KROX will be introducing you to new teachers and a principal in the Crookston Public School District throughout the week. Today, we introduce you to Crookston Middle School Principal Cierra Hangsleben and Toni Gullekson, a special ed teacher.
CIERRA HANGSLEBEN
Cierra Hangsleben is entering her first year as the principal of Crookston Middle School. Hangsleben, a Grand Forks native, attended the University of North Dakota, where she completed her Elementary education undergraduate and has been a licensed teacher since 2010. 
Hangsleben was part of the Discovery Elementary program in Grand Forks when it opened in 2015, and a driving factor in choosing Crookston was the development of the middle school. Hangsleben stated that her experience could be an asset, and she has what it takes to lay a foundation that leads to success for these students.
Hangsleben sees this new chapter of her career as a fresh start and the start of a new school year. “I’m beyond excited, I was always one who loved school growing up, so this is what I always knew what I wanted to do,” said Hangsleben, “So a new year brings an opportunity to start fresh.” Said Crookston Middle School principal Cierra Hangsleben.
As the district hired a native to the area, they also hired someone with plenty of experience in education but not with the Midwest.
TONI GULLEKSON
Highland Elementary School would like to introduce Special education teacher Toni Gullekson to the staff. Gullekson is a Texas native, where she taught for 34 years before teaching in Yokosuka, Japan, for two years. 
Gullekson has ties to this area and is slightly familiar due to her husband being from Fertile. “When we separated from the Department of Defense, we weren’t sure where we were going to go,” said Gullekson, “We lived in Texas near my family, and his family is from the Fertile-Beltrami area. So, we wanted to be near his family and give myself a new adventure in Minnesota.”
Gullekson graduated in 1987 from Charleston University in Tarleton, Texas, where she received her bachelor’s degree in special education and later her master’s degree from the University of Texas.
Special education wasn’t always the route Gullekson was seeking. During her freshman year, she was enrolled in accounting classes, and one scenario changed her career trajectory. “I started doing the mercery on Monday nights for the church, and there was this little girl there who had a metal plate in her head from an accident,” said Gullekson, “She had some major disabilities and struggled cognitively, and I was very intrigued by her, and at that time I knew there was a need.”
This will be the first time in nine years Gullekson will be instructing special education students. Since 2014, Gullekson has taught kindergarten, first grade, and fifth grade.
