Teacher Spotlights

It wasn’t a straight path for Herbert Dardano to get into teaching. In fact, he took a long and winding road to get to where he is today. But …

Christy Koop, AGWSR High School Spanish teacher, has never wanted to be anything but a teacher. Growing up in Bloomington, Minn., a young Koop…

Unlike many college graduates, Brendon McNulty did not have a five-year plan in mind.

When Jennifer Winters was hired to teach kindergarten at Iowa Falls’ Pineview Elementary School in 2005, she thought she might spend a couple …

Dena Zoske hasn’t strayed too far from home in her 46 years. Half of those years have been spent teaching in the same building where she atten…

Alden Elementary's sixth-grade teacher Blake Peck has two nieces and a nephew she adores, but she has more than a dozen kids of "her own" she …

When Carey Winter was in high school she considered a profession in sports medicine. However, there was a part of her that always wanted to be…

Matt Becker’s high school math instructor was his father Jerry, and the love for that subject was passed down to him.

Billie Jo Culver, AGWSR kindergarten teacher, never wanted to be anything but a teacher. As a child, she spent her days playing school, even s…

Kim Hartford’s path to teaching wasn’t straight, but once she found her way, she knew it was where she belonged.

Zach Allison had great experiences as a student. His admiration of several teachers eventually led him to become one himself. It’s those exper…

With notes that were perhaps a little too sharp, flat or muted, AGWSR’s sixth-graders received nothing but encouragement from music teacher Am…

A native of Alden, Denelle McWherter has worked at Riverbend Middle School for the past 15 years. The school counselor had plans of looking in…

Her official title may have changed, but the lessons and experiences are the same.

James Gronewold grew up in Cleves and attended AGWSR from kindergarten through his graduation in 2004. He serves as the AGWSR High School scie…

Alden Elementary's fifth-year kindergarten teacher Lisa Doering has come a long way from her first teaching job in Slovakia. Since graduating …

Michelle Olson’s first job after graduating from Wartburg College was at Eldora-New Providence and she has been there ever since. That was 17 …

Originally from Eau Claire, Wis., Lisa Buss and her family moved to Hampton when she was 10 years old. While she spent most of her life there,…

Beth Janssen might not know exactly how a computer works, but she knows what one can do. As the AGWSR media specialist and librarian, she teac…

Teaching is in Kelsey Nilles’ blood.

Jessica Below originally wanted to go into the health field, maybe nursing when deciding on a career, but it was her favorite high school teac…

Karla Isaacson looks at her teaching career as one that has come full circle. She began student-teaching in the Iowa Falls School District, an…

Becoming a teacher was a natural decision for AGWSR’s Deb Oldenburger. Oldenburger teaches reading and language, Family Consumer Science and C…

The children in Kaylee Borcherding’s first grade classroom at Pineview Elementary are more than students. They’re like her own kids.

Teaching is a labor of love for most who do it. For Hubbard-Radcliffe’s Shannon Smuck, it’s become much, much more.

Francie Off, sixth grade social studies teacher at Alden Elementary, said teaching is her second career. She worked at the hospital for about …

This year marks a milestone anniversary for Daryl Hartwig. He has been teaching math in the Eldora-New Providence School District for 30 years.

Originally from Grinnell, Steve Ritter moved to Eldora at the young age of two. He's loved the area so much, that he's spent the past 56 years…

A local girl, AGWSR High School English teacher Julie Rau grew up on a farm near Iowa Falls. She chose a career in teaching based on a natural…

Lori Schmitt has never wavered. From a young age she knew she wanted to work with kids.

When Ryley Schipper was growing up in Ackley, he gravitated toward athletics. He went on to be a big part of AGWSR’s successes in everything h…

When South Hardin Middle School teacher Nicole Briggs started college, she was there to take business classes. She wanted to focus on marketing.

When Kati Stephens was in third grade she knew she wanted to become a teacher.

Currently in her ninth year on the staff at Riverbend Middle School, Alden native Jessica Christensen can’t envision working anywhere else.

After growing up in Pella, AGWSR Middle School teacher Megan Nederhoff attended Dordt College where she earned degree in elementary education …

Becky Hunt doesn’t dread Mondays. She doesn’t need motivation to get up and go to work every morning. She’s one of those lucky people who love…

Michelle Pearson learned a long time ago that teaching was a job she could love for an entire career. Now 35 years into it, she still believes that.

Shelly Moore teaches second grade at Alden Elementary School. She's a native of Nashua, Iowa, which she said is most closely connected with th…

When Thomas Howe was offered the science job at South Hardin High School, he declined. Only after he met with administration, and his girlfrie…

A Minnesota native, Jim Herzog has made a home for himself at Iowa Falls-Alden High School. The science teacher is completing his 19th year in…