Troy Unzicker smiled as Kimball’s crop of new teachers completed their orientation.

“We have a good mix here,” the school superintendent said.

A few of the incoming instructors are first-timers. One brings 25 years of experience to the classroom. Two will coach on the side. Although they come from different disciplines--math, language, business, science, athletics, special education--they share an obvious enthusiasm for their new roles.



Nick Kuxhausen, Physical Education

In high school Kuxhausen thought of Kimball as a rival.

He grew up in Mitchell and played against the Longhorns in both football and basketball.

“It was always competitive,” he said of their clashes.

After four years of football at Doane College--three as a starting offensive lineman--he now considers Kimball home, and the Longhorns his team.

Kuxhausen will teach PE and serve as assistant coach for the football team, as well as the junior high basketball squad. Already he has spent plenty of time on the practice field with 25 or so of his new students.

“They’re good kids--hard working,” he pointed out casually. “That’s just the culture around here.”

Being a panhandle native, Kuxhausen understands the location and the people. But he also enters his first teaching position with a lengthy apprenticeship in education. His father serves as elementary school principal at Mitchell and his mother teaches in Scottsbluff.

“That was a big influence,” he said, explaining his desire to teach.



Patricia Sulu, Foreign Language

Sulu joins the Kimball faculty after 25 years teaching Spanish in Scottsbluff. Before that she studied in Mexico, immersing herself in the culture and language.

She says the two--language and culture--are inseparable. To learn one, a student must become somewhat familiar with the other.

It’s a belief she carries into her professional life. Over the summer, Sulu spent time absorbing the sights and sounds of Kimball’s 4th of July festivities and the county fair.

“Just being there I was learning about the culture of Kimball,” she said. “It’s a great community--a positive community.”

Sulu took an interest in languages (and cultures) as a child in Kearney. Her family hosted foreign exchange students for several years, then she studied under an encouraging instructor.

She explains that enthusiasm in the classroom leads to a lifetime of learning.

“My goal is to help the students enjoy it and go forward,” she said.



Wade Brashear, Business

In his spare time, Brashear enjoys fishing and golf. “I love the course here,” he beamed.

But Kimball’s new business teacher knows he will find very little free time during the school year. Not only will he lead a new “keyboarding” curriculum, developed so students will be able to use the Internet as a research tool, discerning credible information from the rest, he will also coach wrestling, track and junior high football.

“I just like working with youths,” he said.

Brashear earned a business degree from the University of Wyoming and an MBA at Chadron. He worked in sales and marketing, but found himself concentrating more on coaching position he accepted--in his spare time.

That experience drew him back to Chadron for a teaching certificate. Brashear substituted and coached in Gering for the past four years.

“It’s hard to leave Gering,” he admitted. “But I’ve found good people here.”



Jenna Enevoldsen, Mathematics

“I’ve always been the subject I’m the most passionate about,” Enevoldsen said of math, the bane of so many young students.

She studied math education at Eastern Wyoming in Torrington, finishing up her degree at the University of Wyoming before moving back to Kimball County.

“I just kept going with it,” she added with a smile.

She believes the transition from math aficionado to math instructor will be made easier by her knowledge of Kimball and its residents. Enevoldsen is a well known and respected name.

What matters most as she starts her first year at Kimball High School, however, is her passion for math and “the ability to influence the students.”



Shawna Jones, Special Education

Jones was drawn to special education from an early age. She watched her brother struggle throughout school then saw him develop into a successful businessman.

“Those students need an advocate,” she said of those with special needs. “You have to know each student as an individual.”

Jones earned her degree at Chadron and taught five and a half years in Stapleton before accepting the position in Kimball. She will work with students in the 6th through 9th grades.



Andrea Milam, Science

Kimball High School is Milam’s first teaching opportunity. Yet she is already convinced of two things: a hands on approach to classroom experiments and her own love of her chosen field.

“I’m a huge science nerd,” she explained.

Indeed, the Douglas, Wyoming, native cruised through Chadron and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Milam picked up credentials as a medical technician and in pharmacy, in addition to her teaching certificate. She plans to lead courses in chemistry, advanced chemistry, physics and physiology.

“I love to be with my students, to encourage them,” she said. “If you can get them to start thinking, they fall in love with science, too.”

Before applying for the position, Milam had never visited Kimball.

“I thought it was bigger,” she admitted with a laugh. “But it’s great--all my experiences here have been great.”