Hello, my name is Jennie. I received a BA in Psychology/Elementary Ed from Bethel College and added Early Childhood/Special Ed licensure from the U of M. It is my pleasure to welcome everyone who comes through the door and greet people on the phone during my day. I really enjoy working at NMFA and being a positive influence on all that I meet and greet. In my free time, I enjoy going to movies and plays (especially the ones my niece shines in) and spending time with family and friends.
Archives: Staff
Gerardo Hernandez
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Anna Gonzaga
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Caesare Engstrom
Hello. My name is Caesare Engstrom. I am the physical education and health teacher here at North Metro Flex Academy. My whole life has been centered around being active as an athlete myself, being a coach, a gym teacher and individually as I continue to strive to live a healthy lifestyle as much as I can. My passion to teach physical education and health stems from a desire to share my knowledge, experiences, and encouragement for our youth today. Being physically active, on any level, has so many positive benefits to our bodies both mentally and physically, that I hope my support and encouragement can help our youth realize the benefits too. Aside from being a teacher, my family and I enjoy frequenting our cabins in the summertime, playing hockey in the wintertime and much more outdoor fun and entertainment in between.
Amanda Dobbelman
She has four kids who she has homeschooled before COVID and has also worked with kids in various education settings including Special Education. Her family loves animals and the outdoors, and have two cats and would like a dog. In Amanda’s spare time she enjoys running, skiing, camping, and hiking.
Chris Cowan
Hello, my name is Chris Cowan and I am the middle school math para, specializing in math intervention. I’ve been working with students from Kindergarten through adults for over twenty years, but my favorite grades are junior high. My goal is always to help people understand math in ways that take away the stress and negative feelings commonly associated with the subject. I enjoy reading, art, movies, and video games.
Ceil Crowley
I knew at a young age that I wanted to work with children, I taught primary grades for 14 years. I enjoyed the leadership roles I had while teaching and those experiences led me to the path of administration. My entire career has been focused on working with and teaching children and adults. I have an Elementary Education degree from St. Catherine University, Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Administration, and an Educational Specialist degree in Administration and Leadership from the University of St. Thomas. I am fortunate to have experienced many different settings, with populations of 175-700 students, working with students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
As I retired from administration, I found after forty some years, I couldn’t stay away from education. I was fortunate to be hired as Test Coordinator at North Metro Flex Academy. I work with the MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) and NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) testing. Both of these programs measure academic progress and growth with the students. The results allow our teachers to know where a student’s strengths are, or if help might be needed in any specific areas. Teachers use this information to help guide instruction and curriculum development. I love the challenge of working with all of the grades.
Garius Carey
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Elizabeth Bercaw
She is the ESL Teacher at North Metro Flex Academy, devoting her life to the improvement of human wellbeing, present and future, developed through linguistic and cultural access to American life. Core curriculum is set by a state’s board of experts, providing general subject skills, reflective of future career and independence tasks, thinking capabilities and social health. It is a shared experience that promotes faith in life, self and citizenship.
Born in Puyallup, Washington, she attended Moorhead State University, taught Art for 9 years, married and had a family. At St. Mary’s University of Minneapolis, she pursued a degree in English as a Second Language, having remembered her father’s example, giving support to oppressed or neglected peoples. Liz did practice-teaching in Spain, learning some of the phases of adjustment to a new language.
She continues to learn new and better ways to help dual language speakers acquire and retain new academic language. She hopes to assist students to become adept and active in observing, practicing and applying new language, according to subject.
Madeline Anderson
My name is Madeline Anderson, a.k.a. Ms. Anderson and I am the Fine Arts teacher here at NMFA. I grew up in western WI, went to college at the University of MN, Duluth, and taught around rural Wisconsin for a few years before coming here. In my free time I love to create music with people and work on many different types of projects. I also spend a lot of time camping, hiking, and gardening when the weather is warm! I absolutely love teaching art and music and I love seeing all the talent and creativity pour out of the students at North Metro Flex Academy.