Lindsey Heil Story

Harper’s Unsung Heroes August 2026 Written by Gale Fischer

Teaching Our Littles

“Kindergarten is a magical place where dreams begin to grow.”

As teachers, we all have a similar passion for what we do, but our skill sets and comfort zones can be quite different. Some teachers are adaptable in terms of being comfortable teaching any subject across all levels, but many of us develop specific preferences about what areas we would like to teach. A veteran middle school teacher may thrive on the challenges of working with students entering the teenage years, while others among us might feel a bit panicked at the idea of lasting a day in that particular setting. That same middle school teacher who feels right at home working with students going through some of life’s most dramatic physical and emotional changes might feel ill-equipped to work in a lower elementary setting. One such role in our schools that takes a special kind of mindset is that of a Kindergarten teacher. As challenging as teaching Kindergarten may seem, many Kindergarten teachers have no interest in teaching anything else. Wattles Park Kindergarten teacher Lindsey Heil never pictured herself teaching in an early childhood setting while searching for her first teaching job almost twenty years ago. Having spent her entire career teaching our youngest students, she can’t imagine teaching anything else.

Lindsey was raised in the Cereal City.  She shared her childhood history. “I was born in Kalamazoo in 1984,” she said. “My family moved to Battle Creek when I was two years old. My parents, Jack and Sue Burkle, still live in my childhood home on Goguac Lake. I have an older brother, Joel, and an older sister, Kristyn. Both still live in the Battle Creek area with their families.”  Lindsey reflected on some of her many positive childhood memories. “We spent a lot of time on Goguac Lake, and also spent time during the summers in Grand Haven and Muskegon,” Lindsey noted. “I enjoyed staying with my grandparents often, who lived in Grand Rapids. Every spring break we went to Orlando, Florida.” 

Lindsey’s dad was the primary breadwinner of the family, but her mom also went to work as Lindsey transitioned from elementary school to middle school. “My dad worked at Yellow Freight in Kalamazoo as a terminal manager while Mom was a stay-at-home mom through my 6th grade year before she started working at Macy's unloading trucks in the morning,” she recalled. “She has also taken care of the flowers every summer for 25 years for the Battle Creek Country Club. She also loves gardening at home.” 

School was something that Lindsey enjoyed immediately, and it has been a great source of contentment for her ever since. “I went to Minges Brook Elementary for my Kindergarten through 5th-grade years,” Lindsey explained. “I rode the bus sometimes, but often my parents let me ride my bike to school. This made me feel independent, and I loved being able to do this. I loved school right from the start. I was on the student council in elementary school. It was after my 4th grade year that I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. My 4th grade teacher, Shelley Erickson, made learning so much fun. She is now retired, but I am still in contact with her. One project that she had us do that I remember was making a model haunted house for Halloween. I do remember getting in trouble one time for not participating in a game in gym class because I didn’t like it. Our librarian, Mrs. Katz, would go out for our lunch recess and organize relay races. This helped to fuel my love for sports. I enjoyed sports from an early age. Sports were a big part of our family. My dad loved watching sports, and my older brother played ice hockey.”

Lindsey appreciated the academics and learning that was a part of school, but she also enjoyed the social part of it with the friendships made. There is one early friendship that is as strong as it has ever been. “I met my best friend, Brenda Beck/Dolbee, in Kindergarten,” Lindsey said. “We remain close today even though she lives in Florida. I would spend time with her family at their cottage in Baldwin when we were kids. Brenda comes home from Florida for a month each summer. I go to visit her for spring break every year. We also spend a week each summer with our kids at the cottage in Baldwin.”

Lindsey moved on from Minges Elementary after her fifth-grade year. “At that time, Lakeview had one building just for 6th grade housed at Territorial School,” Lindsey said. “I loved 6th grade. I had a great group of teachers. This is where I met my next group of friends that I was close with all through high school. Our school was close to McDonald's, so sometimes our teachers would treat us to McDonald's for lunch. I also remember the fire department coming over to help us with the egg drop. We would wrap our egg with certain materials and drop it from the fire truck ladder.” 

Middle school brought with it many positive experiences for Lindsey. “Our middle school was for 7th and 8th grade,” she noted. “I remember the teachers letting us help with the scan tron machine. I took home economics class and learned how to cook and balance a checkbook. Sports became a big focus. I had played travel soccer and volleyball before this, as well as t-ball, softball, gymnastics, and floor hockey. In middle school, I focused on basketball, volleyball, and soccer.” 

