Houston Schools welcomed five new teachers this fall – Ethan Papenfuss, band; Samantha Michaelsen, elementary special education; Hailey Pierazek, MS/HS math; Abigail Allen, HS math; and Anna Dunnum, English and social studies.
Ethan Papenfuss, an alumni of Houston High School, got into teaching because he himself had a wonderful experience as a student. He feels so fortunate to have the opportunity to come full circle and take over for his former band teacher at Houston.
Ethan earned his bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Music Education at Luther College He taught 3K-8th grade general music at St. Mary’s School in Caledonia for two years.
He chose instrumental music because he had an amazing experience in band when he was in school, hanging out in the band room with his friends because it was so fun and rewarding there.
In his spare time Ethan enjoys hiking and woodworking. He’s always enjoyed making things with his hands.
Ethan and his wife live just outside of Witoka. He has a sister who is in her senior year at NDSU.
Papenfuss knows that it will be a challenge to fill his old teacher’s shoes. He feels he has a lot to learn about being a band teacher and creating a successful band program.
His goal is to be as prepared as he can be and learn from his mistakes. He plans to always look for ways he can improve his teaching and make his classes better for the students.
Papenfuss will be teaching 7-12th grade band. He’s excited and honored to be returning to the Houston community, and is looking forward to getting to know all his students and their families.
Samantha Michaelsen will be teaching special education at the elementary. She chose to become a special education teacher so she could help her students reach their full potential.
Michaelsen attended Winona State; previous to coming to Houston, she taught in Sparta, Wisc.
Her hobbies include reading, taking walks with her black Lab Rory, playing games, doing puzzles and spending time with her family and friends.
Michaelsen is looking forward to building relationships with the Houston students and staff this year.
Hailey Pierazek will be teaching Pre-Algebra (7th grade), Algebra (8th grade), and Geometry. She knows math is not everyone’s favorite subject, but she hopes to help others see that there is more behind math than just crunching numbers. Her goal is to break the negative stigma around math. She loves the problem solving portion of math; to her, a tough problem is like putting a puzzle together.
Hailey was drawn to teaching because it allows her to make a lasting impact on her students’ lives. She loves being able to shape minds and build the students’ confidence in their own abilities.
Hailey grew up near Wells, Minn., and graduated in 2019. She graduated in 2023 from St. Mary’s University with a double major in Mathematics and Secondary Education. Last year Hailey taught in Adams. Minn.
In her spare time Hailey enjoys playing volleyball, hiking and reading. She currently lives in Winona with her husband.
Pierazek is thoroughly looking forward to fostering new relationships in the tight-knit Houston community. Her goal is to push her students to be the very best they can be both inside and outside of the classroom. She wants her students to “gain problem solving skills that are necessary not only in the math classroom, but in life as well!”
Abigail Allen will also be teaching math at Houston; she’ll be teaching 9th, 11th and 12th grade math. She and Hailey Pierazek will make a good team – she also wants to help her students gain problem solving skills. Her goal for the year is “to get some students to not hate math anymore, to get them to understand and teach them to not give up when it looks hard.”
Abigail says she has wanted to be a teacher since she was in 5th grade. She enjoys helping people, especially when it comes to math. She feels that as a math teacher she will be able to make a big impact on her students.
Allen attended New Ulm Public High School, graduating in 2019. In May 2024, she graduated from Winona State.She worked as a substitute at Winona Area Public Schools, but this is her first full-time teaching position.
In her spare time, Abigail enjoys baking, running, swimming and reading. One of her big interests is theater. Abigail has a Golden Retriever named Loki who will be four years old in January.
Allen feels one of her biggest challenges will be to keep moving with the content in her classes. She likes to make sure everyone understands the concepts and is afraid she might spend too much time on a particular concept and get behind in what she should be covering.
Abigail is looking forward to working with the Houston staff; she knows that they are very supportive and willing to help whenever she needs help.
Anna Dunnum is teaching 9th grade English, 10th grade English, and 12th grade Government at Houston High School. Anna always wanted to be a teacher and decided to major in both English and Social Studies. She earned her double major at Winona State University this past May and eagerly anticipates teaching both subjects at her first teaching position at Houston. The extra time and commitment were worth it to Anna to be able to teach both subjects.
Anna comes from a family of teachers, but what really drew her into teaching was an experience she had when she was taking a psychology class in high school. Anna took the lead during a field trip to see younger students and led activities with the students; this “sparked her interest in becoming a teacher.”
Anna recently married her high school sweetheart on his parents’ farm in Romance, Wis. What a suitable place for a wedding – Romance, Wis!
Anna and her husband live in Onalaska. Some of her hobbies include writing, crocheting and painting. Anna even taught painting classes at a previous job.
Dunnum’s goals this year are to “develop quality connections with others, encourage all students to succeed, and prepare students to be civically engaged citizens.”
She knows her biggest challenge this year will be to create the new curriculum for her classes, but Dunnum is looking forward to making all those connections with her students at Houston High School during her busy first year of teaching.
Welcome to Houston Schools and the Houston community to all of the new teachers!
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