Growing up in Oshkosh, Megan (Hellman) Bauer ’17 loved school so much, she played teacher at home, and when she got old enough started volunteering for tasks at school every chance she got.

“I’ve always had a love of learning, and that grew into a passion for contributing to the education of others,” said Bauer, who is in her eighth year of teaching at Blessed Sacrament Elementary School.

Bauer teaches fifth- and sixth-grade math and has a sixth-grade homeroom, settling on math as a specialty when she was working on her undergraduate degree at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minn. She was always good at math growing up, and in her professional career, she has proven herself to be an excellent teacher.

So excellent, in fact, that Bauer was one of four teachers in the 26-district CESA #4 region to have the honor of being named a Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Teacher Fellow. The Kohl Teacher Fellowship program honors teaching excellence and innovation with a goal of supporting teachers in the pursuit of classroom improvements and professional development. The award includes a $6,000 grant for professional development of the teachers and a $6,000 grant for the school to spend on classroom enhancements.

“You never go into the job looking for that sort of thing, so when something like that comes along you’re very honored,” said Bauer, who earned a master’s degree in education from Viterbo and is working on her administrative certification here. “It was very humbling to even receive a nomination. The nomination itself was enough for me, and then to win the award was just incredible.”

One of the other CESA #4 Kohl Award winners this year also has a Viterbo connection. Michelle (Fellenz) Powell ’10, a preschool teacher at Spence Elementary in La Crosse, earned her undergraduate education degree from Viterbo.

Still another Viterbo alum, Donna Drescher, was singled out for recognition this spring. Drescher, who earned a master’s degree in education at Viterbo, was named Blue Earth Area Teacher of the Year for her work as an English language development teacher in Blue Earth, Minn.

Viterbo’s long history of teaching great teachers was a big part of what attracted Bauer to Viterbo when she wanted to go to graduate school. After all, the university’s roots are in St. Rose Normal School, an enterprise started and run by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration to produce teachers for the growing number of Catholic schools in the Midwest.

Viterbo’s foundation in the Franciscan Christian tradition also was a factor in her choice. “That integration of my faith has played a huge role in who I am as a person and an educator,” Bauer said.

These days, Bauer is providing her Blessed Sacrament students with lessons remotely from the La Crosse home she shares with her husband, Matt, a Department of Natural Resources forester she married in November 2019.

“Distance learning has been a challenge, but we do have the tools and the kids have adapted well,” Powell said. “It’s just not the same as being in the classroom with them.”