By Christian Weaner Mindy Roget, Math Sandpoint High School
Mindy Roget, who currently teaches math at Sandpoint High School (SHS), has been working for the Lake Pend Oreille School District (LPOSD) since 2007.
She can understand and effectively engage with her students because she once walked in their very shoes, having graduated from SHS herself.
"Teaching at the high school that I attended is a blast," Mindy describes. "I enjoy interacting with young adults and bringing my enthusiasm to as many as I can at SHS." Mindy is originally from Illinois, but her grandparents moved to the mountains of North Idaho when she was young, and shortly thereafter her parents decided to follow.
Mindy's family relocated to Sandpoint when she was 5 years old, and she started school in the LPOSD as a first-grader.
After graduating from SHS, Mindy attended University of Idaho before returning to Sandpoint to begin her teaching career. Since joining the staff of LPOSD 16 years ago, Mindy has taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Regardless of what grade level she teaches, Mindy's love for education has remained unwavering.
"I was inspired to become a teacher because I have always loved children and, to be honest, I'm just a big kid at heart," Mindy jokes.
Mindy and her husband Andy have had the pleasure of raising their daughter, Cienna, who graduated from SHS in 2018, and son Stirling, who is a senior this year, in the same school district that Mindy teaches in.
"Being a teacher with children in the district has always been great," Mindy explains. "I loved seeing what they were doing differently, and sometimes I would even borrow their work for examples in my own classroom."
Mindy's hard work and dedication to the LPOSD was rewarded in January when she was voted as Sandpoint Living Local's 2022 Finest Teacher of the Year.
"My first reaction when I found out that I won this award was pure excitement," Mindy recalls. "It means so much to me to be recognized because I feel like I love what I do, and all my hard work was being acknowledged by so many people!"
Outside of the classroom, Mindy loves to get outdoors and stay active, whether she is enjoying live music, hiking, biking, playing volleyball, boating, paddle-boarding or—most importantly—going to the beach.
"I love living in Sandpoint because everywhere I go I am surrounded by beauty and familiar faces," Mindy adds.