Stacey Kietzman opened up a world of discovery for St. Joseph-Ogden students

By Dani Tietz

The world is full of wonder.

This is just one of the things St. Joseph-Ogden High School Science Teacher Stacey Kietzman wanted students to know. 

Those lessons happened both inside and outside of the classroom.

Keitzman focused on anatomy and biology, teaching students about the world around them through plant identification, running a deer check station at Kickapoo State Park, and traveling to Southern Illinois to canoe and hike.

“I also have had field trips to the University of Illinois and the cadaver lab at Parkland which were very memorable,” Kietzman said. 

While her love of science also began in the classroom, her interest in teaching began at home. 

“I decided to go into education because most of my family had been educators and they really enjoyed their jobs,” she said.

“I had a great professor in college that made me love the sciences.”

After 34 years working with students, she hopes they take along a bit of curiosity about the world around them, a love for the practice of science, and a little bit more. 

“I also hope they see the need to respect one another and be kind to each other,” she said. 

Kietzman’s efforts were recognized last fall when she was chosen as teacher of the quarter by fellow educators. 

“Teaching has definitely been a fulfilling career for me,” she said. “It did not seem like a job to me for it was something I enjoyed doing each day.”

Now that her career has come to an end, Kietzman plans on becoming more active in her church while also volunteering in the community and spending more time with her parents. 

“I would also like to take trips with my husband and spend more time with friends and family,” she said.