The Crookston Public Schools District has many new faces joining its staff for the 2021-2022 school year. KROX will be introducing you to the new teachers throughout the week. Below is an introduction to the first group of new teachers.
SUTTON JUNKERMEIER
Sutton Junkermeier is from Lake Lillian, Minnesota, and will be teaching at Crookston High School. He says that his 7th grade teacher is what made him want to become a teacher. “My 7th grade history teacher was so awesome,” said
Junkermeier. “And I thought one day, I want to be like him. Since then, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and have kept with that dream.”
This will be Junkermeier’s first teaching job after graduating from Concordia College in Moorehead. He will be teaching 8th and 9th grade Social Studies at Crookston High School. He is hopeful students will get to stay in class the entire year and make his classes hands-on for the students.
AUSTIN O’HARE
Austin O’Hare is also new to the district and will be teaching Science at Crookston High School after teaching three years at Grand Meadows Public Schools in
southern Minnesota. He graduated from St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. He said his wife was accepted into the medical program at the University of North Dakota, which is why he took a job in Crookston.
O’hare says he has known he’s wanted to be a teacher for a while. “During college, I realized it was something I wanted to do,” said O’hare. “Throughout student teaching and my previous job, I realized this is something I want to keep doing.”
O’hare is looking forward to getting to know his students and the community more as the school year begins this week.
TARA KLEIN
explained why she took this new opportunity. “I came to Crookston just because I wanted a bigger school than what I’m used to,” said Klein. “I wanted to spend 
some time with larger classes and more diversity.”Tara Klein is the new School Counselor at Crookston High School and has 10 years of experience. She’s had many jobs before landing at Crookston, and she
Klein said she’s enjoyed the first month of being in town, and the staff has been very welcoming. Klein said she loves helping kids find their potential and is hopeful to help as many kids as possible in her new role.
HEIDI ACHARTZ
Heidi Achartz is the new Highland Elementary 1st through 6th-grade music
teacher and 5th and 6th-grade choir teacher. She grew up near St. Cloud and went to college at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she found her passion for teaching. She combined that with her love of the band and decided teaching music was her perfect job.
Achartz explained more of her teaching background and experience. “This is my 22nd year of teaching now,” said Achartz. “I’ve taught in Duluth and Grand Rapids, and now I’m happy to be in Crookston.” Achartz saw Crookston had an open position and applied. She said when she arrived, the staff was friendly, and it felt like the perfect fit.
Achartz is hopeful that her students will have lots of performances this upcoming school year to show off their skills after COVID-19 affected last year.
Stay tuned to KROX and KROXAM.com for more of the new teachers.
