By Wanda Hanson
Gary Shields comes to Houston High School with 20 years of teaching experience, including teaching physics at Winona State University. Shields, a resident of Winona, Minn., has a wife, Melissa, and two sons who are in tenth and seventh grade. His family enjoys Caribbean cruises in the winter and camping road trips in the summer. They particularly enjoy national parks such as the Arches, Glacier, and Banff. Personal hobbies of Mr. Shields include golfing and flying his drone.
Shields is enjoying getting to know the Houston students. He has the challenge of prepping for four science classes as he teaches an overload. His biggest surprise this year is learning how to teach while wearing a mask and remembering to hand out wipes before classes end so students can clean their desks.
Travis Frank is the new elementary and MNVA physical education teacher. Mr. Frank, who graduated from WSU with a DAPE (developmental adapted physical education) degree, comes to Houston with a long-term subbing experience for the Minnesota Virtual Academy as well as experience as a middle and high school PE instructor with Randolph Public Schools.
Mr. Frank is excited to be at Houston; he enjoys many of the outdoor hobbies the area offers and family and friends are close by. Frank enjoys the nice class sizes and how respectful the students are. He appreciates the opportunity to work with a manageable size class and getting to know the students. He looks forward to building relationships with each student and reaching their needs better. He has been surprised to find how well the students have worked during this challenging year. Mr. Frank feels his biggest challenge this year will be to transition from teaching middle school and high school to teaching elementary PE.
The new special education teacher for Houston Elementary is Niki Rosenberg. Ms. Rosenberg has worked in a residential behavior facility in Austin, Minn., for the last five years. She is certified in emotional/behavior disorders, developmental cognitive delay, specific learning disabilities, and academic and behavior strategies; this year she completed her Master’s in Psychology.
Ms. Rosenberg has two older children — a son and daughter who live in Idaho. She currently lives in Caledonia and commutes to Houston. “I love the bluffs and all the green!” she exclaimed. She’s quickly learning what the area has to offer; she recently bought a kayak to use in the rivers in the area and is learning to ride a motorcycle.
Rosenberg noted that she finds the staff at Houston very welcoming. Her biggest challenge is “just getting back into the rhythm of classroom teaching.” When asked what surprises her, she responded, “I find nothing much surprises me these days,” and shared her motto from Audrey Hepburn, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible.”
Kristin Kastenschmidt, the new Houston art teacher, is a Houston Schools alumni. She commented, “It’s great being back teaching in the school and amongst some of the teachers that inspired me to become a teacher!”
Ms. Kastenschmidt attended Winona State University and earned degrees in both art and elementary education, and now has returned to Houston with 11 years experience teaching art and four years teaching third grade.
The ceramics studio in the high school is something that Kastenschmidt looks forward to using with her students. She said, “Ceramics was my main area of focus in college, so I am really excited to incorporate clay projects into all grade levels.”
The biggest challenge this year will be having to limit some of the projects due to COVID restrictions, according to Ms. Kastenschmidt.
Hobbies that Kastenschmidt enjoys include anything creative with her daughter, canoeing, fishing, and watching her son play sports.
Welcome to all the new Houston teachers! Enjoy the year, your new school and community!
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