Staff Spotlight: Sara Gangle

Officer Gangle

Sara Gangle, St. Cloud police officer and school resource officer for North Junior High School, Madison Elementary School and Lincoln Elementary School, did not originally plan for a career in law enforcement. Instead, she earned her degree in community psychology and chemical dependency. Gangle worked in a psychiatric unit in South Dakota for a year … Read more

Staff Spotlight: Summer (Chengying) Yang-Farmerie

Summer Yang-Farmerie

Becoming a kindergarten Chinese immersion teacher at Madison Elementary School was the furthest thing from Summer Yang-Farmerie’s mind while growing up in China. Yang-Farmerie grew up in western China and began learning English in middle school, but she never dreamed she’d be teaching her native language as an adult. “When I went to college,” says … Read more

Introducing Pathways Coordinator Alisha Lacina

Lacina and her family

As part of its mission, St. Cloud Area School District prepares and empowers students to lead a successful life. That mission expands this year at Apollo High School with a new career and college pathways coordinator, Alisha Lacina. It’s her job to assist freshmen and sophomores to prepare for life after high school, and she’s … Read more

Staff Spotlight: Celeste Hains

Celeste Hains

Madison Elementary School’s special education teacher Celeste Hains didn’t plan on being a teacher. In fact, she was a social worker who was working on her marriage and family therapy license. It was her son’s principal, Kate Butkowski, who approached her about substitute teaching for St. Cloud Area School District. Hains gave it a try, … Read more

Staff Spotlight: Kate Flynn

Kate Flynn

Kate Flynn, principal at Madison Elementary School, is retiring after 34 years in education, six of those with St. Cloud Area School District, but she reflects that an educational career wasn’t what she intended. She is a singer and loves music, so she always wanted to be a performer. “I thought for sure my career … Read more