Jenny Aaseby Obermoller, a second grade teacher, says she was mostly influenced while attending Becker schools in the 90’s. Cameron Anderson and Judee Vesledahl stand out in her mind.

 

“They both were invested not only in academics, but by motivating me to reach my full potential,” Jenny said.

 

Jenny, a 1997 graduate, participated in volleyball, softball and band. A favorite memory of hers was when she played a prank on one of the teachers.

 

“We cleared out all of Stu Nelson’s furniture from his classroom and hid it in the back of the library,” Jenny said.

 

Anna Babler, a graduate of 2001, is currently a kindergarten teacher at the primary school. She says Mrs. Phelps was influential in her life amongst others.

 

“I always remember her (Mrs. Phelps) really getting to know us well,” Babler said. “She always asked about our lives and it was always more than just about school.”

 

Babler remembers picking a friend to bake a cake for your birthday in kindergarten as being a fond memory.

 

“I love this community,” she said. “It is a great school with great staff.”

 

Jeni Kolbinger Croal, a first grade teacher and 1993 graduate, says it’s hard to narrow down one person in her life who has inspired her to become a teacher.

 

“There were two specific teachers who left lasting impressions on me,” she said. “Shelly Lumley and Bob Peterson. They both had a wonderful sense of humor and were able to make meaningful corrections with their students...two necessities in teaching.”

 

Croal says one of her fondest memories of school as a student was when her sixth grade class put on a play of Tom Sawyer. Today, she is thankful she is part of the Becker school district.

 

“It’s a supportive community, dedicated teachers and awesome kids,” she said.

 

Kayla Stafford, a 2006 graduate and current kindergarten teacher and technology assistant, says one of her favorite memories was the Lillian Nelson parades in elementary school.

 

“Each class created a ‘float’ and would go through the hallways with it,” she said.

 

Stafford says she enjoys working with her fellow colleagues and is honored to work at Becker schools.

 

“It’s a school district in which parents choose to send their kids to over other districts,” she said.

 

Stafford says she was influenced by Kindergarten Teacher Ms. Dinville, who inspired her to take up teaching.

 

“She always made me think she cared about me and she had such a warm, welcoming smile on her face.”

 

 

Anthony Miller, a 2004 graduate and current physical education teacher in the IS, declined to participate in this article.

 

Class of 2004 student Sheena Meillier said she had numerous teachers who helped sway her decision to teach but specifically remembers her sixth grade teacher as important as well as a family member.

 

“Mrs. Steinkraus (in sixth grade) may have had the biggest influence on me,” Sheena said. “Of course, my mom (Sandy Forster) has always been a big influence on my teaching.”

 

Meillier says she loves the community of Becker, working in her home town and having it feel like being home. Her favorite memory of when she was a student in Becker was the sporting events.

 

“I loved being on the sports teams and supporting all of the other sports!”

 

Ashleigh Severson, a fifth grade teacher at IS and a 2011 graduate of BHS, says her favorite memories of being in Becker schools were school-in classes, hallways, lunchrooms and being at sporting events.

 

“I am forever grateful for the friendships made in kindergarten and are still treasured to this day.”

 

She says all her teachers she has had have influenced her in some way or another.

 

“The teacher that greatly influenced me the most was Mrs. Pam Lundeen,” Severson said. Her kind spirit, compassion and dedication still sticks with me today.”

 

Severson says Lundeen would let her students know she believed in them and went out of her way to make lasting friendships and community in her classroom.

 

“Thank you for inspiring me, Mrs. Pam Lundeen,” she said.

 

Severson has loved going to school in this community and now teaching has brought everything full circle.

 

“I guess you can say that once you are in Becker, it is hard to leave,” she said. “Who would have thought that it was possible to end up teaching fifth grade in the same classroom that I once sat in!

 

 

Mark Kolbinger, a Class of 1990 graduate and current eighth grade English teacher, says he has had so many great teachers in his years at Becker that he has learned from.

 

“I don’t remember any negative experiences,” he says. “Many of my coaches were great role models as well. Tim Zimmerman was someone who went out of his way to have a huge impact on my life.”

 

Kolbinger, who also served as assistant principal for many years at the high school, says he thinks Becker’s students are exceptional.

 

“In some cases, I went to school with these kids’ parents and that has been a great experience getting to know their children.

 

Kolbinger’s favorite memories of being in school revolve around athletics.

 

“Many of my best memories revolve around the rivalries we had with other schools in sports,” Kolbinger said. “Games against Big Lake were a huge deal and we would always pack the gym. I also learned that if you have personalized license plates, you probably shouldn’t ‘T-P” your teacher’s house!”

 

Sara Peterson  was a 2005 graduate of BHS and is currently a seventh grade social studies teacher. She says one particular teacher she had in school impacted her towards studying to be a teacher.

 

“Paige Shreeve pushed me in several of my high school English classes to become a life-long learner,” Peterson said. She didn’t focus on right and wrong answers, but encouraged me to take risks with my learning and embrace the mistakes I made along the way to grow. Writing papers for Ms. Shreeve in a collaborative atmosphere where she treated me as an equal helped me trust and value my own opinions.”

 

While most Becker students from the past and present look to memories of Friday nights at Eppard Field as being most memorable, Sara had a completely different memorable experience of high school.

 

“My high school experience was especially memorable because I was diagnosed with cancer (Hodgkins Lymphoma) my senior year,” she said. “Going through this life-changing event as a high schooler could have been devastating. But all staff, students and members of this community came together to act as a family in my time of need. I felt so much love and support from everyone that it was easy to finish my high school career feeling just like any other student — even though I didn’t look like them.

 

Peterson says being a teacher at Becker schools is her way to payback that community love.

 

“We are all invested in the success of the kids here because Becker students are our own children, our neighbors, business owners, city officials and friends,” she says. “We don’t just show up to work here to get paid, we show up to help the members of our community grow into the best individuals they can be.”

 

 

Class of 1997 graduate Alex Jurek and current technology education teacher at BHS, says he has so many people who have influenced him including his dad and Vera Jurek.

 

“Brad Novak, Jeff Zimmer, Matt Eigen, Ed Shanks all influenced me to become a teacher one day, he said.

 

Jurek’s favorite memory of his days as a Becker student was “seeing Jesse O’Neil’s smiling face everyday.”

 

“I am sure she would say the same about me,” he quipped. “Now we get to repeat that every day 20+ years later!”

 

Jurek says being a teacher in the Becker school district in 2018 makes him feel just one certain way.

 

“It’s home. It is good to be home.”

 

Anicca Lundeen is a 1992 graduate of BHS and currently a world language teacher at the high school. She says she is really liking how the district has changed over the years and the class growth.

 

“I graduated with 47 classmates, so it is quite different now,” she said. “Fortunately it still has the nice, small-town feel.”

 

Lundeen was influenced to teach by second grade and sixth grade teacher Julie Steinkraus.

 

“She was so fun and more importantly made learning fun!”

 

Lundeen has many fond memories of school but her favorite was going to the state tournament in football and cheering in the dome both sophomore and junior years.

 

Teachers teaching children who become teachers. Just as Turkish statesman Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said many, many years ago, “A teacher is like a candle that consumes itself to light the way for others.”