Students sign on as future teachers

Posted on: May 7, 2019

Delano High School staff members took a few moments to celebrate the students in their midst who plan to become teachers themselves during a special Future Educators signing ceremony on Tuesday, May 7.

“We are happy to celebrate these young men and women who are going to join us,” said Delano Teachers Association President Monica Kunkel while parents, teachers and friends looked on.

Seven students who have already identified their future career path in education introduced themselves and signed a declaration that stated their intentions. They included Aili Barta, Joseph Colanino, Chloe Holman, Blake Koehler, Ellie Norling and Reier Sjomeling.

The declaration reads: “I dedicate myself to the life of an educator and providing the foundation upon which future generations will build their lives. I commit to the cultivation of character, for I know that humanity cannot flourish without courage, compassion, honesty, and trust. Further, I commit myself to the advancement of my own learning and to the cultivation of my own character, in order to promote the love of learning in my future students.”

This was the first year that Delano High School has conducted such a ceremony. Additional details on each of Delano’s future teachers are below.

Aili Barta
Next steps: Attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth for secondary education, likely in English.

Why did you decide to become a teacher? “I want to be a teacher because I think they have the most important job. My teachers have always inspired me to do my best, and I’ve always loved learning.”

Influential teachers at Delano: Shane Baughman, Jim VanCura, Karen Hohenstein and Nate Peterson.

Joseph Colanino
Next steps: Attend Doane University and become a teacher in science or civics.

Why did you decide to become a teacher? “I want to be a teacher because I’m always thinking about the future, and I want to focus on having a fun and intriguing future for my students.”

Influential teachers at Delano: Joe Lawrence, Mike Stoudt, Stephen Schaack and Megan Halbleib.

Chloe Holman
Next steps: Attend University of Minnesota-Duluth and go into vocal music education.

Why did you decide to become a teacher? “I choose to be a teacher because my teachers have been a great influence in my life and I’d like to give back in that same way.”

Influential teachers at Delano: Julie Williams and Teresa Langton.

Blake Koehler
Next steps: Attend the University of North Dakota and go into instrumental music education.

Why did you decide to become a teacher? “The reason I want to be a band teacher is because I want to make an impact on high schoolers and have them realize that everyone has musical talent.”

Influential teachers at Delano: Jason Koets, Mike Dailey, Steve Brown, John Fitzer and Tory Spanier.

Ellie Norling
Next steps: Attend Bethel University, then teach high school Spanish or English.

Why did you decide to become a teacher? “I decided to become a teacher because I’ve always had great connections with my teachers and that has been super influential in helping me to be confident.”

Influential teachers at Delano: Joe Lawrence and John Fitzer.

Reier Sjomeling
Next steps: Attend the University of Wisconsin-Superior for elementary education.

Why did you decide to become a teacher? “I loved working with the kids as a student aide in a third-grade class at the elementary. I really enjoyed working with them and seeing the impact it had on them. I thought that was amazing, so I decided to become a teacher.”

Influential teachers at Delano: Jackson Lindquist, Jake Olson, Jeff Olson, Amy Poppler.

Post Categories: High School