With a heavy heart, Mrs. Bradshaw announced that she would be leaving NDA after almost five years to accept a position at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Her last day at NDA will be October 3. 

Bradshaw will be accepting the position of the Instruction and Curriculum Development Coordinator for the Artisan and Business Center at NWTC. Her new job will consist of helping instructors develop their curriculum and aiding them to become better teachers. She will be assisting current artists and helping to show them how to effectively share their expertise and experience. 

“It will be a very different role than what I am used to as a classroom teacher, but I think it will give me the opportunity to share what I have learned,” said Bradshaw. 

This decision was a difficult one to make. Bradshaw thought that getting the job would be a long shot and maybe a way to learn more about the Artisan and Business Center programs and opportunities in the process.

She has a passion for teaching and an appreciation for each and every student. This year in particular she loves the classes that she is teaching.  In the end, though, she was reminded that there was a reason she applied and a reason that she got the job. 

“I don’t want to leave my students. I love teaching and this year has started especially well. Shaking things up, leaving, disappointing people, and starting something completely new is painful and scary,” said the popular art teacher. 

Bradshaw recalls the decision as “maybe the hardest decision I have made in my life thus far.” She negotiated to have the latest start time possible in order to help the school and students with the transition. Bradshaw is not fond of change, so this decision was especially challenging. 

“I am a huge empath and someone who would prefer to serve others, so making a decision that was for my personal benefit but that had the potential to hurt so many others was really, really hard,” said Bradshaw.  

NDA has played an enormous role in Bradshaw’s life, from the birth of her children to the everyday uncertainties of life, and this is something that she is so thankful for. 

As she recalls, “It has truly been a foundation for some of the most important years of my life.”

Bradshaw has so many positive and memorable moments from her years at NDA. One that will always stick out to her though is the day she gave birth to her daughter, Isla. It was her due date, and students were telling her that she wasn’t supposed to be at school, but Bradshaw insisted that she was fine and could still teach. Her daughter ended up being born later that evening. 

“The next morning Hogan Anderson wrote an email to me in all caps with the heading ‘I AM A GENIUS’ and a message that said, ‘I TOLD YOU. I CALLED IT.’ I laughed so hard at that. The students were right; I was wrong,” recalled Bradshaw. 

The students were shocked by the news of Bradshaw leaving and many were devastated. The students’ reactions are a testament to what an incredible teacher Bradshaw has been, and how she has affected the lives of so many. 

“I am so thankful that I got to have Mrs. Bradshaw as a teacher. Her class is the highlight of my day because it’s a place where I can create stuff free from judgment. She is fun, understanding and kind. I am really going to miss having her as a teacher and her class, but I wish her luck at her next job,” said Savannah Schultz, a sophomore and student of Mrs. Bradshaw. 

Besides the fact that she’s leaving right after her kiln was upgraded, she will miss the people of NDA the most. She will miss the small moments with students to the large ones–from celebrating students’ IB submissions to the everyday hellos in the morning. 

“I will miss my students with my whole heart. I will miss talking with the other teachers and staff and laughing about all the crazy things that happen in a high school on a daily basis. This is a beautiful community, and I am sad to be leaving it,” said Bradshaw.  

The Notre Dame Academy community will greatly miss Mrs. Bradshaw and all she has brought to the school. The Tritonian staff, as well as the whole NDA family, wish her the best of luck as she embarks on her new and exciting journey. She will always be remembered for her passion for teaching and the lives that she has impacted.