“I love the feeling of having a student figure out a problem. Seeing that ‘AHA!’expression or ‘lightbulb’ moment take place after helping them with a problem or idea that they have been struggling with is really cool,” said long-term sub Mr. Noah Rasmussen.
Rasmussen grew up in Appleton, where he went to Menasha High School and graduated in 2013. He is teaching here while Mrs. Molly Mattke is on maternity leave.
“I attended college at UW-LaCrosse. That is where I met Mrs. Schroeder’ and we have been friends ever since,” said the science teacher.
Chemistry teacher Molly Schroeder introduced Rasmussen and his wife, Katie, during their first semester of freshman year, and the two married this year.
“Fun fact: Mrs. Schroeder and my wife have been friends since they were in middle school,” he added.
At UWL Rasmussen graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2017.
He played Club Volleyball and assisted one of his professors with biological research on parasites.
Since college, he and his wife have lived in many different places, including Madison and Green Bay. The couple currently lives in Kimberly.
“Before we moved to Kimberly we were living in Camp Verde, Arizona. We really enjoyed living in the desert, despite the heat, because we got to do a lot of really great hiking in and around Sedona, Arizona, with our Goldendoodle, Gregg,” said the long-term sub.
He has had several jobs in the past, including subbing in several different districts and being a salesman for many different items, including eyeglasses, magazine advertisement space and wine. He has also worked in restaurants and cut grass at a golf course.
“My first job was as a bat boy for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers,” he said.
Schroeder convinced him to take the position here, and since Rasmussen had worked in teaching before, he thought he could be a good teacher. He knew he would be teaching science, and he really enjoys that subject.
“I have also heard great things about NDA, the students, staff, athletics, the culture at the school, and so on, that made me excited about the opportunity,” he shared.
His biggest surprise so far has been how much gets printed off even in our day in age using our BYODs and having online textbooks.
“However, I know it is necessary to have hard copies of notes, tests and worksheets. It is just interesting to see how much paper we all use,” said Rasmussen.
The toughest part for him has been making sure he gets things graded and returned in a timely manner. He really appreciates how dedicated the students at NDA are to their academic success.
“So, I want to do my best to give my students feedback on their work as efficiently as possible,” he added.