Milaca announces its 2024 teachers of the year

Milaca Public Schools recently announced its Teachers of the Year for 2024 for their dedication to their students.

High school social studies teacher Colleen Bell and fourth grade teacher Rachel Arens were the two recipients of the award after being selected from multiple nominated candidates.

Bell grew up in Isanti and attended the University of Wisconsin - River Falls for her undergraduate degree, and then St. Mary’s University for her master’s degree, and she earned a government certificate from St. Cloud State University.

After completing college, Bell entered into her first teaching job at Milaca High School, where she has remained for the entirety of her 17-year teaching career.

Despite her years of teaching, Bell originally wanted to be a country singer.

“Originally, I wanted to be a country singer, but I didn’t really have the talent for that,” Bell said.

It was Bell’s ninth grade history teacher that inspired her to pursue a career in teaching.

“My ninth grade history teacher was a fascinating guy. People didn’t really like him because he was strict and odd, but (when he was teaching) for World War I, he used to build a trench in our classroom that we had to crawl through to get into the classroom,” Bell said. “It was a super unique experience. I don’t have students crawl through trenches, but he was the reason I wanted to teach.”

One of Bell’s favorite things about teaching is the opportunities she is able to provide to her students through the trips she plans for them.

Every year, Bell plans a trip to Washington, D.C., for a small group of students. She is also currently planning a trip to Peru for students in the summer of 2025, and a couple of years after that trip, she is planning one to Greece and Rome. Bell has also taken students to multiple parts of Europe.

“The biggest thing for me isn’t really the teaching piece, it’s more the opportunities to give students who might not get those opportunities outside of school,” Bell said. “Probably the best parts of my career was getting to travel with kids and show them the world, also creating relationships through that stuff.”

Similarly, Bell hopes her students are able to learn about the world through those experiences with her as their teacher.

“I think the biggest thing is that concept that there’s a big world out there outside of Milaca, and I want to encourage students to take adventures and see the world and different cultures,” Bell said. “There’s more to experience.”

On the other hand, Bell thinks the most challenging part of teaching has been helping students understand the importance of an education.

“I think there’s like a cultural change where education is not as valued as it was in the past, so it’s a challenge to get kids to buy in and see the value in school,” Bell said.

While Bell is excited and grateful for the recognition of Teacher of the Year, she also believes there are many teachers who are deserving of the award.

“It’s exciting, but there are so many people that are deserving. It’s a hard job that we all do. It’s nice to be recognized, but it’s probably not necessary,” Bell said.

Rachel Arens felt similarly to Bell about being one of the recipients.

“I was surprised. I was very happy and shocked. There are so many other deserving people,” Arens said. “It means the world to me, because I feel passionate about teaching and it’s an honor to think that others feel that I do my job well.”

Arens has been a teacher for 22 years, 19 at Milaca Elementary School.

Originally from Sartell, Arens attended St. Cloud State University where she earned her undergraduate degree. She then attended St. Mary’s University for her master’s degree, after which she got her first job as a fifth grade teacher in Monticello.

Arens always knew she wanted to be a teacher and even used to pretend to be a teacher when she was young.

Her favorite part about teaching is being able to make a difference in the lives of her students.

“I love being around students and making a difference in their life to help shape them to be adults someday,” Arens said. “I love when my former students come back to visit me.”

Similarly, Arens loves being able to help her students succeed, enjoys the challenge of finding new ways to help them learn, and hopes that is what they remember from their time as her students.

“I hope to have a very positive impact on my students so that someday they can look back and say, ‘She helped me, she guided me, and she cared about me when I was her student,’” Arens said. “If they don’t understand something, what else can I do to help them? Just finding different ways to help them understand the lessons.”

Most of all, Arens is grateful to be able to work with her students and the other staff in Milaca School District.

“I just feel really grateful to be in such a great school with our students, and our staff is so encouraging and I love that I get to be in a good place every single day,” Arens said. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Reach Chloe Smith at chloe.smith@apgecm.com