Mrs. Mara Gerndt
Favorite Bible Verse:
“She is clothed with strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25
I grew up in the small town of Blair, Wisconsin. My life revolved around sports growing up, where I played basketball, softball, and ran cross country. I have continued to play slow-pitch softball in the summers for the past 7 years. I graduated from UW-La Crosse with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Social Studies. I spent my first two years teaching second grade in Whitehall, Wisconsin. In 2022, I moved to Wisconsin Rapids and taught second grade at an elementary school in town.
My husband and I love to hike, and we have hiked at all 49 of the Wisconsin State Parks and are now traveling to all of the National Parks! I’m a huge Brewers, Badgers, and Packers fan as well!
Our school’s theme this year is “Endure” (Hebrews 12:1-3). Briefly share a time in your life when you felt you needed the endurance that only God can provide. How can you use your experience to share God’s love with the students and families in our school?
Tell us about your longest running friendship with someone.
My friend Abby was born 2 months after me and our moms both worked at a daycare in the town next to ours. Abby and I started going to daycare together when we were only a couple months old up until we were in elementary school and then in the summers as well. Our houses also just happened to be 2 houses away from each other. We were constantly at each other’s houses, playing sports and doing plays for our parents. We would also go to the church next door and play in the parking lot or sit on the curb across the street from each other and throw balls back and forth. Abby was in the grade below me, so we weren’t able to spend much time in school together early on, but in high school we spent every day together. We shared a love for softball. When we were young I would always catch for her pitching on our teams, and in high school I got to catch for her the last two years and we thought that was the coolest thing! ;In 2024, we have been friends for almost 27 years. Abby was my maid of honor and even though we live 2 hours away, we still try to get together as much as possible.
Hometown: Blair, WI
Bachelor’s Degree: Elementary Education, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Minor: Social Studies