College for Kids 2013 Faculty Bios
Patty Albrecht has taught all aspects of fine art, sewing and crafting, folk art, and
art history. She participated in the Blue Heron Project for the Winona Fine Arts
Commission. As a lifetime resident of Winona, she enjoys the summer months on the
Mississippi River, fishing, boating, and birding with her son. She works for the HeadStart Program with 3-5 year olds during the school year and tutor reading on the
side whenever possible.
Rhonda Aspensen is a Business Education teacher at Winona Senior High School
where she has been employed for the past 22 years. She teaches computer programs
including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. She also teaches law, accounting,
and keyboarding. She attended Winona State University receiving both her
bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Kyle Aure is a senior at Winona State University studying Secondary Mathematics
Education and minoring in Japanese. Kyle really enjoys learning and teaching to
others the things that he has learned over the years. Along side math and Japanese,
he has lot of other hobbies including: rollerblading, knitting, and doodling during
classes.
Nancy Bachler grew up in Winona. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, and then a master's degree from
Middlebury College in Vermont. Three of her college years were spent studying in
Paris. She has been teaching French and French literature at St. Mary's University
since 1976. She has been with the WSU College For Kids program as a faculty
member since its beginning.
Eric Barnard is the Director of the Winona State University Outdoor Education &
Recreation Center and instructor in the Recreation, Tourism, & Therapeutic
Recreation Department at WSU. In addition, Eric is a Lead Instructor for the
National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)/ Wilderness Medicine Institute and is
an Instructor Trainer for the Professional Climbing Instructors Association (PCIA).
He currently resides in Winona, MN with his wife and three boys and truly loves
getting people of all walks of life outside to enjoy the amazing recreational and
educational opportunities that are found in the Mississippi River valley.
Jody Berhow is an artist and an art teacher for the Winona Area Catholic Schools.
She has offered classes in the College For Kids program for more than 20 years. She
resides in Winona with her family and has taught many classes in drawing and the
arts to all ages of students in the Winona area.
Jeanine Black has two great passions: language and trains. She enjoys sparking the
interest of children and young adults to pursue language study. She holds master's
degrees in French and English from the University of Kansas and Georgetown
University and also studied at the Université de Genève. She has taught French as an
adjunct faculty member of the WSU Global Studies and World Languages
department. In addition to teaching French and English at the university level in the
U.S., she has taught English at several language schools in France, is a K-12
substitute teacher in Winona, and is a proofreader for the Winona Post. She also had
a 20-year career in the railroad and transit industry in Washington, DC, having
worked for passenger rail car manufacturer Bombardier and the Washington Metro
system. She has given presentations on high-speed rail in the US, Canada and Europe
and has assisted with tours of European high-speed rail facilities for US state and
federal government officials.
Andrea Church is a special education teacher at the Winona Senior High School
where she teaches a replacement Physical Science class. She has taught at CFK for
the past few years and has a special interest in using technology in education.
Laura Edlund is a Social Studies Teacher at St. Charles High School. Laura enjoys
learning about history and continuing to explore her adopted community of Winona.
Connie Johnson is the founder of the Lady Mav Steppers (MSU Step Team) 20062010. She started stepping in the Midwest in elementary school. Known for
choreography created for cultural events, she is an instructor for local communities
interested in cultural enrichment. She is currently an Admissions Counselor and
Inclusion & Diversity Liaison at Winona State University.
Erika Johnsrud is a college student who just finished her second year at Augsburg
College in Minneapolis. Her majors are Studio Art and Spanish. Erika grew up in
Winona where she attended College for Kids as a student, and later as a volunteer. In
her free time she likes to watch movies, travel, spend time with family, swim, and
draw.
Debby Klages has taught College for Kids classes for more than 20 years. She has a
degree in Music Performance and Art from St. Olaf College plus a degree in Art
Education and Studio Art from the University of Minnesota. Exploring and playing
with creative ideas have been essential throughout her life and fed her hungry soul!
