The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

You say tomato, I say tamot or in this case, you draw a tomato, I draw a tamoto. As Big Sandy High School's new art teach Monika Winderl explains it, "We all have different levels of ability it doesn't mean we don't have potential. The Tomato I draw may look very different from the tomato you might draw but, that doesn't mean it's not a tomato". These are the kind of beliefs that guide her teaching style. She tries to look for the potential in each of her students as she pushes them to step outside their comfort zones and discover new possibilities.

"Once a student reaches a certain level of ability, I don't let them regress, I start to push them harder, once they've drawn something exceptional, I don't let them go back to drawing simple things like snakes", or perhaps tomato's. For Mrs. Winderl teaching is about creating long-lasting relationships by helping develop confidence in her students by getting them to believe in themselves and helping them to see their full potential.

If you were to visit one of her classrooms over the last 18 years you would have found it full of students engaged in conversation in a place they felt comfortable and confident. This is the kind of atmosphere she hopes to create here in Big Sandy in her new class room as she starts her 19th year of teaching in a career that nearly didn't happen.

Born in Lewistown, Montana her family moved to Big Falls, Minnesota where her mother was an elementary teacher for 13 years. She attended school there until her sophomore year when the family decided to move back to Montana. After a semester at Big Sandy High School the family settled in Highwood where she would graduate before earning a degree in fine arts with an emphasis in mass communication and advertising from MSU Billings.

Wanting a change of pace and a little excitement in her life she moved to Seattle, Washington and spent 6 years working for Nordstrom's. On the side, she would use her artistic talents in photography to produce layouts for other major Seattle based company's but as often happens to "us country raised kids the big city life started to lose its appeal" and she desired to be closer to home. A move to Spokane, Idaho would lead her to meeting her current husband of 23 years, Mr. Winderl of Shonkin, Montana.

After moving to Shonkin, with her husband fate played it's card as her new career fell into her lap, "Midway through the semester the Highwood art teacher quit, they approached me because of my fine arts background. Initially I said no but my mother and husband encouraged me to give it a try." Nineteen years later we're sure glad she said yes! She taught in Highwood for 18 years until last year when the school decided to end their art program. With a desire to continue teaching she searched the internet for a new opportunity and as fate would have it, she found her new opportunity right here in Big Sandy.

Mrs. Winderl has a daughter in the 11th grade and a son in the 8th grade, both of whom "were a little overwhelmed by the larger class sizes" but have adapted well. She hopes her love and passion for the arts along with her love for teaching will have a positive effect on every student that enters her classroom. She looks forward to once again creating a place where her students can feel confident and free to express themselves openly through art. "Art is a great relief from the daily stress of being a kid, we need to let kids be kids and express themselves and art is a great way to do that".