As School Begins, Broadus Welcomes Two New Teachers

Broadus has two new teachers for the 2022-23 school year, though the duo are certainly not new at teaching, with nearly three decades of combined teaching experience. In order to better know the new teachers, who have also long been members of our community, we sat down and spoke to Elementary PE and Driver's Ed Teacher, Stacy Hagedorn, along with JH and HS Art Teacher Kate Ruland.

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Stacy Hagedorn is no stranger to Broadus Schools, having attended 7th through 12th grade in Broadus, and growing up on the Thomas family ranch north of Alzada.

After graduating high school, Stacy went on to the University of Mary on a track scholarship, and also played basketball. She then transferred to MSU, earning her Elementary Education degree with Early Childhood Education emphasis.

Stacy told us that she's worked in a large number of roles during her years of education, which became apparent as she went through her teaching resume.

Following a move to Idaho with her husband, Matt (to whom Stacy has been married nearly 18 years), she worked as a third grade teacher. Stacy began coaching basketball and volleyball in Idaho, and has continued to coach to the present; she currently is the junior high girls basketball coach and a volunteer high school girls basketball coach.

A move to Forsyth saw Stacy teaching K-12 Title 1 in Hysham along with an assistant basketball coaching position, and then teaching Kindergarten in Forsyth along with track.

Stacy took on a part-time elementary teaching role when daughters, Kassie and Anna were born, and during that time period Stacy earned her Master's degree in School Counseling. She ran a pre-school for several years, then the family moved back to the Hagedorn ranch in Powder River County.

Stacy then went to work for three years at St. Labre as a school counselor, and also worked as a track and basketball coach.

That culmination of experience leads to today, where Hagedorn takes on the multi-faceted roles of Driver's Ed Teacher and Elementary PE Teacher. In order to qualify to teach and certify students in driving as well as written testing in Driver's Ed, Stacy spent six weeks attending class over the summer, two of which were spent in Havre.

Hagedorn told us that the resources and information learned through the course were incredibly valuable and she learned a lot in the process, as she takes on the challenge of teaching high school freshmen to legally drive.

Stacy's work as Elementary PE Teacher will allow her to come full circle back to her roots in athletics and teaching younger children. She told us that seeing the kids' excitement for PE at the open house last week reminded her why she started into education in the first place.

Stacy will teach K-6 PE, along with two periods of Driver's Ed.

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Kate Ruland has spent many years in the area, with her artwork featured in shows across Montana. She now brings her expertise to teach students in Broadus, as Kate takes over JH and HS Art at PRCDHS

Kate grew up in East Helena, attending Dawson Community College on a rodeo scholarship, and then Miles Community College. While attending those schools Kate majored in Ag Business, also studying animal science.

She then went on to attend MSU-Bozeman and MSU-Billings, earning a K-12 Art Education degree.

Kate met her husband, Pat Ruland, while attending college, and the couple married in 2002.

Teaching Art for three years in Harlowton, Kate went on to attain her Master's degree, with a number of summer classes and night classes meaning long drives to Billings in the darkness. She also worked as the cheer coach during this time period.

Ruland then taught art in Lewistown for five years, and when the couple's daughter Delaney was born in 2011, the family moved back to Pat's childhood hometown of Broadus.

Kate then taught Art at St. Labre for 11 years, while working as the speech and drama coach in Broadus from 2012-13.

The move to teaching in Broadus saves Ruland a 92 mile daily commute, while also putting her on the same schedule as her daughter, who attends school in Broadus.

Ruland will teach Junior High and High School Art classes, as well as Yearbook, which will feature film and dark room work along with digital photography. Enrichment classes are also available, with the possibility of ceramics specific classes in the future.

Kate told us she plans to teach some of the amazing beadwork from the Crow and Northern Cheyenne, learned during her time at St. Labre, along with ledger art, which is a technique of drawing or painting on paper or cloth practiced by the Plains tribes.

Ruland's goals include bringing in guest artists to broaden the experience of her classes, while also planning to add an art club and a chapter of the National Art Honors Society, which she set up in the previous schools she has worked.

Another goal is to take interested students to the Montana Art Interscholastics, which is a yearly gathering of high school students from across Montana. MAI rotates around through Montana schools, and is held in cooperation with Montana colleges, providing two days of classes on a huge variety of art in different mediums for students to learn and refine their art skills. Attendees also bring along their art, where it is displayed in a sort of art show. Ruland told us that MAI provides great connections for kids, and encourages budding artists when they find others who are into the same interests. The next MAI show is in spring of 2024, in Billings.