New semester brings new teaching staff at MFL MarMac
The new semester brings three new staff members to MFL MarMac High School. Patrick Carew (left) has a one-month practicum in choir and Carter Harris is student teaching in science, while Kaleb Krzyszton joins the district as a band director. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The new semester brings three new staff members to MFL MarMac High School. Carter Harris is student teaching in science and Patrick Carew has a one-month practicum in choir, while Kaleb Krzyszton joins the district as a band director.
Harris is an all-science major at Upper Iowa University, where he also played football. He’s student teaching with high school science teacher Dan Anderson for the first part of the semester, then will be with middle school science teacher Dawn Colsch later in the school year.
“I was a biology major before,” he said. “I like science, finding something different and questioning things. It’s cool. I always like learning new things.”
Originally from St. Cloud, Fla., Harris said he enjoys being in Iowa now—particularly the small town atmosphere and “Midwest nice” attitude.
His future goals include teaching science as well as coaching football and wrestling.
Carew is from Garner and is a junior at Luther College studying music education and musical theater.
“I fell in love with all the activities I did in high school, all the camaraderie, and if there’s any way I can influence that in students, that’s the coolest thing ever,” he said of his career inspiration.
Carew hopes his youth will make him relatable to students. “In the choral world, especially in high school, sometimes tenor and bass voices aren’t as frequent to come by, so that sort of representation in the classroom is cool too as a singer,” he added.
His goal is to become a middle or high school choral director, and a one-month practicum with MFL MarMac choral director Jaydeane Berns will give Carew his first in-person experience in the classroom. He’s excited to apply what he’s learned through class into a real world setting.
“All I know is my own high school experience, and I never had show choir. That will be such a cool thing to learn about,” Carew shared.
Krzyszton is a native of Waumandee, Wis., which is located north of La Crosse, and recently graduated from Luther College.
He’s wanted to be a teacher his whole life.
“All the way back in elementary school, I would help some of the other kids who maybe were struggling,” said Krzyszton, who was additionally inspired by his mother’s years of teaching horseback riding lessons. “By junior high, I was joining in and teaching lessons as well, and I still do to this day in the summers.”
“My big thing was I needed to figure out if I was going to be a teacher for agriculture or music,” Krzyszton quipped.
He ultimately selected music because of the connection one forms with others.
“A painting might be something you hang up on the wall and it will decorate space. Music is a way we can decorate time—enjoy and create art through time,” he described. “At the end of the day, I think music is the best way to connect with another person’s soul. If I am even listening to someone playing music, or better yet if I’m playing music alongside them, there’s a really unique feeling with that.”
“Even with team sports and activities, those pieces are there, but it’s just a little bit different. There’s that extra added piece of a person’s soul inserted into the music they make,” Krzyszton continued. “That’s what’s so special about it, because it allows me to really get to work with, yes, students, but the souls inside those students.”
Krzyszton admitted starting as band director in the middle of the school year has been a wild ride. Although he accepted the position a couple months prior, he had to finish student teaching only a matter of weeks ago. Other new teachers would typically have a summer to check out and inventory their classroom and set up a curriculum.
“I had about a week to wrap everything up from student teaching, pick up and move and start a new job,” he said.
His goal now is to simply see what the high school band can do.
“The current seniors in this group have had six band directors in four years. I was in a somewhat similar situation, but for me it was five band directors in seven years,” Krzyszton said. “I can’t imagine what it feels like on their side of it, so I want to be able to add some organization, a little bit of structure. I want these students to be in an environment that is set up for their success.”
He encourages the community to check the band out. Several pep band performances are planned during upcoming basketball games and the Pops Concert is Feb. 23. That’s followed by solo and ensemble and large group contests and the awards concert on May 2.