Lindsey remained involved in many things when she moved on to high school. “I continued to play basketball, volleyball, and soccer,” she said. “I was a four-year varsity soccer player. I participated in many of the extracurricular activities, including building floats for homecoming and being involved in many of the clubs. I started cadet teaching my senior year. I went back to Mrs. Erickson’s room to teach. By this time, she had transitioned from 4th grade to 2nd grade. This sealed the deal for me in wanting to be an elementary teacher. What I remember most about cadet teaching is building relationships with the students.” Lindsey gave up volleyball her junior year so that she could work part time. “I started working at Old Navy,” she noted. “I continued working for Old Navy part time for the next twelve years.” 

Lindsey was ready to go to college to earn her teaching degree after finishing high school.  “I graduated from Lakeview High School in 2002 and started at Western Michigan the following year, living in the dorms with a friend from high school,” Lindsey said. “I enjoyed the college experience. It was a great way to transition to being an adult and being partially independent. I did my internship in 2007 at Verona in first grade with Ana Antes, so I came back to live at home. I graduated from Western in May of 2007. I also nannied for a family in Battle Creek starting in 2003 and continued this during the summers of my first few years of teaching.” 

Lindsey landed a job out of state after graduating from Western to start her teaching career. “The job market for teachers was not good in Michigan at the time I graduated from Western,”  Lindsey recalled. “I randomly applied to teaching jobs in North Carolina. I was hired to teach kindergarten at West Clayton Elementary. Originally, I was hired to teach 2nd grade, but a few days before moving to North Carolina, I was told that the 2nd grade position was not available, but that I could teach kindergarten if I wanted.” This change became a defining moment for Lindsey. She had never imagined she would teach kindergarten and was somewhat nervous about this. It quickly became obvious that being a kindergarten teacher suited her well. “This change was difficult to accept, and I wasn’t sure that I still wanted to go, but ultimately I went there,” she admitted. “My parents packed me up in a U-Haul, and initially I did an extended stay in a hotel. Eventually I found an apartment.”  

The thought of moving so far away from home may have been a source of anxiety for Lindsey early on, but she quickly found comfort, and North Carolina felt like home. “I loved everything about working at West Clayton,” she said. “There were many veteran teachers on the Kindergarten team that I learned from. This was a large school. We had ten Kindergarten classrooms. The class sizes were capped at 18 with one para in each room. I remained at West Clayton for five years. I fell in love with North Carolina.” Lindsey would have been content to stay in North Carolina, but she was blessed with the birth of Colton in September of 2011, which left her rethinking what she wanted moving forward. “I decided that I wanted to be closer to family after Colton was born,” Lindsey shared. “I moved back to Battle Creek after the 2011/2012 school year. I was fortunate enough to find a teaching job. I started teaching Young Fives at Endeavor Charter Academy, and remained in the Young Fives room for two years before moving to  Kindergarten. I loved my experience at Endeavor. I worked with many great teachers and made many friends there.”

Working at Endeavor provided an opportunity for Lindsey to learn and grow as a teacher, establish contacts among her peers, and make some great friendships, but she decided to come to Harper Creek when an opportunity became available after five years with Endeavor. “Wattles Park teacher Rhonda Smart’s son Wyatt was a student in my class at Endeavor,” Lindsey recalled. “Rhonda recruited me to come join the team at Wattles Park. Wattles needed a Kindergarten teacher going into the 2017/2018 school year. I decided to apply, was called in for an interview, and was then offered the job. It seemed like a great opportunity, so I accepted the job.”

Lindsey has continued as an early childhood teacher and will begin her ninth year at Wattles Park. “I have taught Kindergarten here for all eight years, with the exception of teaching Developmental Kindergarten the first year Harper Creek implemented this program,” Lindsey said. “I look forward to another year of kindergarten this year.” Like all of the schools that Lindsey has taught in, her experience with Harper Creek has been a positive one. “I have enjoyed my experience at Harper Creek and want to work here until I retire,” Lindsey noted. “I love the Kindergarten team that I work with. The staff is great, the students are great, and the families are great. I like to make learning fun, and I feel that I am able to do that here.” 

Teaching Kindergarten has many challenges, but Lindsey manages to create a positive learning environment for her students every day. “I strive to make learning fun for my students,” she explained. “I like to do a lot of hands-on learning activities for my students. Kids need to be kids and learn through play and experiences. My favorite part of being a teacher is watching kids smile, learn, and build independence.” 

