Aaron Hieptas, new high school religion teacher

By James Gross - Knight Writer

Student Journalist - Lourdes Academy

Aaron Hieptas, the new religion teacher, has begun his first year of teaching at the high school.

Not only is this Hieptas’ first year at Lourdes, but it is also his first year of teaching. He said he knew that he wanted to be a teacher since high school. After high school, Hieptas double-majored in philosophy and Catholic studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. He also completed a year of graduate study at Sacred Heart Seminary on the outskirts of Milwaukee, WI.

Hieptas said he has had quite a few experiences that prepared him for teaching. Hietpas has taught a lot of summer camps and education clubs, but this is his first actual teaching job in a school.

Hieptas is currently teaching four classes: Theology 9, Catholic Church, Morality, and Social Justice. Next semester he said he will also teach a vocations class. Hieptas said his goals are to invite the students into a closer relationship with God because “that is how students grow: to make them be who God wants them to be.”

Hieptas said he enjoys many aspects of Lourdes including the community and the friendly environment. “I love the community, getting to know the students, getting to know the teachers, and it really feels like a family. I really want the best for my students, and I want to help them grow and be the best they can be.”

One challenge that Hieptas admits to is the lesson planning and all of the “red tape” that comes with a new job and experience. However, according to Hieptas, the process has all been “wonderful” and he loves every second.

Hieptas said he originally applied for the open middle school religion position. When principal Dave Mikesell saw Hieptas’ application, however, he emailed him and told Hietpas that the high school position was open as well. Hieptas said he then changed his application to the high school religion position. When Hieptas came in for the interview he said, “I went in for the interview, and Mr. Mikesell showed up in khaki shorts and a shirt. I was in a suit and felt a little awkward, but it all worked out.”

Theology teacher Abby Mikesell is Hieptas mentor for the year. She said that as a mentor, she feels her role is more of a collaborative role. "We get to imagine how to better the department together.”

Abby said she also helps to answer Hieptas’ logistical questions such as how to put in grades. “I think he is doing great, and building good relationships with the students,” Mikesell said.

Junior Riley Studinski said that he really likes taking Hieptas’ Morality class because “it is a fun class with a fun environment.” Studinski said he has learned many new concepts in Morality including that “the goal of morality is happiness.”

Linda Kaelin celebrates 21 years of teaching at Lourdes

By Annie Schraa - Knight Writer

Student Journalist - Lourdes Academy

Teacher Linda Kaelin has been a part of the Lourdes Academy family since 1999. Throughout the years, Kaelin has taught German courses, English courses, world history courses, and a communications course. Kaelin’s favorite courses to teach, however, are her German courses.

Kaelin said she grew up listening to her grandma speak German which sparked her interest in the language. In college, Kaelin majored in English and was required to take a foreign language class. She studied German on the side to help better understand the language spoken in her home. Kaelin said she found that she enjoyed the German language and ended up receiving a double major in both English and German. Kaelin also studied abroad in Germany for six weeks to enhance her speaking skills, she said.

Even with all of her experience in English and German, Kaelin admitted that her first year of teaching was difficult for her. “I knew the information that I had to teach, but I didn’t have any methods or training, so I had to learn the hard way,” Kaelin said. Evidently, learning the hard way made Kaelin a teacher with strong attributes that have lasted her 21 years in the teaching field.

The growing use of technology has urged Kaelin to change her teaching techniques throughout the years. When she first started teaching at Lourdes, Kaelin said she never used technology to keep records or grades for each student, and it was rare to see a student with a cell phone. “Now it’s unusual to find a student without a cell phone on them,” Kaelin explained. She feels as though with the growing technology, students do not have to think as hard or put as much effort into learning because the internet does it for them.

Even with this rise of technological use, Kaelin still believes that the students she teaches now are more concerned about their futures after high school than those students she taught when she first started at Lourdes. Kaelin feels that the current students have higher expectations and stricter guidelines with their grades which better prepares them for life after high school.

Kaelin said her favorite part about teaching at Lourdes is the fact that she knows every teacher and student. Knowing her students helps her teach each student more effectively based on their academic needs, she said. Kaelin also said she enjoys the camaraderie between the teachers at Lourdes. “I don’t feel like the teachers compete with each other; we try to better each other as teachers and strengthen each other spiritually,” Kaelin explained.

Teacher's Pet - Cathleen Probst

By Grace Syson - Knight Writer

Student Journalist - Lourdes Academy

Some teachers have a pet that will never leave their side: a pet that is with them through everything. For history teacher Cathleen Probst, her dog Lambeau is her best friend. He is a lab cur mix who is eight months old and a ball of energy.

Probst has owned her puppy since April 28, and said she adopted Lambeau because “...it was time. We have two and a half acres, and I believe dogs belong outside running, playing, and having fun, and we have a lot of room.” Probst said she named her dog Lambeau because “...the Packers are a big deal here and I’m a big fan.”

Fitting his name, Lambeau’s favorite toy is anything that resembles a ball especially footballs. Probst describes Lambeau's personality as "psycho, but a good psycho." She said, “He’s eight months old, and he doesn’t lie down. He doesn’t rest; he’s in a constant state of motion.”

Probst said Lambeau is an energetic puppy who loves to run after the geese that fly around her house, and his favorite treat is any type of meat. Lambeau hates night time and going to bed.

Probst said a funny quirk that Lambeau has is “when he looks at you when you’re talking to him; he cocks his head as if he understands you. It just cracks us up.”