The GNSF ”We Belong Here” Podcast

Episode #36 – Maggie Dayton, Aden Wolfe & Ashley Wolfe

This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we’re excited to welcome our special guests — Maggie Dayton, a senior; Aden Wolfe, a junior; and Ashley Wolfe, Agricultural Science and FFA Teacher at Grinnell High School.

Maggie and Aden share their experiences in the FFA program, discuss the annual Fruit Sales fundraiser, and reflect on their trip to the National FFA Conference in...

Episode #35– Rebecca Sallee Hanson This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we’re excited to welcome our special guest — Rebecca Sallee Hanson, At-Large Candidate for the Grinnell-Newburg School Board.

In this episode, Rebecca shares a bit about herself — where she grew up, what brought her to Grinnell, and what inspired her to run for the Grinnell-Newburg School Board.

Sit back, tune in, and get to know Rebecca Sallee Hanson, Scho...

Episode #33 – Chris Starrett This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we welcome our special guest — Chris Starrett, current Grinnell-Newburg School Board President.

As Chris winds down his first 4-year term on the school board, we will discuss challenges over the past four years and items that he is prioritizing as he prepares for another 4 years on the GHS School Board. 

When we are done, you will see why Chris Starrett is yet an...

This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we’re excited to welcome our special guest — Aaron Backlin, 9th–12th Grade Spanish and Computer Science Teacher at Grinnell High School.

Aaron began teaching at GHS in 2009 after starting his career in the Tri-County School District. He was recently honored with the “Pack the Backpack” award from KIX 101.1 in Marshalltown after being nominated by a student’s parent.

In this episode, we take ...

🎙️ Episode #31 – 2025 GHS Homecoming Candidates This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we’re thrilled to welcome 10 incredible students from the GHS Class of 2026 — the 2025 Homecoming Court, elected by their peers.

These students didn’t shy away from the tough questions and delivered thoughtful, high-quality answers. Of course, there were plenty of laughs and lighthearted moments along the way!

The Homecoming Court is a shining...

Episode #30 – Lisa Sharp

This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we’re excited to welcome a very special guest — Lisa Sharp, Interim Principal for the 4th- and 5th-grade “school within a school” at Grinnell Middle School, while also assisting with the Special Education Program for the Grinnell-Newburg School District.

This is truly a conversation you won’t want to miss! Lisa reflects on her remarkable 43 years as an educator, but ...

🎙 Episode #29 – Mike Baker

This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we’re honored to welcome Mike Baker, retired math teacher and long-time coach at Grinnell High School.

Join us as we sit high above TT Cranny Field in the press box, taking in the Grinnell vs. Cedar Washington freshman football game, while diving deep into Mike’s journey. From the classroom to the sidelines, Mike shares the values, stories, and experiences that sh...

Episode #28 – Brandon Sharp This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we’re excited to welcome a special guest — Brandon Sharp, S.A.M. at Grinnell High School and Special Education Coordinator for the Grinnell-Newburg School District.

As Brandon begins his second year in these roles, we take a step back to explore his story: growing up in Grinnell, his college journey, and the path that ultimately led him back home.

Through our conv...

Episode #27 – Danielle McDonough This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we’re excited to welcome a very special guest — Danielle McDonough, Instructional Coach and 9th–12th Grade Spanish Teacher at Grinnell High School.

Danielle has dedicated 22 years to teaching Spanish and is now stepping into a new role as an Instructional Coach for the 2025–26 school year, while continuing to inspire students in her Spanish classes.

In this c...

🎙️ This Week on the We Belong Here Podcast

We’re wrapping up our New Teacher Series with Duncan Delzell, the new high school chemistry teacher at Grinnell High School! Duncan grew up in Burlington, Iowa, attended Central College, and is excited to be joining the Grinnell community.

Tune in to hear about his journey, passion for teaching, and what he's looking forward to this school year.

Stay connected. Stay inspired. Because We B...

This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we welcome Morgan Savant, new 5th grade teacher at the Grinnell Middle School. Morgan came to the Grinnell-Montezuma from southeast Louisiana, and this will be her first year of teaching. 

Trisha Arment also joins us on the second part of the podcast.  Trisha comes back to Grinnell from the Waterloo School District where she was a teacher at the Waterloo Expo. She will share memories as a GH...

This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we welcome Eli Rose, the new Grinnell Middle School PE Teacher. Eli is GHS Alumni and after graduating from Central College, returns to teaching where he was once a student.

Nell Hatch also joins us on the second part of the podcast.  Nell is a fourth-year Spanish teacher at Grinnell. She will share her experience as a GHS Alumni and Grinnell College graduate coming back to teach. Nell was f...

This week on the We Belong Here Podcast, we welcome Haily Collins, the new ninth-grade English teacher at Grinnell High School. Get to know Haily and hear about her passion as she starts her first year of teaching and connecting with students.

We’re also diving into our podcast archives to revisit Podcast #4 with Kevin Hosbond, who is now stepping into the 11th-grade English position. It’s the perfect chance to hear Kevin’s story o...

Host Dan Walker kicks off August with a special recap of the first six months of the We Belong Here Podcast, reflecting on the incredible stories, inspiring guests, and the strong sense of community that’s been built along the way. He’ll also share a preview of the exciting plans for the future of the podcast — and why you won’t want to miss what’s coming next.

This month also features Podcast #2, highlighting an outstanding local ...

Episode #21- Beaux Blanchard- This week, we’re excited to welcome a special guest to the podcast — Beaux Blanchard, 2025 Grinnell High School graduate. As Beaux wraps up his senior year, we visit about his journey of officiating in high school sports and what his future looks like as an official and post high school education. Grinnell has some pretty incredible students that graduate and go out in the world and do great things. Be...

Episode #20- Trent Edsen- This week, we’re excited to welcome a special guest to the podcast — Trent Edsen, Principal of Grinnell High School. As Trent wraps up his first year in this new role, we’re taking a step back to explore his journey: where he grew up, his college years, and the path that ultimately led him to Grinnell Schools.

Through our conversation, you’ll gain insight into the values and experiences that shaped his lea...

Episode #19 Chris Grundler- of the We Belong Here Podcast. The special guest for this week's podcast is Chris Grundler, Vice President of the Grinnell-Newburg School Board. Chris will take a walk down memory lane as a former student at Davis Elementary in the late 70's-early 80's to the now sitting on the school board.  Sit back and enjoy a great conversation of history Grinnell and the exciting future of the school system.  Chris ...

Episode #18 Ethan Meints- of the We Belong Here Podcast. The special guest for this week's podcast is Ethan Meints, Grinnell Middle School 6th Grade Social Studies Teacher. Ethan was selected by the Class of 2025 to be the faculty speaker for the 2025 GHS commencements. We will visit with Ethan about this honor and the journey that he experienced to become a teacher at Grinnell. We will also discuss the influential people along the...