Lindsey went back to college a few years ago to earn a graduate degree. “Going back to school to get a Master’s degree was something I had considered in the past, but I didn’t feel like I could afford it,” Lindsey said. “I found out about Grow Your Own Grant (GYOG) when it first started, but I really didn’t consider applying for it. After talking to some co-workers who had started GYOG, it sounded like a good idea. I started in the summer of 2024. I hadn’t gone to school in 17 years, so it was a shock getting back into being a student. There were some tears, but I had some support from co-workers.” Lindsey chose the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) track. “The things that I have learned about teaching non-English speakers in my college classes are things that apply to all students, especially in Kindergarten,” she explained. “I graduated last May. Financially, it has been a bonus, saving me about $ 28,000 on tuition and books. It has really been a gift. Earning an MA gave me a close to $10000 pay raise as well. I am thankful to have had the opportunity.”

Outside of school, Lindsey stays very busy. “I like to spend time with friends and family,” Lindsey said. “Colton is a freshman at Harper Creek. He and I like to go to sporting events and travel. We travel to all his sports tournaments. Many of our excursions are centered around Colton wanting to go to every major league ballpark to see a game. So far, he has been to nine stadiums. Colton is playing tennis this fall, which is a new sport for him.” Lindsey also works part-time at a local wedding venue, Dreamfield Acres, during the summers and on weekends during the school year. 

Teaching at any level requires a certain level of patience, an ability to multitask, and the temperament to go off script when things don’t go as planned. It takes a special person to be a teacher, with Kindergarten teachers having a unique skill set and a passion for children starting their school journey. Lindsey and her team of Kindergarten teachers continue to lay the groundwork to prepare our students for thirteen years of school and beyond.

Dave Studer Story

 For the Love of the Game

“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

—-Mark Anthony

A career of working with our youth can provide contentment and joy spread out over multiple decades. Even with the moments of fulfillment, teaching, coaching, and mentoring can be exhausting. For many in our profession, retirement planning begins as we near the thirty-year mark. The rewards are much appreciated, but there comes a time when a new chapter must be written, and a change of pace is needed. Harper Creek varsity wrestling coach Dave Studer has taken a unique approach in his career. He has almost doubled the thirty-year mark with Harper Creek. His love for his craft is what keeps him coming back year after year.

Dave is unique among our employees in many ways, but perhaps what sets him apart most from the rest of us is his age. At 82, he may have a few decades or more on most of us, but his years as a teacher and a coach have kept him young. He reflected on his childhood. “I was born in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1944, the second oldest of six siblings. We grew up in Port Huron, went to school in Port Huron School District, and graduated from Port Huron High School, which at that time was a three-year high school for 10th through 12th grade.”  

Dave was small in stature compared to the other athletes attending his high school, but he didn’t let this deter him from participating in sports. “I played football my sophomore year, but found a more suitable sport for me after this,” Dave said. “A friend of mine encouraged me to try out for wrestling. At this time, there were no divisions for high school wrestling in Michigan. We had a really solid team that competed with some of the state’s bigger schools. I had some very talented teammates who pushed me to be a better wrestler. They always dominated me during our practices, but this only helped me achieve success during our competitions. I went undefeated in our league, the Eastern Michigan League, for my entire three-year career.” Some of Dave’s high school teammates and coaches were successful in their sport beyond the high school level. “For my last two years, we had an excellent coach, Anthony Benito, who had wrestled at Bowling Green,”  Dave explained. “He was a small guy but tough, and he knew what he was doing. I had teammates who competed for Miami of Ohio, and another for Eastern Michigan. Two who graduated a year before me went to wrestle at Michigan.” Dave competed at the collegiate level after high school. “I wrestled in the 95-pound weight division in high school and was recruited by coaches from Western Michigan, U of M, and Eastern Michigan,” Dave noted. “I considered going to Michigan, but decided to go to WMU because I was unsure if I could handle the academics at Michigan.” Dave graduated from high school in 1962 and went to WMU to compete in the 123-pound weight division.

Dave was a dedicated athlete in high school, but he quickly found out that competing at the DI collegiate level required a higher level of commitment. “I found out in college that the coaches and team owned my time,” Dave explained. “Between off-season conditioning and the regular season, we were preparing for the competition year-round. We couldn’t even go home for Thanksgiving. The dorms were closed for the holiday weekend, but our coaches would find people we could stay with. When I was in college, the only athletes who used the weight room were the wrestlers and the track team's throwers. The football team never used the weight room. At that time, it was believed that bulking up would hurt the skill level required for football.” 

