(clockwise, from top left) Van Bardell, Jenny Miller, Ryne Jungling, Rachel Stumpf, Len Stanley.

By Brian L. Gray

Mandan Public Schools welcomed 17 new teachers this school year.

That amount is no different from the average number of teachers that begin each year in Mandan. But what makes this year remarkable is that five of those teachers are Mandan natives, a number significantly higher than usual.

Four of the teachers from Mandan have returned to their hometown directly out of college for their first professional job. The fifth teacher, a seasoned veteran of the classroom, has returned to Mandan after several years in other school districts.

The four teachers taking on their first job in the professional world are Ryne Jungling, Van Bardell, Jenny Miller and Rachel Stumpf. The fifth that returned to Mandan is Len Stanley.

Stanley, an MHS graduate of 1969, participated in football, basketball and track while in high school. He then moved on to Dickinson State University, where he received his degree in 1973 in physical education. He is now employed as the correspondence and Odyssey coordinator for Mandan Public Schools, and will be the new head girls basketball coach at MHS.

Stanley took his first professional job at Washburn High School, where he taught and coached from 1973 to 1995. From there he moved to Williston State College, and worked there until 2002. And until last year, Stanley was employed at Bismarck State College and Williston State, where he was the head coach for women’s basketball and baseball.

Stanley said coming back to Mandan has been a homecoming of sorts. “I missed the atmosphere at high school games and the challenge of coaching at a Class A level. Also, I like the challenge of maintaining the expectations of Mandan Braves basketball,” he said.

Bardell, a 2005 MHS graduate, played football, baseball and golf in high school. He recently graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelors degree in elementary education. He is a Title I intervention teacher at Fort Lincoln Elementary School. In addition to the classroom, Bardell will be coaching middle school volleyball and Babe Ruth baseball.

For Bardell, what made this job so special is that he is following in his father’s footsteps, who teaches seventh grade math. “I am glad that I followed in his footsteps into this profession and I have learned a lot about what it means to be a teacher from him,” Bardell said. “I have talked to a lot of his former students and they always mention how great of a teacher he is; hopefully my students will say the same about me someday.”

Jungling, another 2005 MHS graduate, is a geography teacher at MHS. In high school, he was active in football and baseball, and also in National Honor Society, debate, theatre and The Courier.

Jungling received his degree from UND in history and social studies education, and also roomed with Bardell in college. He substitute taught in Grand Forks last year, and will be coaching middle school girls basketball and head coach the Mandan Chiefs in the summer.

Jungling feels working in his hometown gives him the opportunity to give back. “I decided to accept the position in Mandan because I want to give back to a school that taught me so much. I also love my summer job coaching the Mandan Chiefs,” he said.

Jenny Miller, a 2004 graduate, teaches fourth grade at Lewis & Clark. She finished school at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., with a bachelors degree in elementary education and an emphasis in mathematics. As part of her degree, Miller taught in the resource room at Lewis & Clark as a para-instructor. She will be coaching sophomore girls’ basketball as well.

Miller, whose maiden name is Kranda, said she is very happy to return to Mandan. “I love my town and couldn’t imagine a better place to work, with better people to work with,” she said.

Rachel Stumpf, a 2006 MHS grad, was involved in swimming, speech, student council, science club and Leos Club in high school. She recently graduated with a bachelors in English and elementary education, and is teaching at MHS as an English instructor. She will also serve as the assistant junior class advisor.

Stumpf said as a first year teacher, it was important for her to receive a strong support system to provide encouragement and advice. “The teachers and administrators in Mandan do an excellent job at making new teachers feel welcome in their schools… Though a decent sized community by North Dakota standards, Mandan retains a small-town atmosphere, which is a wonderful setting for a new teacher,” she said.

Personal reactions in returning to the halls of Mandan’s schools varied. Miller said she didn’t feel any awkwardness at all. “I wasn’t really concerned because I felt really comfortable at my school since I worked here last year. I was very excited to start teaching in my own classroom,” she said.

Stumpf said it was a little strange returning. “I’m only 5’4, so as I was walking the halls, I wondered, ‘Are people going to think I’m a student here?’” she said.

Jungling pointed out how much things have changed since he graduated. “The first few times I was walking the halls I was thinking about how much of what I remember from high school has remained the same – teachers and staff – but the changes that have been made, especially air conditioning, are big improvements,” he said.

Stanley echoed similar sentiments. “The original school is the same as it was back in 1969, with the additions making the school much bigger and more spacious,” he said.

Bardell said he has, for the most part, been very excited to return. “This is pretty awesome to have others from Mandan starting in this school district,” he said. “I am really good friends with all of them and I am excited to start my career with these people, and hopefully finish with them too.”