September Faculty Spotlight and Student of The Month

Hey FHS!

     Seeing as this class is brand new to the high school, the students who chose to take it this year had to start from scratch. We all pitched in ideas and brainstormed what we wanted to publish, and of course how we were going to do so. One thing we decided on doing this year was a faculty spotlight and student of the month. A different department of faculty members will be chosen monthly and they will have a spotlight in our article. The students of the month are chosen by faculty at the school that recognizes their great behavior! 
​
     The month of September faculty spotlight will be recognizing the English department at the high school. We want you four teachers to know how appreciative we are to have you at our school. Thank you for going out of your way to help each one of your students succeed. Thanks for all you do!

Mrs. Hamers
 
What is your role at FHS? How long have you worked here?
 This is my 11th year teaching English/Comm at FHS. 
 
What do you find to be the most rewarding about being a teacher?
The most rewarding aspect of being a teacher for me is getting to come to work and hang out with kids all day. Kids are WAY more fun than adults! I love it when kids discover their voice through writing and form their own views on the world through reading literature. Talking with kids about life and the world and watching them grow up to be successful members of society is truly one of the most rewarding parts of my life. 
 
How do you like to enjoy your weekends?
I love to spend the weekends with my husband Ross and our three kids Bennett (7), Lydia (3), and Hayes (6 mos.) at the cabin or exploring outside. 
 
As an English teacher, what is your biggest pet peeve in regard to common mistakes made in reading/writing?
My biggest pet peeve when it comes to reading/writing is during deer season when kids tell me about all of the "deer they seen" while hunting. : ) 
 
What are three fun facts about yourself?
Three fun facts about me: I love to bow hunt, I have played fast-pitch softball in over 14 states, and I was born in Canada!

​

Mrs. Rudolph

What is your role at FHS? How long have you worked here?
I am an English teacher at FHS. I teach English 8, English 9, Honors 9, English 11, and Comp I &II  (the concurrent enrollment classes through BSU). I got my teaching job here at Falls High School the summer after I graduated college at UMD and have been teaching here for eight years. 
 
What do you find to be the most rewarding about being a teacher?
I love the connections I make with my students and learning from them. I love being able to see the things I teach through my students’ eyes. Every year, I get something new out of the novels we read because a student has brought a fresh new perspective to a part I might not have thought about before. 
 
How do you like to enjoy your weekends?
I love spending time with my husband and sons, especially if we can be outside. I don’t have much free time these days with my kids, but I always like to have a good book ready on my nightstand for after they go to bed. Right now, I’m reading The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.
 
As an English teacher, what is your biggest pet peeve in regard to common mistakes made in reading/writing?
It drives me crazy when I hear/see “I seen that” instead of “I saw that” or when capitalization isn’t used correctly. 
 
What are three fun facts about yourself?
I am terrified of birds. I have been attacked on several different occasions by birds, so I have a healthy fear of them now. My lucky number is 29. I love orange tic-tacs. It has become a joke in my family that at least one of my Christmas gifts will be orange tic-tacs. I also have been known to go to the store just to buy them. 



Mrs. Staples

What is your role at FHS? How long have you worked here?
 I am an English teacher at Falls High School.  I have worked here for five years.

What do you find to be the most rewarding about being a teacher?  
Being a teacher is rewarding for many reasons.  I enjoy working with students and getting them engaged in the content.  There is nothing better than seeing a student "get it."

How do you like to enjoy your weekends? 
I enjoy the outdoors.  I like to go for walks, camp, kayak, and much more!
 As an English teacher, what is your biggest pet peeve in regard to common mistakes made in reading/writing? 
My biggest pet peeve is when students do not capitalize the personal pronoun "I" in Google docs.

What are three fun facts about yourself?  
I was originally born on Thanksgiving, which is funny because the small town that I came from is also known as the "Turkey Capital of the World."  I have traveled to ten European countries. Stray cats always want to come and live with me.


Mrs. Schindeldecker
 What is your role at FHS? How long have you worked here?
I teach 6th and 7th grade Reading and am also teaching 7th grade Math until December for Mrs. Mannausau. Last year was my first year to be in this position, but I have been teaching since 1991 at Falls Elementary. I was a Title teacher until 1997 when I was promoted to teaching 6th grade. 
 
What do you find to be the most rewarding about being a teacher?
The most rewarding thing for me is when you actually make a difference in teaching students something they did not know. 
 
How do you like to enjoy your weekends? 
I like to walk, workout, read, and spend time with my family.
 
As an English teacher, what is your biggest pet peeve in regard to common mistakes made in reading/writing? When students are writing dialogue and they don't know where to put the punctuation marks or where to put periods and commas in general writing. 
 
What are three fun facts about yourself?  
Every summer I make some kind of improvement on my house. I have 2 cute tiny Pomeranians. I don't have any other fun facts.


We are also so excited to announce our six September students of the month!....

    6th grade- Joseph Sullivan 
(for bringing such amazing positivity and energy to the classroom even via Zoom!) 

      7th grade- Sean Kacik
 (for always making great choices- even when no one is watching!) 

      8th grade- Brenna Crosby
 (for being a leader in the classroom and encouraging her peers to do their best!) 

      9th grade- Cassidy Stull
 (for showing initiative, being prepared, and turning in excellent work even through hybrid learning!)

        10th grade- Bailey Herberg
 (for always being willing to try new things and bringing a positive attitude and great work ethic to class!)

         12th grade- Max Marcotte
 (for being prepared and ready for class each day, and working exceptionally hard through hybrid learning to achieve great things during his senior year!)