Hometown advantage

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DIXON - At the start of a new school year, most junior high students are concerned about how they'll fit in with the people around them - as are many of the teachers. One of the newest teachers at Reagan Middle School may find that a hometown advantage makes that process just a little bit easier. Kelly Henkel grew up in Dixon, attended St. Mary School, then Newman Central Catholic High School in Sterling. He received his undergraduate degree in history with a minor in education from North Central College in Naperville, then did a year as a student-teacher at Naperville North High School before taking a full-time assignment. "I never looked back," Henkel said of his decision to teach, made at the beginning of college. That decision was reaffirmed by his Naperville post. "I enjoyed my experience immensely." The 23-year-old, who is younger than most of his colleagues, said he's aware of the difficulties younger teachers sometimes have with students. Teaching at his age does have some advantages, though, he said. "I think students greatly appreciate that you're of their generation, and you connect with them in a different and more dynamic way." One of those connections will be made with an Ethernet plug, a system that uses "online, video conferencing, video streaming to bring current events ... right into the classroom." That will do more than simply keep the students informed, Henkel said. "I suppose if you're teaching in a way that students want to learn, you're accomplishing two goals at once ... you're accomplishing learning and promoting the technologies that students enjoy using." In addition to teaching eighth-grade social studies, Henkel, a local hockey star in his youth, will be the head freshman football coach at Dixon High School. He is the son of Jim and Laurie Henkel of Dixon, and has three siblings - Zach, 15, Tess, 19, and Betsy, 21 - and a fiancee, Christin Goetz, of Sterling. He is joined at Reagan by three other new faculty members: Principal Andy Bullock, math teacher Jillian Gates and special ed teacher Jill Marciniec.