Fifth graders at FE Miley Elementary School were greeted by a new face on the first day of school this year. Connie Reichelt, a long time Big Sandy resident, stepped in to teach this year. She was born and raised in Columbus, Montana, but has called our town home for many years.
Connie has 14 years of classroom experience, having started her teaching career in Havre at the alternative school. After one year there, she moved to Box Elder schools, where she worked for the next 13 years. Connie explained her various teaching roles in Box Elder: "I taught math for probably the first eight years, and then after that, I was teaching science. It was Broadfield High School Science, just like they have here in Big Sandy." Connie did her education courses through the University of Montana Western while she was working in Box Elder.
Mrs. Reichelt explains that she came into the role as Big Sandy's 5th grade teacher in response to difficulty the local schools were having in finding a teacher to fill that role in the classroom. "I wanted to help out. I knew they were not finding a teacher. And as I told Mr. Schrock, 'I will be the teacher for the school year, and it gives them time to continue their search for a new fifth grade teacher that's certified in elementary education.'" She went on to explain that she has "...known most of those kids since they were tiny, primarilythrough swimming. Other ways too, but through the pool I've known almost all of them."
Connie is still actively pursuing education, which has been a source of lifelong enjoyment for her. "I feel like learning should be a lifelong process. I always joke with my family that I really haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up, still searching for that answer. If I still had enough time on this planet, I would do all sorts of things." She is currently studying beekeeping through Western. "I got bees this last year, and I'm taking an apprenticeship course at the University of Montana. It starts with apprentice, and then you can move on up through masters and professional."
She also took an education trip to Antarctica recently, which was the occasion for her leaving her position teaching at Box Elder Schools. " I had a big trip planned to Antarctica, and I did that, and so I was going to take me out of school for quite a while, and I kind of just needed a break." She explained that she, "became what's called a National Geographic educator in science, when I was doing that coursework while I was at Box Elder." During her trip, she maintained contact for teaching purposes with a class in Big Sandy. "I did a program with Sam Weaver's kindergarten class while I was there. It was a tourism boat that does education. So, for example, there were scientists that were working on their PhDs." She described visiting the southernmost continent: "It's the most amazing thing. We started in Patagonia. We went there and saw the national park there. And then we took the ship through the Drake Passage, the roughest waters on the planet, and went to Antarctica. I was really excited about seeing the whales and penguins and everything. But the takeaway for me is the ice. The ice is so incredibly beautiful and so, so magnificent. I mean, it's just, it's hard to describe. People that were running the ship say that everyone comes to see the animals, but if they ever come back, it's because of the ice. It's true, those icebergs. It's fantastic. It's, it's an amazing place."
Connie's husband, Mark, is a Big Sandy local. Her daughters grew up in our town. Sophie lives in Big Sandy and is teaching English in Box Elder. Maddie is currently in medical school at the University of Washington.
