Wagner Community School welcomed a new second grade teacher, Maggie Baumgart. Maggie is originally from Parkston and attended the University of South Dakota for her teaching degree. This is Maggie’s first year teaching as she did her student teaching in second grade at Wagner last school year under the guidance of Lisa Cihak. Maggie has known that she wanted to be a teacher since she was a fourth grader. Her love of children and the excitement that they have is infectious; being able to be a part of their learning and growth as individuals excites her and brings her a huge sense of joy.

When Maggie started her residency in Wagner the fall of 2023, it did not take her very long to realize what an amazing group of teachers that the Wagner School District has. They support one another and have each other’s best interests in mind; they were all a part of the same team and Maggie loved being a part of that. Her experience of student teaching at Wagner put the Wagner School District as her top choice of where she wanted to start her teaching career. As the year went on, Maggie had the opportunity to take over her own class at the start of the second semester. Being afforded this opportunity has made Maggie forever grateful because it showed her a glimpse of what it was like to be a full-time teacher. Throughout her entire semester, she had a great network of support from her second-grade teaching team. If she ever had any questions or needed help, they were always available to provide guidance. She is also very thankful to her sister-inlaw, Courtney, who told her that Wagner would be a great place to do her student teaching. For her first year of teaching, Maggie is looking forward to building relationships with her students, watching them learn and grow as the year progresses, and making memories. Maggie’s personal goals for this year are to have a great school year and build relationships.

Maggie is the daughter of Tyler and Amy Baumgart and the youngest of three siblings. She has two older brothers Chandler (Courtney) and Jared along with their family dog, Jax. In her free time, Maggie enjoys spending time with friends and family, golfing, baking, and reading. Her favorite book is Charlotte’s Web and favorite movies are the Harry Potter series. One item on Maggie’s bucket list would be to travel to Europe.

Welcome to the Wagner Community School District family, and we hope that you have a wonderful year!