Dave enjoyed participating in athletics during his high school days and wanted to continue in this capacity as an adult. “Ultimately, I wanted a career as a coach,” he said. “I would coach Little League Baseball when I came back home from college each summer. When I enrolled at WMU, I decided to major in physical education and minor in health and psychology.” 

Dave finished at WMU in 1968 with everything completed except for student teaching. “I was working for the government in the Job Corps Division, so I decided not to do my student teaching,” Dave noted. “Harper Creek was looking for a fill-in wrestling coach in 1968 as the middle of the school year approached. The AD contacted my college coach for references, and he gave them my name. I received a call to come coach for Harper Creek. This was supposed to be temporary, but it turned into a lifetime career.” 

Because of the opportunity presented by Harper Creek, Dave was doing what he wanted to do. He was in his element. “I continued to coach and work for the Job Corps but eventually quit the Job Corps to do my student teaching in physical education at Harper Creek High School,” Dave recalled. “My first season as wrestling coach was a success. My athletes wanted to win but were kind of soft. I brought some of my Job Corps kids to practice with them to help build their mental toughness. Through the season, they learned to become tough. We won the regionals meet that year. It was exciting as a first-year coach. I can still remember the names of all of the kids on this first team. The development of each of them as wrestlers carried over to other sports.” 

After Dave took over as wrestling coach, Harper Creek administrators also wanted to hire him as a teacher. “After I began coaching, I did my student teaching in the physical education department at the high school,” Dave explained. “The next school year, I started my first teaching position, traveling between Beadle Lake, Sonoma, and Wattles as the district's first elementary PE teacher. Other job duties included running the 6th-grade camp for Beadle Lake.” Dave met his wife, Julianne, while working as Harper Creek’s district elementary PE teacher. Julianne was a sixth-grade teacher at Beadle Lake at the time. “Julianne was an outstanding teacher and has received several awards as a teacher,” Dave said. “We were married in Las Vegas in July of 1975. I have one daughter, Julie Ann Sims, and a son, David G. Studer, and Julie has a son, David R. Studer. We have four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.”

Wrestling has always been Dave’s passion, but he spent his teaching career coaching three sports seasons each year. “I was the JV football coach my first year of teaching. I coached football for about three years,” Dave shared. “I was also coaching boys' tennis in the spring. When Harper Creek added a girls’ tennis team for the fall, I quit football and started coaching girls’ tennis. I coached tennis up until I retired from teaching.” Dave enjoyed his role as boys and girls tennis coach and the success his teams experienced. “The last girls’ tennis team I coached had two girls receive full-ride scholarships,” Dave said. “Marie Cameron went to Grand Valley as their number one singles player all four years, and Nicky Schwarz attended Saginaw Valley, where she was their number one singles player all four years. In their senior year, they met at their college conference finals, where Nicky won.” Dave’s tennis teams won more regional championships through the years than his wrestling teams have won, with three for the boys’ program and two for the girls' program. “My last ten years of coaching tennis, the boys' team went to the state meet every year, and the girls went eight out of my last ten years,” he noted. “I had some success coaching tennis and really enjoyed it.” 

Dave started his tenure at Harper Creek as the district elementary PE teacher, but the bulk of his teaching career was spent at the secondary level. “After leaving the elementary schools, I split my time between the Middle School and High School, teaching physical education,” Dave explained. “Eventually, I was just teaching at the high school. I have also taught health and psychology. I taught weightlifting classes. I started the Bigger, Faster, Stronger Program at Harper Creek. For several years, I also taught gymnastics classes at the high school. Eventually, the equipment began to deteriorate and became unsafe. The district couldn’t afford to get new equipment, so gymnastics was dropped.” Dave is a firm believer that the skills involved in gymnastics are important for development in all sports. Through the years, he has incorporated the tumbling components of gymnastics into his wrestling practices.

For the bulk of his career, Dave’s schedule spilled over from the school day to evenings and weekends with athletic practices and competitions. He even took on a hobby beyond teaching and coaching that consumed much of his time. “I had always had a desire to raise cattle,” he explained. “Julianne and I owned a farm near Marshall, where I was able to raise a small number of cattle, but over time, this farm became too small. Eventually, we found a bigger farm near Albion and bought it. I still raise cattle today, but on a much smaller scale. For several years, I was teaching, coaching three sports seasons, and raising cattle.”

