Holyoke’s 8 new teachers bring wide range of experience

Though Holyoke schools welcomed eight new teachers to the district for the 2019-20 school year, many are familiar faces, including three former Holyoke teachers and another three longtime residents of the community.

In the elementary school, Ashley Gragg is teaching kindergarten, Allie Balog second grade, Cecilia Marquez ESL, Stephanie Rau art and David Mauler P.E. At the high school, Clark Ginapp is the new English teacher, Desiree Mosenteen ESL and Kody Timm library media specialist.

Allie Balog

She spent just one year away from Holyoke schools, but Balog’s return includes quite the transition. This year, she’ll be teaching second grade class 2A, whereas the majority of her experience has been as a high school ESL teacher.

Balog’s first teaching job was actually in a Holyoke Elementary second grade classroom, but she was there for just one year. After that she transitioned to Holyoke High School, where she taught ESL until 2018. At that time she accepted a position at Phillips County Family Education Services as executive director because day care wasn’t available for her younger son, Carter, who is now 1. She and her husband, Nic, who teaches social studies at HHS, also have a 4-year-old son, Cameron.

After graduating from Greeley Central High School, Balog received both her bachelor’s and master’s from University of Northern Colorado. For her undergraduate degree, she studied elementary education and ESL. Her master’s is in curriculum and instruction.

Since Balog never wanted to stop teaching, she is excited to be back in the classroom. In the years since she was last a second grade teacher, she expects that much has changed, as practices and standards are ever-changing in education. Nevertheless, her experiences at the high school and PCFES should be helpful. They’ve taught her to be flexible and to go with the flow as well as the importance of helping students grow into well-rounded citizens.

During her transition back to the elementary school, Balog is appreciative of the support and encouragement she’s received from her fellow teachers. She’s looking forward to building on existing relationships and developing new ones as she watches kids be successful.

In her free time, Balog enjoys exercising, running, taking her kids on adventures, being outdoors and spending time with friends. She is currently the Dragon Booster Club president and serves on the school wellness committee and the parish council at the Catholic church. She will also be coaching junior high track and field in the spring.

Clark Ginapp

Perhaps the new teacher with the most buzz surrounding his employment is Ginapp, who already had a three-decade career teaching English and directing plays in Holyoke School District. Coming out of retirement, he is teaching ninth grade English, speech and drama, and creative writing. He will also be directing “Damn Yankees” this semester along with a play in the fall.

Though Ginapp studied at University of Iowa and Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and recently attended his 50-year high school reunion in Mason City, Iowa, he’s spent over half his life in Holyoke and has taught countless students that have gone through HHS.

His first four years of teaching were spent at Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska. In 1978 he moved to Holyoke, and he taught various high school English classes through 2009. Following that, he was the director at the alternative school for two years.

After living elsewhere for a few years, Ginapp moved back to Holyoke in 2017 for the support system. Though he expected it, he’s been very happy with how kind and generous people have been since his return.

Throughout the last two school years, Ginapp regularly substitute taught at HHS, but frankly he missed teaching and he missed directing. He’s looking froward to getting back into both and applying his many years of experience — both professional and personal.

Ginapp’s older son, Asa, lives in Las Vegas and has a daughter named Emery. His younger son, Mick, lives in Osaka, Japan.

As any good English teacher would, Ginapp said he enjoys reading and writing during his free time. He’s also been a Yankees fan since he was 5 years old, when he dreamed of being Mickey Mantle, and continues to enjoy watching them play.

Ashley Gragg

Though the school year just began, Gragg’s kindergarten classroom has at least a few familiar faces. Before accepting the position as KB teacher, Gragg worked at Dragon’s Wagon Preschool as the assistant director for four years. She’s excited to continue working with some of her students who graduated from preschool this year as well as getting to know her new students.

As a teacher, Gragg will have the chance to do what she went to school for. After graduating from HHS in 2010, she studied at Northeastern Junior College for two years before transferring to UNC. There she received her bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in elementary education.

Working at the preschool taught her a lot and allowed her to form valuable relationships with students and parents. She looks forward to having her own classroom and putting the things she’s learned into practice. Gragg’s also excited about teaching where she grew up. She attended Holyoke schools starting in fourth grade, and some of the teachers she’s now working with once taught her.

Gragg’s fiance, Brian Gales, works at Bank of Colorado and has two children, Tessa, 12, and Luke, 10. In her free time, Gragg likes to run. In the past, she’s done one marathon and two half marathons and intends to compete in more halves in the future.

Cecilia Marquez

Back in 1994, Marquez enrolled in HHS as an ESL student before the district even had an ESL program. Today, she’s one of multiple ESL teachers in a district that has come a long way since her 1997 graduation. She will be working specifically with ESL students in grades 4-6.

While some of her students may enter her classroom knowing little or no English, Marquez pointed out that she’s been in their shoes, and she’s looking forward to helping them learn.

For the past 15 years, Marquez has worked as a case manager at the Phillips County Department of Human Services. It was a job she liked, which made transitioning difficult, but she’s always had a desire to be a teacher. After Marquez graduated from high school, she worked as an ESL aide at HHS for a couple of years. She began her postsecondary education at Northeastern Junior College, but between raising children and accepting the position at Human Services, finishing her degree was put on the back burner.

Marquez and her husband, Rigoberto, who works for the City of Holyoke, have three children. Lali is a senior, Andrea is in eighth grade, and Julian is a fourth grader. As they’ve grown up, the timing was right for Marquez to pursue teaching again. In December she will earn a bachelor’s in elementary education from Colorado Christian University.

As the school year gets underway, Marquez looks forward to getting to know her fellow staff and seeing how she can best help her students. With her history in the community, Marquez has many relationships with individuals and agencies in the area. She hopes to be a familiar face that can encourage parent involvement at the school, especially among those who speak Spanish.

