Kelly moved a lot growing up, never spending more than two years at a K-12 school. She has lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Missouri and graduated from Cromwell High School in Northern MN.
Her father influenced her to become an ag teacher.
“Growing up I was always shocked at how many of my friends had no idea where their food came from,” she said. “I wanted to make that difference and educate students to become informed consumers.”
She earned a B.S. degree in Agricultural Education and Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
“My proudest moment was graduating college debt free and on time,” she said.
She has previously taught at Cedar Mountain in Morgan, MN, but CHS meant a new experience for her.
“I chose Cleveland for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of starting a new agriculture program.”
Kelly will also be starting Cleveland's FFA program. In the future she hopes to coach volleyball, basketball or track.
When she is not teaching, she likes camping, hiking, crafting and hanging out with her dog, Lena.