After more than three decades, Dave was ready for his life to slow down some, but not to go on full pause. “When I retired from teaching in 2001, I had spent about 35 years in this role,” Dave said. “I gave up coaching tennis, but still wanted to coach wrestling. I have seen over the years what wrestling and athletics can do for the development of kids. You are on your own on the mat, but you still have teammates. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to see young kids mature and graduate from high school and become active members of the community. I tell the kids that if they can wrestle, they can do anything in life. I’m grateful that I can still do this. I will be 82 in May. I know that coaching has kept me young. What I have noticed is that there is a community in wrestling. The kids compete on the mat, but they are a community off the mat.”

Like many coaches, Dave has witnessed the impact of his sport on future generations. Athletics teach our kids specific skills aligned to their sport, but the common thread for all sports is the life lessons that are learned that mold young athletes into productive adult workers, dedicated spouses, and loving, supportive parents. He has seen many of his former athletes come back to Harper Creek to make their mark on our community. This list includes Beadle Lake 2nd Grade teacher, Nicole Schwarz, one of Dave’s former tennis players. Former wrestlers for Dave who currently work for the district or have in the past include Joe Yurisich, who has served as teacher, administrator, and coach; Jim Robinson, who has coached and filled the role of maintenance supervisor for many years;  Larry Quick, who has been a teacher and coach for his alma mater since 1993, as well as Tony Evans and Joe Ramos who have come back to their home school to coach.

Dave’s passion for teaching and coaching has been the driving force for his years of dedication to Harper Creek, but there are other factors. “Next year will be my 60th year of coaching,” Dave shared. “I will keep doing it as long as I feel that I am making a difference for my athletes. My expectations for kids have never changed. I have had opportunities at both the high school and college level to leave, but I have always enjoyed it here and never really had any desire to pack my bags. I have had a lot of support from the administration, staff, and community here at Harper Creek.” 

Going to work each day is an integral part of life for most individuals in our society. If you hate your job, then your life will be one of misery. If your job does not bring you joy but is still tolerable, then your life can be manageable. If you are lucky enough to have a passion for your job and benefit from the joy that it brings you each day, then your life is blessed. Nearly 60 years into his career as a teacher and coach, it appears that Dave’s chronological age does not match his biological age. The joy that his job has given him is likely a major ingredient in Dave’s recipe for slowing the aging process. This joy has also kept him coming back every year for nearly six decades.

Lesa Kenney Story

  Inspiring Students and Staff

“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.”

—Coleen Wilcox

Each of us has our own unique teaching journey that has led us to our current position with Harper Creek. Some of our teachers have taught the same grade or content in the same building and classroom for their entire careers. Others have also called Harper Creek home for the duration while completing stints in more than one position and different buildings within our district. There are also teachers in our schools, including Beadle Lake Spanish teacher Lesa Kenney, who have gained experience with other districts prior to coming to Harper Creek. Lesa has made stops at several school districts in our area, gaining valuable experience along the way, but has now found a home here at Harper Creek. 

Lesa was raised in Battle Creek for much of her childhood and has lived here all of her adult life. “I was born in Coshocton, Ohio, on November 4, 1981, the oldest of three children of my parents, Craig and Coessa Kenney,” Lesa said. “My sister Leslie was born in 1983, and my brother Michael was born in 1984.” Lesa and her family were still living in Ohio when she started kindergarten. “I walked to school every day, starting in kindergarten on my own,” Lesa recalled. “I remember Mom always hugging me before I left for school each morning. Both of my parents worked, so I had a babysitter who watched me when I came home from school. My dad would leave work at noon to pick me up and drive me to the babysitter’s house, before going back to work. We would often stop at Taco Stop, a local restaurant, to get lunch.” 

Lesa and her family came to Michigan the summer after she finished kindergarten. “We moved to Springfield,” Lesa explained. “My dad was transferred here with his job. He worked at Clow Piping Company. Dad eventually started working at Musasshi in the Fort Custer Industrial Area. He worked at a few other places and retired as a salesman for RSB Transmission, an auto parts company in Homer, after they closed a few years ago.

My mom worked as a waitress when we still lived in Ohio, and when we came to Springfield, she enrolled at KCC to get her degree to be a paralegal.  She continued to waitress and began an internship at the Calhoun County Courthouse while getting her degree at KCC. She started working there full-time in 1993 and continued there for 27 years before she retired.” 