Though much of her time is spent teaching and completing her own studies, Marquez enjoys being a part of her children’s many activities. She may be busy, but as she sees it, all her responsibilities go hand in hand as she strives to be a good role model for her children.

David Mauler

Mauler is the only one of the new teachers that is also new to the Holyoke area, which of course, gives him a unique perspective. This year he will be teaching elementary P.E. and a weights class at the JR/SR high, as well as helping with adaptive P.E. at the JR/SR High. He is also serving as the assistant coach for the boys golf team.

One striking observation he made before the students were even there is that class sizes are much smaller than those he’s taught before.

Mauler was born and raised in Denver and graduated from Bear Creek High School in 2000. He earned a bachelor’s in sports and exercise science and a master’s in teaching with an emphasis in physical education from UNC. His decade of teaching experience has all taken place in the Denver area as well. Most recently, he was the athletic director and P.E. teacher at Roger Quist Middle School in Brighton.

Needless to say, working in Holyoke is quite the change. This summer his family moved to Sterling, where his wife, Elizabeth, is now director of student services. Their son, Matthew, is 9 years old.

So far, Mauler likes what he’s seen of the community and looks forward to the opportunities afforded by smaller class sizes. He hopes to build on the things done in previous years but also to introduce new games and new skills. P.E. is, he pointed out, all about trying new things and getting out of comfort zones.

In his free time, Mauler enjoys golf, softball and skiing as well as spending time with his family.

Desiree Mosenteen

Another teacher returning to Holyoke schools after some time away is Mosenteen. This year she will teach JR/SR high ESL.

Mosenteen’s experience at Holyoke schools began as a student. She graduated from HHS in 1996. She earned her bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in Spanish from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She earned her master’s in occupational therapy at Colorado State University. Her alternative teaching license is through Western State, and her ESL endorsement is from UNC.

She began teaching Spanish and ESL at her high school alma mater in 2002. In 2013, she left for a job that offered more flexibility with her young children. She spent two years working as an office manager at Colver, Killin and Sprague. After that, she managed the office at Eagle Farms for four years. Her husband, Aaron, is a truck broker for SPT Logistics.

Today, Mosenteen’s children are older, and she saw it as a good time to return to her passion for teaching. Her oldest, Blake, just started his senior year at HHS. Tyson is in eighth grade, and Sadee is in fourth grade.

Though her children have kept her connected to the school and families in the community, Mosenteen looks forward to being part of a team at HHS again. She’s also excited to meet and get to know students and families that are new to her.

While she brings several years of experience back to the classroom, Mosenteen said that her love for kids and a desire to help them will be her most important contribution to the school.

Outside of school, much of Mosenteen’s time is spent being involved with her children’s activities. She’s especially excited about football season and Blake’s senior year. In her down time, she enjoys reading and playing piano.

Stephanie Rau

Rau may be an unfamiliar name in Holyoke schools, but the new elementary art teacher isn’t a stranger to the area. Rau and her family have lived in Imperial, Nebraska, for the last 15 years, but she also grew up there as a Terryberry and graduated from Chase County High School in 1995.

After receiving a bachelor’s in interior design from Fort Hays University, Rau put her degree to work in Wichita, Kansas, where she designed the interiors of private jets for Cessna Aircraft. After returning to Imperial, most of her design work was in people’s homes. Some of it, however, can be seen in such businesses as Lavender Market, 509 and Allo.

For the past 10 years, Rau has worked in Imperial schools as a substitute and an aide. Seeing the positive impact made on students is part of what inspired Rau to begin teaching herself. She expects that her experience in different classrooms across different age groups will serve her well in this new role. Since her degree was in fine arts rather than education, Rau will be completing the BOCES alternative licensure this year.

Rau is pleased to see that Holyoke has done such a good job of making art a priority. As the school year gets underway, she looks forward to getting to know individual students and providing art opportunities that meet their unique needs. Art, she explained, can be experienced and created by anyone, including those with sensory needs or who are new to speaking English, for example.

Rau’s husband, Tom, farms with the family, and they have three children, Nathanael, 17, Nickolas, 15, and Noah, 11. The kids — and by extension, their parents — enjoy golf, FFA, music and theater. Since she loves singing, Rau takes pleasure in serving at Christian Faith Outreach by leading music.

Kody Timm

Not only is Timm a new teacher but his position is new to Holyoke JR/SR High this year, too. He will be serving as the library media specialist, which encompasses a range of responsibilities.

Timm started teaching TV production last year, and he will continue to do so. Additionally, he will teach yearbook and new STEM and computer science courses. As part of TV production, Timm will be found at various sporting events and activities throughout the year, as students in his class broadcast them.

An educational and professional background in technology make Timm an especially good fit for the position. For the past year and half, his business Spartan Electronics and Repair has served the people of Holyoke. He intends to continue repairs as well.

His goal is for people to be informed about technology, and he’s noticed that kids in particular seem interested in learning. In his time at HHS, he’s been encouraged to see teachers who are so clearly dedicated to their jobs and to the kids.

Timm grew up in the community and is a 2015 graduate of HHS. His parents Tom and Tammie Timm and his sisters Victoria Dunker, Kendra Frank and Vanessa Tharp continue to live in the area as well. He attended Tyler Junior College in Texas, where he earned an associate degree in game developing and programming simulation, before returning to his hometown. Timm is currently working toward his teaching license with BOCES and the University of Colorado.

Even outside of work, Timm has many interests that center on technology, and he’s constantly trying to stay up to date on what’s new in the industry. He also enjoys spending time with his friends and family and attending sporting events and concerts in Denver.