It’s hard not to notice the sea of new faces swarming the halls at Mishawaka High School (MHS) in the beginning of the new school year. These new faces include students and staff alike. This second installment of the Teacher Feature series features new MHS teachers Kyle Marsh, Alicia VanMaanen, and Jennifer Grimm.
Marsh teaches Engineering Technology, Manufacturing, and Robotics. Marsh came to MHS because he was attracted to the “challenge of teaching a bigger population new skills.” Marsh is originally from Plymouth. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering Technology Teacher Educations from Purdue University and a Master’s of Arts in Technology Education from Ball State. Marsh has previously taught at Frontier School Corporation and Twin Lakes School Corporation. He is in his 11th year of teaching. Previously, he taught a multimedia tools class in college and has been teaching professionally for the past 5 years. “I wanted to [become a teacher] to help inspire youth to do more, be more, and create more,” said Marsh. Marsh values imagination and the ability to physically create things. “I always had a passion for creating things with my hands… I am passionate about sharing those skills with others,” Marsh said. Marsh is a self-declared tinkerer with a deep love for “robotics, 3D printing, building [and] fixing computers, working on cars, and generally anything that lets [him] explore and learn something new.”
VanMaanen is the new Child Development teacher at MHS. She taught in South Bend schools for two years before coming to MHS. She chose to teach at MHS because she was “looking for a great school with awesome students and staff to continue [her] teaching career.” VanMaanen “loves teaching [at MHS] so far” and thinks “the students and staff are wonderful.” VanMaanen attended Western Michigan University and has lived in Michigan her whole life. She has four young children and enjoys to run races in her spare time.
Grimm works in the Special Education department as the leader of the Exceptional Learners at MHS. Grimm has been teaching professionally for 13 years. She taught at Penn High School before coming to MHS. “I decided to teach at MHS because, after looking around at all the different options and schools in the area, MHS stood above the rest. Mishawaka is doing amazing things and I knew this was a place where everyone was supported and encouraged to do their personal best. That was something that I wanted to be a part of,” said Grimm. Grimm made the decision to teach because she wanted to be surrounded by learning throughout her life. “I love helping students in areas that are a struggle. Watching students succeed and thrive is the best pay-off,” said Grimm. Grimm grew up in Northern Michigan and went to school in a “small town” called Indian River. Grimm completed her undergraduate work at Michigan State University before continuing her graduate work at Indiana University South Bend. Grimm has two small children and loves to read. “I would read books all day if I could,” said Grimm.
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