Blue Earth Area schools welcomed 13 new teachers for the 2026-2027 school year. The new teachers are pictured above, top row left to right, Tiegan Huntley, Patti Strukel, Kayla Saindon, Kayce Redican, Maria Rodriguez, Kris Viesselman, Gretchen Hillescheim. Bottom row, James Miller, Scott Geerdes, Madison Reedy, Jared Armon, Luke Norman, Heidi Njoes. Not pictured: Jordan Kuehl.

The Blue Earth Area School District is welcoming 13 new teachers aboard for the 2026-27 school year.

These new teachers include Jared Armon, Scott Geerdes, Gretchen Hillesheim, Tiegan Huntley, Jordan Kuehl, James Miller, Luke Norman, Kayce Redican, Madison Reedy, Maria Rodriguez, Kayla Saindon, Patti Strukel, and Kris Viesselman.

BEA high school students in grades 8-12 will begin their school year on Tuesday, Sept. 1, while those students who are in grades K-7 will start on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Jared Armon

Armon will be joining BEA as a behavioral interventionist for grades K-7.

He graduated high school from BEA in 2017, and attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he graduated in 2021 with an interdisciplinary studies degree.

Armon also served as a teaching assistant at Life-Scape Specialty School in Sioux Falls for a year.

Outside of school, Armon enjoys spending time with his wife London and daughter Annie, watching sports, going golfing, and playing cribbage.

Scott Geerdes

Geerdes will be serving as a high school Business teacher at BEA.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Education from Mount Marty University in Yankton, South Dakota and his masters degree from the University of South Dakota, completing additional graduate studies later on at Minnesota State University – Mankato.

Prior to teaching at BEA, Geerdes taught in Waubay, South Dakota, just outside of the Dakota Sioux Reservation.

Outside of school, he enjoys cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes, staying active, and spending time with his family, which includes his wife Stephani and his sons Tyson, Ethan, and Preston.

Gretchen Hillesheim

Hillesheim will be joining BEA as a high school English/Language Arts (ELA) teacher.

She graduated high school from Maple River High School, earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College, and then pursued her master’s in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

After working in the mental health field for over 20 years, she returned to school to earn her teaching certification, eventually earning her graduate certificate.

She started teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, and taught ELA as a long-term substitute teacher at Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial (LCWM) Secondary School in Lake Crystal for two years. She also had her own classroom while student teaching 10th and 12th grade English. Most recently, she was a 9-12 English teacher at Granada-Huntley-East Chain for two years.

Hillesheim lives near Vernon Center with her husband Justin and her two sons, Layne and Everett. She enjoys reading, crafting, and curling with the women’s league at the Heather Curling Club in Mapleton.

Tiegan Huntley

Huntley will be teaching fifth grade Reading/ELA at BEA.

She earned an associates of science and associates of arts from Iowa Lakes Community College, her bachelors of science in Psychology from West Texas A&M University, and then pursued her masters of science in Elementary Education at MSU – Mankato.

She spent two years working as a paraprofessional, and one year as a 5th-6th grade science, computers, and social studies teacher.

In her free time, she enjoys going camping, reading, caring for plants, and spending time with both her long-term partner and their dog.

Jordan Kuehl

Kuehl will be serving as a high school Agriculture teacher at BEA.

She earned her degree in Agricultural Education from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Outside of school, she enjoys spending time outdoors, going hunting with her family, and cheering on the MSU – Mankato Mavericks hockey team.

James Miller

Miller will be joining the BEA staff as a Star Resource Room teacher.

He has bachelors’ degrees in both Business and Special Education, is licensed in Emotional Behavioral Disorders and Specific Learning Disabilities, and is currently working on completing his master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

He has 13 years of prior teaching experience, serving as a special education teacher with Southern Plains Education Cooperative in Winnebago while completing his teaching degree. He also taught science and personal finance at Arise Academy’s Alternative Learning Center for three years, and spent one year as a substitute Developmental Adaptive Physical Education teacher.

Miller and his wife live in Fairmont, and they have two adult children together.

Luke Norman

Norman will be teaching K-7 Physical Education and Health at BEA.

Norman is a 2022 graduate of BEA, and earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health from MSU – Mankato.

He completed his student teaching in eighth grade Physical Education and Health in Fairmont, and also completed fieldwork at both Dakota Meadows Middle School and Eagle Lake Elementary School.

In his free time, Norman enjoys going golfing, working out, singing karaoke, and spending time with his family and friends.

Kayce Redican

Redican will be a first grade teacher at BEA.

She graduated high school from Trinity High School in Dodge Center, then earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education with a minor in Coaching from Winona State University.

Prior to teaching at BEA, she taught third grade at Albert Lea Area Schools for three years.

Redican currently lives with her boyfriend and pet cat, and enjoys traveling, discovering local coffee shops, and biking.

Madison Reedy

Reedy will be serving as a fourth grade teacher at BEA.

She graduated from Royalton High School, and recently earned her degree from Bethany Lutheran College, where she worked with their literary clinic for four years.

She also served as a student teacher at LCWM, and has had several hours of clinicals with various schools and grade levels.

Outside of school, she enjoys reading, hiking, and playing basketball.

Maria Rodriguez

Rodriguez will be serving as a high school Spanish teacher at BEA.

She graduated from college in Mexico, and also took some courses at Riverland Community College.

Prior to teaching at BEA, she worked with Head Start and the Migrant Head Start programs for many years. She has also worked as an ELL para at BEA for the last eight years.

She currently lives with her husband and youngest son, and enjoys spending quality time with her eldest son and his family.

Kayla Saindon

Saindon will be joining BEA as a third grade teacher.

She is a graduate of Albert Lea Area Schools, and recently obtained her bachelors of science in Elementary Education from MSU-Mankato.

She completed her student teaching at Hartley Elementary in Waseca, where she taught kindergarten.

Outside of the classroom, Saindon enjoys spending time with her dog Ninja and two cats Olaf and Suki, watching movies, and listening to music.

Patti Strukel

Strukel will be rejoining the BEA staff as a high school Social Studies teacher for both American and World History.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Social Studies from the University of Minnesota-Morris, her masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the College of St. Catherine, and her doctorate in education in Educational Leadership from MSU-Mankato.

Strukel has previously taught high school Social Studies at West Hancock High School, Fairmont High School, and at BEA. She also taught a Learning Design & Technology Masters program at St. Mary’s University, as well as teacher education at Waldorf University.

Struekel’s husband Joe currently teaches social studies at BEA, and her son Grant teaches social studies at Fairmont. Her other son, Carson, is a senior at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Outside of teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, watching sports, and trying her hand at gardening.

Kris Viesselman

Viesselman will be teaching fourth grade at BEA.

She is a graduate of Wells-Easton High School, and earned her degree from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Prior to teaching at BEA, she has served as a substitute teacher at several different schools, including BEA, and has taught students from preschool to university level.

Outside of the classroom, she enjoys spoiling her two dogs and three cats, rockhounding, silversmithing, and visiting museums.