Mr. Sean Sanger teaches industrial arts. We sat down and spoke this past week and I learned that he grew up on a dairy farm in northeast Iowa. He received his degrees from Central College and William Penn. He started his career in the business world before he went into teaching. He tells me gives the students a wide variety of experiences that will help them as they enter the job market, and that he has great relations with local manufacturing companies. Please listen to the full interview to learn Mr. Sanger’s story, and why he still loves teaching after spending over 20 years teaching in the Knoxville School District. Mr. Sanger is now teaching the children of former students.
I asked him if he knew how many students he had taught over the years:
I have no idea of the total but I’ve definitely had a multitude of great students and memorable students.
So hundreds and hundreds…
Yes, I would have to say so.
What does it feel like knowing that you, and the other teachers here, and with respect to the skills you teach, how does it feel to know that you've launched hundreds and hundreds of kids into their futures?
I think that's one of the reasons a lot of people enter the teaching profession, is it's like having an extended family. When I go to town, if I bring my family to Knoxville and we eat in town here, or if I walk through Weiler for a tour of students and all the employees, it's like a rolling class reunion, or homecoming days or something like that; you're part of the community and you're very proud of all the students who have been successful after they left our building.
Here is the full interview. It’s very interesting. Please listen.
Mr. Jake Willoughby, Custodial Supervisor, runs this route every day, bringing food, supplies, mail, and more from school to school.
It was so warm last week that some kids were riding their bikes to school. Spring is right around the corner!
From left to right: Jonathan Watson, assistant coach, Ethan Russell, and Isaiah Picard.
I happened to be in the high school on Friday when the two team state swimming championship trophies that Knoxville shares with Indianola came to Knoxville to be on display here. The team again saw Isaiah Picard win a state title at the state meet in Iowa City over the weekend. According to KNIA/KRLS, Picard took home first place in the 50 Freestyle Para with a time of 42.55 and earned a second-place finish in the 100 Freestyle Para with a time of 1:42.85. Ethan Russell competed Friday in the 50 Freestyle, where he finished in 27th place with a time of 22.40, less than .7 seconds from qualifying for the finals.
Two wrestlers from Knoxville qualified for the state meet next week out of the class 2A District in Atlantic on Saturday. KNIA/KRLS reports Daniel Gorskikh dominated in his two matches pinning both opponents in less than a minute and winning his weight class while Tristan Sinnard had to go through the consolation bracket and ended up having to get into a wrestle back for runner-up.
I stopped by Mrs. Carla Bauer’s class at Northstar and the kids performed the song “It’s all good, it’s all right” for me! Thanks, kids!
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