Some people wear many hats out of obligation. Krista Carlson wears them with joy. A Forreston graduate herself, she has returned to her hometown to serve in nearly every way imaginable: third-grade teacher, mentoring coordinator, and co-president of the teachers’ association. Her impact radiates far beyond the four walls of her classroom.

Teaching was in her heart from the very beginning. “I was, like, five,” she recalls with a smile. She would set up a chalkboard in the basement, pass out extra worksheets begged from her teachers, and line up her pretend students—her dog being the only real one. By the time she graduated from Forreston in 1989, her course was set.

Carlson’s career began far from Illinois. After marrying her husband, Bruce, whose Air Force service took them to Japan and Alaska, she completed her degree at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. Ten years later, she returned home with a family in tow and quickly found herself teaching in the same district where her grandfather graduated in the 1940s, where her father graduated in the 60s, and where she herself once walked the halls, and where her children would later graduate.

Now in her 27th year, Carlson still delights in third grade. “They change a lot during third grade,” she explains. “It’s the best grade.” What hasn’t changed, she says, is her own excitement for the classroom. “Honestly, I don’t think there has ever been a day I haven’t wanted to go to school.”

Her work extends well beyond academics. Carlson is deeply involved in the district’s mentoring program, which pairs community members with students who need extra encouragement. Elsewhere in this issue, we meet Dave Geisin, who has been deeply involved in the mentoring program. “Teachers recommend students who could benefit,” she explains. “We match them with a mentor, and they build a relationship. They do some homework, they read, they play games, and they typically start with a snack.” Some relationships last years—and sometimes decades. One mentor, she recalls, was even invited to a former student’s wedding.

Carlson herself leads the Leaf River mentoring site, meeting weekly at the public library, since the old school building no longer operates as a school. About twenty mentors across the district take part, ranging from retirees to parents to young professionals. “We’re always looking for new mentors,” she says. “My mom mentors, and now my brother just retired and he’s starting too. It’s a community.”

She also serves as co-president of the teachers’ association, a role that in some districts can be contentious. But at Forreston, she says, it’s collaborative. “We have such a good working relationship with our administration that it’s not difficult,” she explains. “It’s not an ugly hat—it’s a pretty easy hat.” Mutual respect is the hallmark. “They listen. Experience matters. You’ve seen things, you’ve been around the block a few times, and I feel like they’re always willing to hear out my ideas.”

Support, she adds, is everywhere. From fellow teachers who share family struggles and triumphs, to administrators who welcome dialogue, to a community that continues to embrace its schools, Carlson never feels she carries her many hats alone. “I grew up here. It was a fabulous school then, and it’s still a fabulous school now. I believe in it. I’m proud of it. It was easy to come back.”

She also serves as co-president of the teachers’ as sociation, a role that in some districts can be contentious. But at Forreston, she says, it’s collaborative. “We have such a good working relationship with our administration that it’s not difficult,” she explains. “It’s not an ugly hat—it’s a pretty easy hat.” Mutual respect is the hallmark. “They listen. Experience matters. You’ve seen things, you’ve been around the block a few times, and I feel like they’re always willing to hear out my ideas.”