, I was like, I really love teaching too. 
So I got my teaching certificate, and never looked back. I love that aha moment. It just clicks for a student, and they're like, suddenly they see three dimensional space and they never have before, or I always talk about art as if it's a coded language. Like you can say what you need to say in your work. 
And as long as, even if you're the only one who understands that, you've put it out there, you've taken it from within and put it without, and you've taken control over that. And I love that about it.

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: So I teach quite a variety of classes. 
I teach drawing, I teach advanced drawing and painting. I teach ceramics, I teach advanced ceramics, I teach adaptive art for the Spec Education Program, and I teach AP art and Design, as well as this next semester I'll be teaching painting for the first time here. Wow to the whole gambit. 
Everything but foundations.

Q: Which one would you say is your favorite?

A: Oh, that's a tricky one. 
Um, well, one thing at my previous school I taught the foundation level classes. So here I get to teach the more advanced courses, so that is kind of interesting. Not so much. 
I think it's interesting to see how students take the skills that you teach in the foundation, like drawing and ceramics. And then when you teach them advanced drawing and painting or advanced ceramics, they can take those skills and apply their own spin and their own creative ideas to that, and that's really cool. So I would say advanced courses are my favorites kind of across the board.

Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A: I love my subject a lot, and I love being in Reedsburg. 
A lot of students will ask me, like, why did you come to Reedsburg? And it's just like, I think I love that the community is super open to the arts. So I guess one fact about me is like, I do do art in my personal practice, too. 
Like, I have art, I do myself and I just want like, I don't know, I want the community to know that I like, I practice what I preach, you know? Like, I like to, I teach and I do. And I think that's really important for an art teacher. 

Q: Why did you go into the teaching profession?

A: “I always loved sharing information with people, and this is just a really good way for me to be able to do it and still have a family and be close to family and be able to do stuff with them.”

Q: Why did you go into the science department?

A: “Science has always been one of my favorites, and I just love the ever changingness of it and being able to find all these new things.”

Q: What subjects do you teach?

A: “Right now I teach wildlife conservation. I teach human anatomy and physiology. 
I teach biology, and I teach Earth and physical science. I've also taught chemistry here as well. My favorite one, oh, it kind of depends on the lab or the unit. 
I kind of like them all for different reasons, and it's fun to have that difference throughout the day, just so you can stay well versed.”

Q: What were you doing before you came back to Reedsburg?

A:”Before coming to Reidsburg, I taught in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and I also taught at Pepin, Wisconsin, which is along the Mississippi River. Before that, I worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and I worked for the DNR.”

Q: What would you say are the differences between the three communities that you taught in?

A: “I would say, just expectations of little things. So in Reedsburg and stuff, I have a lot of family and stuff. 
I've got old friends, I have a support system around here that's kind of an easy expectation for me to just make sure that we're there. Over in Pepin, there was a huge expectation I taught seven different subjects of science. So as far as the expectations for everybody, everybody taught a lot of different things. 
And I was a coach of three sports. I also did some extra stuff in the summer. Like there was a lot. 
That's a lot. Up in Steven's Point, it was kind of narrowed down. I only taught one class. 
And then every once in a while, I'd have an extra one that was in there. So I taught one class all day long and it was just a little bit different.”

Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A: “I have lots and lots of enthusiasm and energy and passion for helping teach kids.” 

Q: Why did you go into the teaching profession?

A: Well, I didn't initially. I was not an education major 
And then I went back to school after college. Because I was working at a diner in my hometown and I worked with a lot of high school students, and I realized that I liked them.. 
And then I found a program that would allow me to go back to school and get certified to teach in what my initial bachelors degree was in, which was English and I went back to school and got a teaching degree. 

Q: Why was your initial bachelors degree English?

A: Because I was very undecided when I started college, and then when I finally needed to decide.. I chose English because it focused on reading and writing, and those were things that I liked to do and was good at. 
And I knew that I could find a job as an English major doing something with language.. So I just thought that it kind of capitalized on the skills that I meant. But I still didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. 

Q: What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?

A: I teach Intro to College Reading & Writing, AP English Literature, and Intro to Education & Teaching. I honestly do love all of them, but something I really love about AP Lit is getting to talk about books every day!

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: Before I worked at RAHS, I taught English in Montello for five years. Before I started teaching, I worked in Madison at the Red Cross in the Emergency Services Dept.

Q: What in your opinion, is the difference between the communities between Reedsburg and Montello, where you were teaching before? 

A: They're similar in a lot of ways but I think that while there are some similarities in demographics and the type of students and the type of families that live here. Reedsburg is larger in size so it has more to offer in the community.

Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A: I really hate wearing shoes.

Q: Why is it that you hate wearing shoes?

A:  I don't like how they feel on my feet.

Q: Why did you choose teaching as a profession?

A: “I kind of wanted to be a teacher my whole life. I just thought, I don't know, I've really liked school, I liked school work, I liked pretending to play school. Even throughout the years, I just kept thinking that I wanted to do it, and then when I got into it more in college, I definitely wanted to. I should probably say, my dad is also a teacher and his dad and his mom are both teachers. 
So that didn't hurt the cause, because they really like their jobs.”

Q: What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?

A: “Algebra B, Geometry 9, and AP Precalculus. I like them all for different reasons.”

Q: What is one reason you like your classes?

A: “I like that I have a diversity in that I teach a couple sections of freshmen. 
I and I have a couple sections of juniors and seniors. I also like the complexity of pre-calculus, and I love it when kids, like, get it, but they also feel that way in geometry too, because geometry is something that is pretty different that they haven't seen before.”

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: “RAHS was my very first teaching job. I came here when I was 24 years old in 1998 when RAHS was brand new. I was hired as a math teacher and the varsity girls basketball coach.”

Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you?

A: “That I am so happy that my path brought me from Gilman, WI to UW- Eau Claire, then to Reedsburg. It has been my home for over half of my life now and the Reedsburg, Lake Redstone, and Beaver communities have been an amazing place to raise our family and carry out my goals as a teacher.”

Q: How would you say that the community from Gilman, Reidburg and Eau Claire differ?

A: “Oh, definitely in size. 
Gilman, my high school class had 42 kids in it, and Reedsburg had roughly 200 kids in it for each class, and Eau Claire North had probably close to 500 kids in each class, maybe 400 in each class. So size was one of the big differences. Yeah. 
But at the same time, there still is a sense of community, like within the departments or within the teachers, and you still get to know the students that you have in class really well, regardless of the size.”

Q: How did you get into teaching? 

A: “Well it's kind of embarrassing. I was a history major in college. 
And by the time I was probably a senior, I realized I needed to figure out a way to pay bills. So what do you do with a history degree? You teach.”

Q: Why did you choose social studies as your department?

A: “I've loved history since I was probably five years old when my grandparents brought back these little viewmaster souvenirs from Mount Rushmore. And I got interested in the Presidents, and that led me to just love history, and I always have.”

Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?

A: “I taught social studies at Wisconsin Dells High School.”

Q: How would you compare teaching in different communities?

A: “It's pretty much the same. 
Yeah. I mean, the difference isn't Reedburg and the Dells. The difference is that it was 25 years ago. 
So times were different.”

Q:What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?

A: “A.P. U.S. History, A.P. U.S. Government and Politics, Civil War & Aftermath, and (my favorite) History of Imperial Europe”

Q: Why would you say History of Imperial Europe is your favorite class?

A: “Well, I created the class, it's kind of personal. based on content that I enjoyed learning about in college. So I get to take what I enjoyed and share it with students”

Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you? 

A: “I care about what I do.”