Spring Grove Public Schools welcomes new science teacher

Spring Grove Public Schools welcomes new science teacher Bethany Mestelle to the Lions’ pride.

Mestelle hails from Minocqua, Wis., where she graduated from Lakeland Union High School (LUHS), home of the Thunderbirds, in 2017.

Her voice raised an octave as she shared that her plans as a teenager were not to follow in her parents’ footsteps as a teacher. Come to find out, her father did not want to follow in his parents’ footsteps who were also teachers.

Her mother, Joan Mestelle, teaches 8th grade at Arbor Vitae-Woodruff Elementary School. Her father, Mike Mestelle, retired from teaching at LUHS.

Always a smile on her face, illuminating her fun personality, Mestelle shared an uplifting story about her parents. They taught the same subject, history. Her mother taught 8th grade, and her dad taught 9th grade. The students first had her mom in middle school, and then in high school, they had her dad. Her parents would talk about their day at home. Her mother would describe the students and answer her husband’s questions about the kids or the material she covered in class. The information helped her dad when they took his class in 9th grade.

  Mestelle explained in her biography, “Growing up, I fell in love with the outdoors and learning as much as I possibly could about the world around me. That desire for discovery led me to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where I studied Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management and minored in Soil Science and Music.” She completed her studies in 2021.

Mestelle worked as an educator at the Natural History Museum followed by a time with AmeriCorps.

Mestelle explained, “I was the Education and Outreach Assistant for Green Mountain Conservation Group in Effingham, N. H. The position was part of the Lakes Region Conservation Corps. My service was focused around designing and managing education programs for schools and camps in the area. I also did a lot of water quality monitoring, stream crossing surveys, and other conservation work with them.”

Mestelle enjoys being in the outdoors, hiking or biking. She also enjoys reading and playing the clarinet. She shared that she is learning how to play the violin.

Spring Grove is her first teaching assignment and her first day of school was Tuesday, September 6. Spring Grove students are in for a fantastic ride this year!

In addition to teaching for the Spring Grove School district, Mestelle also teaches science online for Minnesota Virtual Academy in Houston.

It is fascinating to hear Mestelle explain her teaching style. Mestelle works extremely hard to demonstrate to her students how science applies to their everyday lives. She actively listens to her students and creates a comfortable classroom environment where students can enjoy the learning process and feel confident to ask questions. Her classroom has a bulletin board covered with pieces of paper. Students were asked to write down what they enjoyed doing. For example, some students listed that they are learning to drive, and others are playing football. She took this information and applied it to the theory of motion.

After a brief 30 minutes of listening to Mestelle talk about science, her teaching philosophy, classes she has taught, and her students, she aligns with the school’s mission, “Inspiring students to meet challenges with confidence.”

Mestelle wants her students to know, “Science is everything. Science is everywhere.”