LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Kathleen Engle was nominated by an anonymous colleague.

"We would like to nominate Kathleen Engle for the LifeChanger of the Year Award," explains her colleague. "Her mantra for teaching is 'What's best for the kids?' and she lives by that. Kathleen once said, 'I strive to bring the whole child in, to develop the whole child in … education - mind, body, and emotions.' This always has been, and still is, Kathleen's purpose for teaching children and adults."

Mrs. Engle has been a strong presence in all three Newcastle Schools for over 40 years. For 30 years, she advocated for her physical education students. In the 1990s, Mrs. Engle fought for Title IX to be more evidently implemented in the rural setting. With Title IX, she secured an additional PE teacher position. With this addition, her district was able to bring a new wave of physical education pedagogy to her students. 

Additionally, Mrs. Engle is a force to be reckoned with in the realm of grants. She received over a quarter of a million dollars in grants throughout her career as a physical education teacher and induction specialist. In the early 2000s, Mrs. Engle won a grant to purchase a classroom set of GPS units for the GeoSafari. Mrs. Engle set her sights even higher and applied for a grant to renovate, revitalize, and refill an old metal wrestling building on the district grounds. She teamed up with other colleagues to bring her vision of fitness for the community to all. Mrs. Engle used this grant to renovate the old wrestling room and install new flooring and equipment, including a computer and programs to measure a person's body content for fitness and health planning. The new community weight and fitness room was a massive addition to the small, rural community.

Mentoring comes naturally for Mrs. Engle. As the daughter and granddaughter of teachers and the mother of two teachers, she has education running through her blood. Teachers rely on Mrs. Engle for many different situations, and for good reason.

"I'm solution-oriented and action-oriented," said Engle. "I think they know that if they call me, we will find a solution…I have sunshine above my head, which keeps the clouds at bay. I think [other] people feel that, and I think that's how I've been able to mentor others. I have open arms and an open heart. Many times, when I'm late for supper, it's because I've been talking to someone who needs an uplift, and it's usually a younger teacher."

This attitude made Mrs. Engle the perfect choice for the induction specialist position in 2011. With 13 new teachers, this was the largest influx of new staff in the district in a long time. Mrs. Engle's budding program has facilitated and supported over 80 new teachers throughout her tenure. She has even gone so far as to recruit past students to teach in the district. Mrs. Engle has leveraged her position and nature as a nurturing person and educator to support these new teachers to become confident and successful in their profession.
 
Through all of this hard work and dedication to her students, colleagues, and community's health and wellness, Mrs. Engle has proven she can make a difference in everyone's lives. Mrs. Engle can be found on the cusp of new additions to educational pedagogy. She is also in the middle of the school's Sunshine Committees, looking for ways to improve the lives of others. Mrs. Engle and her husband are fourth-generation Wyoming ranchers.

Professionally, Mrs. Engle has always been at the top of her game. Below is a sampling of awards and honors she has received:

• 2019 - honored as one of Wyoming's Women Leaders
• 2008 - first Wyoming teacher inducted into the National Teacher Hall of Fame
• 1999 - received a Christa McAuliffe Fellowship
• 1998 - served as President of the Wyoming Physical Education Association
• 1997 - received a Milken National Educator Award
• 1995 - received the Disney Salutes the American Teacher Award
• 1994 - named Wyoming Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year

Mrs. Engle presented to colleagues in her field at Chadron State College in 2010. She has also been published in numerous professional journals on her work in the classroom. 

"I love seeing children become who they want to be, and hopefully, I've helped them do that," Engle said.

Mrs. Engle supports all students and champions students who are seen as different. She has been known to help students regardless of their athletic ability and focuses on the child. Lately, she has been a member of the high school's unofficial GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance). 

Mrs. Engle also says: "I believe teaching is my calling, and I have no desire to do anything else than to continue to provide opportunities for young kids in the physical world, and hopefully to have them gain value from it."

"Nobody deserves this honor, nor is more deserving, than Kathleen Engle. She has truly changed and impacted lives her entire life," said her colleague.