(ABOVE) New teachers/certified staff at Saint Peter Public Schools for 2023-24 includes: front row (l to r), Courtney Shoemaker, Brittan Fyler, Jean Liou, Malorie Kutil, Ethan Sindelir; back row, Jacob Pehrson, Caitin Galagan, Jasmine Witty, Rebecca Herberg, and Karie Lauwagie.
Saint Peter Public Schools welcomed 10 new teachers/certified staff to the district recently during the annual new teacher/staff workshop. The workshop hosts this year were SPPS mentor teachers Kris Voeltz (SPHS), Kris Koehler Sanborg (SPMS), Tressa Gruenzner (South), and Stella Meixner (North) along with school administration from each of the buildings.
The two-day workshop included the annual New Teacher Breakfast, hosted by the St. Peter Chamber of Commerce (Ed Lee) and the Minnesota School Boards Association at MSBA’s main office here in St. Peter on Thursday, Aug. 17.
The following are profiles of each of the new teachers staff members (listed alphabetically by last name) for the 2023-24 school year at Saint Peter Public Schools:
Brittany Fyler - EC/School Readiness Teacher (ECC)
* College attended: South Dakota State University
* Hometown: Highmore, SD
* Prior teaching experience: Taught preschool for the last two years.
Caitlin Galagan - English Teacher/Special Ed. (Hoffmann Center)
* College attended: Minnesota State University, Mankato
* Prior teaching experience: Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Middle School and Leo A. Hoffmann Center
Rebecca Herberg - Seventh Grade Science (SPMS)
* College attended: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and Bemidji State University
* Hometown: Plymouth, MN
* Prior teaching experience: Taught a mixture of science and agriculture classes at Cleveland Public Schools for the past seven years.
Malorie Kutil - Speech-Language Pathologist (District)
* College attended: Minnesota State University, Mankato (BS, MS)
* Hometown: Litchfield, MN
* Prior teaching experience: 13th year of teaching (two years at NRHEG, eight years at Waseca, two years at MVED).
Karie Lauwagie - School Social Worker (SPMS)
* College attended: Minnesota State University-Mankato.
* Hometown: Mankato
* Prior teaching experience: School Social Worker at Nicollet, but did her social work internship at South Elementary.
Hsin-Ching (Jean) Liou - EL teacher (SPHS)
* College attended: M.A. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Minnesota State University, Mankato
* Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
* Prior teaching experience: Taught ESL to working professionals in Taiwan and taught international students at the college level.
Jacob Pehrson - Industrial Tech/ CTE (SPHS)
* College attended: South Central College and South Dakota State University with majors in Agricultural Education and Agricultural Leadership
* Hometown: St. Peter
* Prior teaching experience: First year teacher!
Courtney Shoemaker - FACS (SPHS)
* College attended: Washington State University -- Human Development/Education
* Hometown: Tacoma, Wash.
* Prior teaching experience: 14 years (11 years at Le Sueur-Henderson, one year each at Shakopee, Cambridge-Isanti and Madison, Ohio).
Ethan Sindelir - First Grade (South Elementary)
* College attended: Gustavus Adolphus College
* Hometown: Wells, MN
* Prior teaching experience: One year year at North Elementary School
Jasmine Witty - Agriculture Science Teacher (SPHS)
* College(s) attended: South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD with a degree in Agriculture Education and a minor in Animal Science.
* Hometown: St. Peter
* Prior teaching experience: First year teacher!
The new teachers/staff at Saint Peter Public Schools had the chance to tour the St. Peter community including a stop at the famed Saint Peter’s Pearly Gates, located next to the St. Peter Chamber of Commerce Office.