Frank Benson joins Broadus Schools as JH/HS PE Teacher this year. He will also be working as a coach (far left). Broadus 6th grade Teacher Elizabeth Marcaurele is pictured at near left with the first book her class will read this year, The Westing Game.
Broadus welcomes two new teachers to their classrooms this year, with school beginning on Tuesday morning. Frank Benson is new JH/HS Physical Education Teacher, while Elizabeth (Lizz) Marcaurele is the new 6th grade Teacher. We sat down with the teachers late last week to chat and see how they were acquainting themselves with their new classrooms, fellow teachers, and as of this week – their new students.
Frank Benson grew up on the Hi-Line – that portion of the Northern Montana plains stretching along Hwy 2, from the country in view of Glacier Park to the North Dakota border. If there's one portion of Montana that beats Southeastern MT when it comes to the length of journeys for appointments, big city shopping, and sports games - it's the Hi-Line. Frank told us that when he lived in Malta, his "big city" trip was often to Billings, at over 200 miles. By comparison, the trip from Broadus to Miles City or Gillette seems like a quick trip down the road.
Frank grew up in Harlem and Malta, and attended college at MSU-Northern, where he played college football.
Benson would go on to teach for 18 years, most recently in Wolf Point, where he also coached the girls basketball team for three years, taking the team to State.
Besides working as PE Teacher, Benson will also serve Broadus as Boys Basketball Coach, and JH Football Coach.
Frank is married; his wife is currently finishing out a contract teaching in Poplar. The family has three kids, carrying on the family legacy of teaching and athletics – one playing football at MSU-Northern, another basketball at Dawson Community College, and a third working as a PE teacher in Texas.
Frank told us that part of his decision to move to Broadus was a desire to return to a Class C school. "I missed the Class C action," he said, commenting that prior to his time in Wolf Point, he had worked at other Class C schools, more recently in Dodson (just west of Malta).
Lizz Marcaurele brings her 9 years of elementary teaching experience to Broadus from the Gulf Coast region of Texas. She and her husband, second grade son, and three dogs (a 13 year old Sheltie, a Red Heeler, and a Mini Australian Shepherd) recently moved to the Olive area, where Lizz's husband works on a local ranch.
Mrs. Marcaurele graduated with honors from the University of Houston-Victoria, with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, going on to complete her educator certification while working as a one-on-one aide. She has taught in second, third, and fourth grades.
In her spare time, Lizz enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her family.
When speaking of the upcoming year, Lizz said she's particularly looking forward to teaching in the small classroom setting that Broadus has to offer (6th grade is set to have 13 students this year).
She also wanted to emphasize the new reading curriculum her class will use this year: the "Read Side by Side Reading Program". This program is a book club based learning curriculum that is touted to engage all readers and improve their reading skills. The first book the class will read is The Westing Game, a mystery book by Ellen Raskin which won the Newbery Medal in 1979.
Marcaurele told us that she's excited to be here, valuing and welcoming communication with the student's families. If anyone has questions, they are welcome to reach out to her.
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