14 new teachers to start at Colfax and Elk Mound

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX  —  When school starts September 1, the Colfax school district will have seven new teachers, and the Elk Mound school district also will have seven new teachers.

Colfax

The new teachers at Colfax range from first grade through high school. They are listed here in alphabetical order.

Davison

Adam Davison will be teaching history at Colfax High School as well as coaching football and wrestling.

Davison graduated from UW-Whitewater in the spring of 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in history and a minor in sociology.

Davison served as a long-term substitute teacher for social studies at Belleville High School from January until June of 2015.

From August of 2015 to June of 2016, Davison taught high school and middle school social studies in the Mayville school district.

Dickinsen

John Dickinsen will be teaching fifth grade in Colfax and will be coaching junior varsity basketball.

Dickinsen graduated from Fall Creek High School in 2005 and earned a bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire in 2010 and a master’s degree from Cardinal Stritch University in 2016.

Davison did some of his student teaching at Colfax in sixth grade science and reading in the spring of 2010.

He taught third grade in Grantsburg from August of 2010 to June of 2013 when he transferred to fifth grade at Grantsburg.

Dickinsen said he was interested in applying for the position at Colfax because “we wanted to move back to the area to be closer to family.”

Eiseth

Tali Eiseth has been working for the Colfax school district as a special education paraprofessional for the past three years.

Eiseth has now been hired as a first grade teacher at Colfax Elementary.

Prior to her position as a special education paraprofessional in Colfax, Eiseth worked as a substitute teacher in the Colfax school district and the Menomonie school district for grades kindergarten through twelfth grade from 2010 to 2013.

Eiseth served as an Americorps teacher from 2008 to 2010 as part of the Dunn County Partnership for Youth. She designed and implemented lessons for a variety of subject areas and worked with at-risk youth in grades kindergarten through eighth.

Eiseth also served as an Americorps volunteer as a member of the Marshfield Clinic Americorps program and managed and led after-school programming for at-risk middle school students.

Eiseth graduated from Menomonie High School in 2003. She is a 2008 graduate of UW-Platteville where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with minors in early childhood and special education.

Hodel

Michael Hodel will be the new physical education teacher at Colfax Elementary.

Hodel received his health educator license from UW-LaCrosse in December of 2010.

He graduated from UW-Claire in May of 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and an emphasis in physical education and adaptive physical education.

From the fall of 2015 until this past spring, Hodel served as a long-term substitute teacher and a substitute teacher in Eau Claire, Altoona, Chippewa Falls, and Boyceville.

He worked as a physical education teacher in the Swallow School District in Hartland from August of 2008 to June of 2015. Hodel served as the athletic director at Swallow School from September of 2010 until June of 2015 and also coached fifth to eighth grade boys’ and girls’ basketball and sixth to eighth grade boys’ and girls’ volleyball, golf and track and field.

In addition, Hodel served as the junior varsity baseball coach at Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha from May of 2010 until June of 2015, and he was the eighth grade boys basketball coach at DeLong Middle School in Eau Claire from October of 2015 to January of 2016.

Hodel expects to earn his Master of School Health Education in December of 2016 from UW-LaCrosse.

Mohr

Jennifer Mohr will be teaching second grade at Colfax Elementary.

Mohr graduated with a bachelor of science degree from Winona State University in 2002 and is a 1998 graduate of Owen-Withee High School.

She has served as a special education aide in the Colfax school district for the past two years. She also was the Destination Imagination Coordinator for the 2015-2016 school year.

From 2005 until 2014, Mohr served as the support teacher and summer care teacher at the Mayo Clinic Health System Child Development Center. She worked as the site coordinator and tutor for the Explorer’s Program at Southview Elementary School in Chippewa Falls from the fall of 2010 until August of 2014.

Mohr says that since she grew up in a small town, “I really hoped to teach in a smaller community. After joining the Colfax district as an aide two years ago, I hoped the opportunity to teach here would come along … and it did!” Mohr said.