Moving to the Battle Creek area and leaving extended family was initially a challenging transition for Lesa, but she was able to create many fond childhood memories here.”I remember going skating every weekend at Midway Rolling Rink,” Lesa recalled. “Mom would bring my siblings and me, and as many friends as we could fit in our van. Skating was one of my favorite activities growing up. After the pandemic, I dusted off my old skates, which were over thirty years old, and started skating again.”  As an adult, swimming and being in the water have become one of Lesa’s biggest passions. This began as a child, with time spent at Fort Custer State Park and on the shores of Lake Michigan. “We also went to Eagle Lake often during our summer vacations to swim when I was growing up,” added Lesa. “It was a great family time. Many summer afternoons were also spent in Lake Michigan at Warren Dunes State Park.”

Lesa and her siblings went to Battle Creek Public Schools. “We went to Valley View Elementary, Springfield Middle School, and Battle Creek Central High School.” Lesa enjoyed music as a child. “I participated in band and choir starting in middle school,” she said. “I played in the marching band, wind ensemble, and I played the flute. I also participated in softball and volleyball at Springfield Middle School. I stopped playing sports in high school. I just didn’t enjoy the competitive nature.”

Lesa’s mom instilled in her and her siblings the concept of a hard work ethic. “I started my first job in ninth grade, working at Post Gardens. They were flexible with after-school activities,” she explained. “My family struggled financially, so this was a way that I could pay for some things on my own.”

Lesa graduated from Battle Creek Central in the spring of 2000 and started college that fall. “I went to KCC for three years after high school, studying music and Spanish education,” Lesa noted. “I had wanted to be a music teacher since middle school. My middle school music teachers, Ms. Stewart and Mr. Waters, inspired me to want to teach music. I studied Spanish because my husband spoke mostly Spanish at this time, and I didn’t speak any Spanish. Both of us are now fluent in Spanish and English. He does have some thickness in his accent, but he is capable of communicating well in English.”

Lesa earned her associate's degree in both Spanish and music from KCC in 2003. She continued her education from there to pursue her teaching degree. “Music had been my passion for many years, and I wanted to share this passion with students,” Lesa reflected. “I wanted to be a choir instructor, and part of the process for being accepted to a college program to do this included a singing audition. This was a highly competitive process. I auditioned at Central Michigan and Western Michigan but didn’t get in.”  Lesa took a semester off from school and went to work full-time at Post Gardens. She needed some time to think about things. Although it didn’t look like being a choir instructor was going to work out, Lesa still wanted to be a teacher. “I went back to school, enrolling at Western Michigan in January of 2004 in the education department, majoring in Spanish and minoring in English. Four weeks later, I started working part-time at Springfield Middle School, working with Hispanic students who were struggling with the English language.” 

Working with Springfield Middle School’s Hispanic population helped to provide on-the-job application to the content she was learning in her classes at Western, but this wasn’t the only positive aspect of her new job. “It was neat to go back and work with some of my former middle school teachers,” Lesa said. She graduated from Western Michigan in 2007. She had to resign from her job at Springfield Middle School to complete her internship at Battle Creek Central High School. She finished her internship with her teaching certificate, ready to start her career. 

Lesa began her career in education in 2008 and spent the next decade gaining experience in various teaching roles across multiple school districts. There were many circumstances that were responsible for her playing musical chairs, moving from district to district. Still, she was able to take in valuable lessons from each assignment and eventually found a permanent home.  “In my first year out of college, I worked at Verona Elementary providing bilingual support,” Lesa commented. “I did this for one school year and then went to Albion to teach high school Spanish starting in 2008 for two years. I left Albion in 2010 and taught elementary Spanish in Maple Valley for the 2010/2011 school year. After one year at Maple Valley. I went back to Springfield Middle School as a bilingual support interventionist for the 2011/2012 school year. I continued to look for a teaching position while working as an interventionist at Springfield and accepted a job at Pennfield as a high school and middle school Spanish teacher starting in the fall of 2012 for two years. I left Pennfield after two years and accepted a job with Hastings Public High School for one year, teaching Spanish. Then I accepted a job with Jenison High School near Grand Rapids to teach Spanish. I was at Jenison for three years.”

