By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

As the school year kicks off this week in New York Mills, five teachers and a nurse join the district as the newest members of staff. All natives of Minnesota, these new staff members already understand the challenges and opportunities of working and learning in our snowy state.  ¶  Hailing from Kerkhoven, Minn., new fifth grade and math teacher Carol Tornquist attended Kerkhoven-Sunburg School.  ¶  “Our mascot was the KSHS Eagles!” she said. “So I started as an Eagle and now I am an Eagle again!”  ¶  Learning from her mother, who was a one-room school teacher in the 1940s, Tornquist knew from an early age that she wanted to pursue teaching.  ¶  “She was my inspiration and encouraged me to become a teacher,” she said. “Teaching is in my blood!”  ¶  Tornquist went on to Bethel University and Crown College for her teaching degree and then attained a Masters of Education in Leadership from Southwest Minnesota State University.  ¶  Teaching for her entire career at Wadena-Deer Creek, after 33 years of teaching Kindergarten, 2nd grade, Title 1 in K-6 and Early Childhood Family Education, she hung up her hat in 2020 and retired.  ¶  She didn’t sit for long, however, and worked part time in Wadena-Deer Creek, Bertha-Hewitt, and NY Mills, where she is returning to teach mathematics to the fifth grade.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to work with this staff, there’s great staff here at NY Mills,” she said. “I am also looking forward to connecting with our 5th grade students. I will teach them, but I will sure be learning from them too!”

Tornquist has been married to her husband Rod for 46 years and has three children and ten grandchildren. She also enjoys spending time whither her dog, Linka, cat, Tiger, two horses, as well as riding horse, quilting, reading, singing, and playing piano.

Kayla Lueders

SPED (DCD)

Growing up in Brainerd, Minn., Lueders attended their Public School through eighth grade and then was homeschooled through 12th grade. She attended Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn. where she received her Bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in Education K-6, pre-primary endorsement, and a minor in Lutheran Confessionalism as a commissioned church worked. She is also currently working towards her Master’s degree in Special Education through Minnesota State University in Moorhead, Minn.

“My career choice to pursue education started when I was seven years old,” she said. “My first grade teacher, Mrs. Ruen, was ultimately my inspiration to become a teacher. I was a struggling learner. When I faced difficult challenges, Mrs. Ruen would take me aside, work with me one on one, and installed in me a love for learning.

“She showed kindness and compassion to every student she encountered, and she made me feel like I mattered, no matter what,” she continued. “She challenged me, but knew my limits. From that first grade year on, I vowed to become a teacher just like her, with the goal to make positive impact on the lives of my own students, as she had done for me.”

Lueders will be bringing that love of teaching to NY Mills in her 11th year in her field of Special Education and DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder) for K-12.

In her free time, Lueders likes to spend time with her husband Marcus, daughter, Rebecca, and son Daniel. She also makes time for her farm cats, dogs, Bailey and Josie, as well as spending time with family, artwork, music, photography, baking, hunting, and fishing. She also likes to relax with a movie, board games, and jigsaws and word puzzles.

“I am most looking forward to building lasting relationships with my students, their families, and the New York Mills community!”

Tina Dale

HS English

Teaching wasn’t always the dream, growing up in Pequot Lakes, Minn., Dale went on to Concordia College in Moorhead for a Bachelor’s degree in English Writing and Mass Communications and was headed for a career in TV production. Instead, she took a detour and obtained her Master’s degree in English from North Dakota State University.

“It was somewhat accidental,” she said. “I had planned to work in TV production after college, but instead, I went to graduate school for English. While there, I taught first-year English and loved it. Since moving to Perham, I’ve continued to be involved in education in a variety of ways.”

Having spent five years teaching college courses, 10 years in home education, three years substitute teaching, and another year teaching sixth grade ELA, Dale will be teaching ninth grade English and eight grade Creative Writing in NY Mills this year.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the students and sharing my love for literature and writing with them!”

Dale spends her time with her husband, Jason, children, Sam, Lizzie, Anna and son-in-law, Wyatt, as well as her dog, Winston. She also enjoys reading, working out and watching Perham sports.

Adam Justin

SPED (ASD)

Originally from St. Cloud, Justin will be teaching Special Education (ASD) for K-6 in NY Mills this year. He attended Apollo High School in St. Cloud before moving on to St. John’s University for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He also attended the College of St. Scholastica for his teaching licensure and Master of Science in Education.

“I enjoy working with and helping others,” he said. “I appreciate watching humans grow and teaching gives me an avenue to experience that.”

Justin is joining NY Mills in his eighth year of teaching. He still goes home to St. Cloud to visit his mother and family. He enjoys weightlifting, fishing, reading, and hiking.

“I am excited to be able to teach and give back to the community that I live in!”

Craig Orlando

District Phy. Ed.

Coming from Verndale, Minn., is NY Mills’ new K-12 Physical Education teacher, Craig Orlando. Having attended Verndale Public School, Orlando then went on to the University of North Dakota, where he obtained his degree in Kinesiology.

“I became a teacher because I want to be there to help students in need,” he said. “I want to help the students be the most successful they can be. My high school gym teacher did the same for me so I want to carry it on and help others.”

Orlando is a first-year teacher and lives with his dog, Sadie, who accompanies him hunting and fishing.

“The thing I am most looking forward to the most is getting to know the students and to watch them succeed and getting to see a big smile on their faces,” he said.

Jazzmin Johnson

District Nurse

Raised in the nearby Perham-Dent area, Johnson attended Perham High School and then went on to become a Registered Nurse at MState in Wadena and continued her education at St. Scholastica in Duluth for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After six years of schooling, she returned to the area to put her skills to use back home.

“I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a nurse,” she said. “Growing up with Type 1 diabetes, alongside my sister, gave me a firsthand understanding of what compassionate nursing care means. I want to help, comfort, and support others.

“Nursing isn’t just a career to me, but a calling to care for others, just as I’ve seen and experienced throughout my life,” she continued.

Joining the NY Mills staff as a third-year nurse, Johnson is looking forward to meeting new students and building relationships with both students and staff across the district. She also intends to help promote health to all ages and new routines.

Johnson is married to her high school sweetheart, Seth, and they have a 10-month-old daughter as well as two dogs, Kirby and Bentley. She enjoys yoga, walking, and listening to music.