Seehaver

Melissa Seehaver also has been hired by the Colfax school district as a first grade teacher.

Seehaver earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from UW-Stout in 2003, and she earned a Master of Science in Education from UW-Stout in 2004.

She served as a lead toddler one teacher at UW-Stout and as a kindergarten teacher in New Auburn during the 2004-2005 school year.

Seehaver was the lead pre-school teacher at UW-Stout for two years, from June of 2005 to June of 2007.

In August of 2008, she accepted a full-time position as a four-year-old kindergarten teacher in New Auburn.

Seehaver said she chose to apply for the position in Colfax because “I’ve lived in Colfax for 14 years and have two children attending the district.”

Winings

Kristi Winings will be teaching second grade at Colfax Elementary.

Winings graduated from Mahomet-Seymour High School in Illinois in 1991.

She graduated from Illinois State University in 1996 with a degree in elementary education.

Prior to coming to Colfax, Winings taught at Woodland Elementary School in Barron.

“Colfax has been my home community for 13 years. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to teach the children of Colfax,” Winings said.

Other staff

Other new staff or new staff assignments at Colfax include Stacy Reit, school psychologist; Dianna Dachel, who moved to teaching fourth grade; and Eric Kyles as the new athletic director.

New paraprofessionals are Pam Sikora; Alycia Dickinsen; and Kristi Nelson.

Kristi Marko has been hired part-time in food service.

Randy Risler has been hired as a bus driver.

Elk Mound

The Elk Mound school district also has seven new teachers this year.

Currier-Clark

Heather Currier-Clark will be teaching biology at Elk Mound High School.

Currier-Clark graduated from Washburn High School in 1991 and from UW-Eau Claire with a Bachelor of Science degree in biological science in 1997. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Teacher Education in Science in 2013.

Prior to coming to Elk Mound, Currier-Clark taught at Chippewa Falls Middle School.

Foiles

Erin E. Foiles will be teaching fifth grade language arts at Elk Mound Middle School.

She graduated from high school in Chippewa Falls in 1999, and she earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (pre-kindergarten to sixth grade) from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia, in 2002.

Prior to coming to Elk Mound, Foiles taught at the Alma Center-Humbird-Merrillan school district.

Kessler

Michael Kessler will be teaching seventh grade geography and eighth grade civics at Elk Mound Middle School.

He graduated from Onalaska High School in 2005, and he earned a degree in secondary education with a social studies minor from St. John’s University in Minnesota in 2009.

Prior to coming to Elk Mound, Kessler taught for two years at Redwood Falls High School in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, and for four years at Eau Claire Memorial High School.

“I was excited to see the head basketball position open and have heard great things about Elk Mound. I am extremely honored to teach and coach basketball here! Go Mounders!” Kessler said.

Resch

Nicole Resch  will be teaching seventh and eighth grade writing at Elk Mound Middle School.

She is a 2011 graduate of Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School.

Resch earned a degree in Language Arts in Middle Childhood Early Adolescence from UW-Eau Claire in 2016.

Roach

Colleen Roach will be teaching high school and middle school business and computer classes in Elk Mound.

She earned a degree in marketing and business education from UW-Stout in 2016.

Schmidt

Coty Schmidt will be teaching middle school seventh grade writing and exploratory classes at Elk Mound.

Schmidt is a 2008 graduate of Sussex Hamilton High School.

Schmidt earned a degree in Elementary Education – Language Arts from UW-Eau Claire in 2015.

Prior to coming to Elk Mound, Schmidt taught in Portage and in Tolleson, Arizona.

Young

Eric Young will be teaching physics and chemistry at Elk Mound High School.

Young graduated from Bloomer High School in 2006 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics, chemistry, physical science and broadfield science education from UW-Eau Claire in 2012.

Prior to coming to Elk Mound, Young taught at Turtle Lake.

“Both my fiancee and I wanted to start a family in the area as we are both from this region. Also we have heard many good things about the district and want our kids to be taught in a great school district like Elk Mound,” Young said.