Credit to Jasmine Dong

When walking into Mayghen Mugele’s classroom, there is never a day when one does not see her talking to a student or to one of her players. And while they’re talking, Mugele is there, listening with a smile on her face.

“I think she’s a really good teacher,” sophomore Nayana Kartha said. “She motivates me a lot, and I work really hard to do really well in her class because of how great of a teacher she is.”

This is Mugele’s second year as a teacher. Once she finished her degree, she got her current position at North as a Biology and Project Lead the Way teacher in an attempt to provide an positive high school experience that she didn’t get.

“I actually became a teacher because I didn’t love school and I didn’t feel like my teachers helped me love it,” Mugele said. “So, I wanted to be able to help students enjoy being in school and learning. And I just love the subject of science, so that’s why I chose to pass along that science knowledge.”

She first became a part of the district six years ago, when she got a coaching job at Howell for girls JV volleyball. Since joining North, Mugele has become a coach for girls c-team basketball and boys JV volleyball, as well as continuing to coach girls’ volleyball at Howell.

“[Coaching at both schools is] only weird because I see all my students at school, and then I’m facing my students for that sport, and it’s definitely weird,” Mugele said. “My heart wants both sides to win. It is a little weird seeing my kiddos over on the other side, but I think it’s more of a friendly thing. And I think over my coaching years, I’ve learned winning is not everything, and it’s more about learning and growing as a person and a player. So it’s more of a fun competition type of thing.”

Not only is Mugele’s time split between sports and her work, but also her drive home is over an hour long. This is due to the fact that she grew up and still lives in New Baden, a small town in Illinois where, according to Mugele, “everyone knows everyone.”

“I definitely think that [growing up in a small town] kind of shaped who I am, just because I also played sports,” Mugele said. “So, everybody knew I was an athlete, and I feel like I was always trying to be the best version of myself. And with everyone knowing all my business constantly, I wanted them to think the best of me.”