Grieger is a 2003 alum of New York Mills High School

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

Each school year, the New York Mills School District chooses one teacher from their staff as a representative of the finest work that is done in their district throughout the year. This 2025-26 school year’s nominee is 7-8th grade social studies teacher, William Grieger.

Grieger spent his formative years in the NY Mills School District where he graduated in 2003. He then went on to pursue his Bachelor of Science degree in Social Studies Education from Moorhead State University. After student teaching in Frazee, Grieger was offered his first teaching job in Rosholt, S.D. where he taught students from grades 7-12.

“I worked with some amazing people,” said Grieger. “I got a Knowledge Bowl team started, even though I was in South Dakota, we competed in Fergus Falls, where I now bring kids from NY Mills to compete. I coached girls basketball for three years and boys basketball for three years.

“I taught 7-12th graders, everybody got to see me throughout the day,” he continued. “It was cool, but also overwhelming with the workload and trying to be an expert at everything while I was getting started. Then I switched across the border and came to Minnesota and worked in Parkers Prairie for five years teaching eighth and ninth graders mainly.”

Grieger was the head tennis coach in Parkers Prairie and also helped out with junior high basketball. While living in Minnesota, he and his wife were unable to find daycare for their children and so he decided he would stay at home and take care of them.

“So I said I was going to stay home,” he said. “So I took a year off of education and that year off is when the Covid pandemic hit. That spring, I really had fun teaching my own elementary age kids and being home with my infant.”

It was during that time that Grieger saw an advertisement for a job posting in NY Mills and knew immediately that he wanted to apply.

“I knew I had to put my name back in the hat and get back into a school and work with kids again,” he said. “It was a very weird and odd feeling doing an interview through a computer with a couple of people I had known as a student and not really stayed in touch with, very weird interview.”

Despite the awkward first steps to come back to NY Mills, Grieger quickly got into his rhythm in his hometown and over the past six years he has helped out with the junior high knowledge bowl team, junior high basketball team, fishing team and started the Fellowship of Christian Athletes which meets weekly in his classroom before school hours. He currently teaches seventh and eighth grade students, which currently includes U.S. History and Geography. 

While Grieger never had a specific moment where he realized he wanted to become a teacher, he had always enjoyed learning about history and economics and always enjoyed telling stories and learning more about the world.

“I have a lifetime love of learning,” he said. “I love learning, I love storytelling, I thought it would be a great fit and it has been a very fun ride so far. My grandmothers were both teachers and at one point, they taught in NY Mills too.”

A favorite part of Grieger’s job is when he can see the love of learning and curiosity from his students. Especially those times when he will give a lesson on a particular topic and whether it be the next day or the next year, when a student returns to tell him more about what they were able to learn in their own time about that topic are among the highlights of his day.

“They dug into it, they found another book, they found a different map, they found a whole new way to look at one side of the issue or of that mini lesson that was important to them,” he said. “They just had to go look up and find information based on that little nugget you gave them.”

Grieger also credits the connection he maintains with each of his students, often offering them a high five or knuckles at the beginning of each class to welcome them for the day.

“I like to greet all my kids at the door,” he said. “A lot of them are just, ‘good, good, good,’ but you know, you have the right spot being there, when they’re having a bad day and they’ll elaborate on it or maybe they’re having a great day because they had a great match or a great game the night before.

“Those connections and being able to have them feel comfortable to share their successes and their hiccups in their day-to-day world,” he said. “They are willing to do so because I like to share mine as well also.”

Grieger also extends those connections into the community by sharing his love for local history with his students. When the weather is warmer, he likes to take his classes on walks around NY Mills equipped with the 1984 Centennial History book, or even the 75th anniversary book of history from 1959.

“Even just grabbing the advertisements and showing them where the movie theatre was or what the Cultural Center building looked like 40 years ago, what it looked like 65 years ago,” he said. “What the old high school looked like, what the elementary school looked like.

“I’m trying to make them see that history doesn’t have to be long ago and far away, it’s right out our front door. It’s down the gravel road at Finn Creek,” he contined. “Everybody’s family has a story, every building in this town has a story. Not all of them are known, and sometimes it’s fun to dig up that local history.”

When Grieger was told that he was nominated for Teacher of the Year, he felt both surprised and honored about the award. He acknowledged that there is a number of great candidates in the NY Mills School District.

“It felt pretty good, it is pretty cool that my coworkers selected me to represent the best of all of us,” he said. “We all work together and I have learned so much from coworkers here, in Parkers Prairie, and in South Dakota. My teaching methods 18 years later are way different than when I started.

“Keep modifying, keep changing, things, keep building and growing and learning from each other,” he continued. “It’s an honor I didn’t expect and I know there are lots of teachers that deserve it here.”