No matter how experienced Debby is an as artist, every year, she continues to learn
new approaches and explorations from her students, who are the greatest, fearless
leaders!
Bill Kuhl has worked with computers for the past 20 years but has been building
and flying model airplanes for 40 years. He has taught model airplane classes for
several groups including College For Kids in the past. In the last couple of years he
has introduced kites, model solar cars, mousetrap cars, and water rockets in to
classes. He has also has an interest in alternative energy and has been
experimenting with model wind turbines.
Mitch Miller is from Winona and studied Biology Education at Winona State. He
loves the outdoors, and worked as a Naturalist at Eagle Bluff Environmental
Learning Center for two years. Hiking with a field guide is one of his favorite
hobbies, especially to gain awareness of what is alive around him.
Kercia Mueller recently graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with
a degree in Art/Graphic Design. Although she loved being a student, she is excited
about the next chapter of her life. Besides her passion for design and art history, she
loves scrapbooking, reading, and traveling - she spent a month last summer in
Rome, Italy! This is Kercia’s fourth year teaching at College for Kids and is looking
forward to sharing her passions with her students.
Lori Ortega has been working for the benefit of children for over 15 years in many
capacities including coordinating educational lyceums, working with local, state and
national PTA, teaching in summer programs, and volunteering for area schools. She
has a great interest in nature and has had a lifelong love for the ocean and shell
collecting and previously lived on the Gulf coast and the west coast where her
collections grew extensively. Lori has a B.S from the University of Iowa in Liberal
Arts and General Education, a B.S from Winona State University in Business
Administration, and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. She lives in
Winona with her husband, two children and yellow lab and this is her fifth year
teaching for College for Kids.
Kay Pedretti has been a CFK instructor for more years than she can remember. She
has taught science at many levels and currently teaches courses and prepares labs
for the Biology Department at Winona State University. Her educational
background includes a degree from University of Minnesota, Waseca (Horticulture),
a degree from Winona State University (Biology-Life Science Teaching) and a degree
from St. Mary’s University, (Education).
Melanie Reap taught Middle School science and currently teaches Winona State
University students how to teach science in elementary schools. She is a licensed
amateur radio operator, call sign KD0NTM.
Halley Sobeck is a 15-year participant in College for Kids! She took classes,
volunteered, and is now teaching. Halley is a junior at Winona State University
studying Art and English. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, ceramics, hanging
out with her dogs, and yoga. She is very excited to be a part of the CFK faculty this
year!
Christopher Vondracek is a faculty member in the English Department at Saint
Mary’s University of Minnesota. He has taught composition, rhetoric, literature, and
most recently a semester-long independent study on short fiction. His fiction has
appeared in Future Cities and Mosaic, and he is a regular contributor to The
Tangential, a creative writing blog. His creative nonfiction novel, Dances with Welk,
started as a novella for his graduate thesis at the University of South Dakota, is
nearing completion.
Karen Whitney-Thrune taught in the Family and Consumer Science Program
(FACS) at the Winona Middle School for 11 years. She is currently a counselor at
Winona Senior High School.
Dr. Brice Wilkinson has been associated with Winona State University for 41 years.
He is an 8th degree Black belt in Judo and has played and taught Tai Chi for 32 years.
Heather Williams is an assistant professor in WSU’s Department of Theatre and
Dance where she teaches acting and audition classes. She has performed in
numerous productions including The Glass Menagerie (Amanda), Hairspray (Velma)
and, most recently, played the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone. Heather also
serves as one of the directors for WSU’s mainstage season.
Dr. Lee Windsperger is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics
and Statistics at Winona State University. He completed his Ph.D. in mathematics in
August of 2012 at Louisiana State University. During his time at LSU, he worked
with a variety of mathematical outreach programs geared toward students and
teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He also served as the
director of the LSU MathCircle Summer Program, which is a residential enrichment
program for middle and high school students.