After her three-year stint with Jenison High School, Lesa joined our team at Harper Creek. “I started teaching Spanish at Beadle Lake in 2018,” Lesa shared. “I appreciate that our elementary students here at Harper Creek are learning Spanish. Young children can grasp concepts related to learning a language. It makes sense to teach them a second language at a young age. My goal is for my students to learn Spanish, but also to create an atmosphere that accepts making mistakes and learning from them.”

Lesa draws on her music background as a Spanish teacher. “One of the things that helped me learn Spanish as a young adult was singing,” explained Lesa. “I try to incorporate music and singing into my lessons. I also use hand gestures as part of my teaching. My emphasis for teaching Spanish is the language component, and I also embed the cultural part of the curriculum into my lessons.”

One of Lesa’s goals is to provide enrichment opportunities outside of the classroom for learning. “We have taken our students from all three elementary buildings to the Hispanic Flamenco Ballet for the past few years, which has been paid for through a grant,” Lesa said. “This experience has inspired me as a teacher. We have hosted this event for a few years. Next year, it will be at the Kellogg Auditorium, with Harper Creek hosting it again. I’m hoping kids from other schools can go. It’s exciting for me to promote cultural equity for not just Harper Creek students but also students throughout Battle Creek and Calhoun County to have opportunities for these experiences.” 

Like many of our other teachers, Lesa has a child who is a student in our district. “My daughter Zuleyka is in second grade at Beadle Lake,” Lesa shared. “I love having her at school with me. We have signals for each other that we use when we see each other in the hallway. I feel she loves being with me at Beadle Lake. I am dreading when she goes to middle school.” Zuleyka was born when Lesa was 36. Lesa and Zuleyka’s father, Poli, met while working at Post Gardens when Lesa was in high school. They started dating and married six years later in 2004.

Lesa also started a second job, working part-time evenings, weekends, and summer vacations around the same time she started her teaching career. “I started working at the YMCA part-time, teaching swim lessons in 2006,” Lesa explained. “My sister, Leslie Fuller, started working at the YMCA in 2000. The YMCA needed lifeguards, and Leslie convinced me to apply to work there. She said that I could work part-time during the school year and pick up more hours during the summer. I started lifeguarding in 2007 and started mermaiding in 2018. I work events at different pools and lakes in the area as a mermaid. Currently, I teach water aerobics, group swim lessons, and private lessons for Hampton Aquatics at night, on weekends, and during the summer.” 

Lesa had always enjoyed being in the water during her childhood summers, spending time swimming on Eagle Lake and Lake Michigan. However, working as a lifeguard and swim instructor allowed her to develop a deeper love for being in the water. “I love swimming for the enrichment component,” she said. “Being in the water soothes my soul. It seems to naturally de-stress me. Whatever stress I have had is gone after teaching swim lessons.” Lesa has also worked part-time working as an interpreter for Voces, a community organization that provides services for the community. 

Lesa has experienced a major health scare over the last few years that has required time out of the classroom, giving her an appreciation for life. “I went in for a regular wellness exam in August of 2024,” she explained. “I had just turned forty-one, so I was told that I needed to do a routine mammogram. I previously had a mammogram in 2023, and the mammogram in 2024 showed a difference from the one in 2023, so I had to get a biopsy. I was officially diagnosed with breast cancer in November of 2024. I didn’t have to do radiation or chemo, but had surgery in January of 2025 to remove the tumor. Medical tests confirmed that  I had the BRCA 2 gene, so I also had to have a second surgery to have my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in June. I had reconstructive surgery in December on my breast. One of the most difficult things for me with these surgeries is not being able to get in the water.” 

Lesa has had a positive impact on her students during her time at Beadle Lake while also providing inspiration for other staff. Co-worker Penney Durbin talked about the influence Lesa has had on her. “Despite facing the challenges of breast cancer and undergoing reconstructive surgery, Lesa has continued to inspire both her students and her colleagues. Lesa truly brings language learning to life for her students, orchestrating enriching field trips for grades one through twelve, including the upcoming Flamenco Ballet. Her efforts not only enhance their educational experience but also instill a love for learning in her students. What sets Lesa apart is her unwavering positivity and the genuine affection she shows for all the children she teaches. Lesa's dedication to providing the best education for students at Harper Creek Community Schools is exemplary.”

Penney’s kind words for Lesa truly illustrate that, as educators, we all have the opportunity to make a difference for our students, but also that our impact can go beyond our students. The guidance, mentorship, and inspiration we provide for our co-workers creates a ripple effect in how each of us has a positive impact on students.