Aug. 2023: New teachers getting to know their students
Aug. 16, 2023
HARTINGTON — Area residents celebrated the second annual Hartington Dayz event with many family friendly events.
Aug. 23, 2023
WYNOT — Todd Carr tried to ignore a phone call from Wynot Public Schools Superintendent Paul Hans.
The call turned into a visit. “As soon as I walked in the door, the whole climate was refreshing, really impressive,” Carr said. “The door hadn’t even closed and I got this wonderful greeting.”
He was shown the music room and couldn’t say “No” at that point.
“I had never seen a music ensemble room that had more thought put into it,” Carr said. “The design for that room, I’ve never seen anything like it. There was no doubt in my mind — there was an already successful program established and a support system that seemed to me incomparable.”
He was even more sold when Wynot administration told him he could teach k through 12.
“I can set up the goals where each grade level is at and they have a scope of progression and a good plan to get from kindergarten to their senior year, and looking toward the future,” Carr said. “A lot of kids can go to college and play at college ensembles and get really good scholarships.”
And then — the clincher: He only had to teach music — just music.
“I’ve wanted to be a music teacher my entire career, but the past 26 I’ve had to teach computer classes, too. I could not get away from having to teach computer,” Carr said.
In total, Carr has more than 30 years of teaching experience, mainly in South Dakota, but he also taught in Minnesota for a year. He currently lives in Yankton, S.D.
Aug. 30, 2023
HARTINGTON — Hartington-Newcastle’s new athletic director can juggle, play the trumpet and sing. Just don’t ask him to do all three at the same time.
The multi-talented Rusty Fuller is joining the school as part-time athletic director and part-time strength and conditioning coach for the 2023-24 school year.
He spent seven years as K-12 PE teacher and head football and girls basketball coach at Wausa, and nine years at St. Paul High School as the head football coach and head strength and conditioning coordinator.
Hartington-Newcastle’s newest music teacher has never taught before but hopes to hit the right note here.
One could say that musical ability is something Joshua Nobles was born with as his parents sang in a traveling quartet for years after they met in music school.
He will teach K-12 vocal music. Third through sixth-grade students will be learning the ukulele this year.
Kenneth Schroeder is an energetic teacher and coach but he’ll also be his students’ No. 1 fan.
Schroeder is the new K-12 physical education teacher at Hartington-Newcastle Public Schools.
Previous teaching jobs at Marion, S.D., and Gayville-Volin, S.D., had him teaching an elementary computer class and special education, respectively, along with PE and coaching.
Schroeder will also serve as head coach for Junior High volleyball, and assistant coach for high school volleyball and high school track and field.
Maddie Sudbeck always loved school and she dreamed one day of becoming a teacher.
She’s living out that dream as she starts her teaching career as Hartington- Newcastle’s first grade teacher.
Sudbeck, Hartington, spent last year in the classroom, first student teaching first grade for the fall semester. Then she was a long-term substitute in the spring for a teacher out on maternity leave. In fact, she’s been a substitute in every elementary classroom at Hartington-Newcastle.
Hartington-Newcastle’s new thirdgrade teacher just became a Mrs.
Just days before the start of the 2023-24 academic year, Jessica Knudsen got married. She lives on the family farm near Laurel with her new husband, their 11-month old, son, and their dog.
Knudsen previously worked as a family support worker and paraprofessional, graduating from Papillion-LaVista South High School and earning degrees in human service counseling and inclusive early childhood.
Hartington-Newcastle’s new sixthgrade teacher is looking forward to creating new relationships with her students, parents and her co-workers.
Hallie Ballinger, Crofton, will be hitching a ride to school each day with her fiancee, Ryan Macholan, who also teaches at Hartington-Newcastle in industrial technology. The two are looking to move to Hartington soon.
Ballinger previously taught elementary special education at Crofton for one year and helped coach girls basketball there. She grew up in Pender and then attended Wayne State College where she earned a degree in elementary education and special education.
Aug. 30, 2023
Cedar Catholic has several new teachers for 2023.
Russell Gade, business instructor for grades 7-12 at Cedar Catholic, said he was interested in the opportunity to teach at a Catholic school.
The 62-year-old added he is looking forward to getting to know the students and families at Cedar.
Gade, who graduated from Laurel Public Schools, attended Wayne State College and earned a bachelor’s degree in education (health and physical education, basic business) in 1985, a master’s degree in education (school administration) in 1996 and an educational specialist degree in 2005.
Theresa Hoffart is an English teacher at Cedar Catholic and has students who are freshmen, sophomores and seniors this school year.
The Howells native graduated in 1999 from Howells High School and attended Mount Marty College in Yankton, S.D. Hoffart graduated in 2003 from Mount Marty with a bachelor’s degree in English.
Before teaching at Cedar Catholic, Hoffart lived in Lincoln and worked for Lincoln City Libraries.
Blair Kalin, who retired from Hartington-Newcastle this past spring after working there for more than 30 years, has taken his talents across the street to Cedar Catholic for 2023-24.
He is involved in the strength training program as well as junior high physical education.
“This all just came up late in the spring,” Kalin previously said. “I was looking at doing some other things, but this was too good to pass up. They have great kids and great athletes at Cedar, great people and a lot of support – it’s kind of the same thing I’ve been doing, just a change in address.”
Kalin said he is looking forward to helping “develop and improve skills for the students” and “getting to know the students and to develop a positive relationship.”
He has been an educator for 32 years.
The Coleridge native attended Wayne State College after high school and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1991. He later earned a master’s degree from there in 2004.
Sierra Beckman teaches fifth grade at Holy Trinity Elementary.
“Holy Trinity is where we are choosing to send our own children to receive their education,” Beckman said. “The teachers and staff at HT provide our kids with love, support and encouragement.
“Holy Trinity has a ‘whole child’ approach to education, and that’s something kids in our current generation absolutely both want and need,” she said.
The 30-year-old is looking forward to having a new classroom full of students to grow with and teach.
Beckman graduated in 2011 from Pius X High School in Lincoln.
Denae Buss is a paraprofessional and the K-6 physical education teacher at Holy Trinity Elementary.
She was interested in working at the school because of “the great school environment, supportive staff, and being able to be on the same schedule as my kids.”
The rural Hartington resident, who is in her third year as a teacher overall, is familiar with Holy Trinity Elementary, as she went there and to Cedar Catholic while growing up.
After high school, Buss attended Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, majored in K-12 health and P.E. and minored in business and coaching, graduating in 2011.
She taught high school P.E. in Stanton for two years after college and has been coaching volleyball at Cedar Catholic for 10 years now.