My favorite part of teaching is seeing the student's passion and excitement for learning when they come into the classroom.”

Jake Fitzsimmons

Some people discover their passion late in life but for some lucky ones, they discover it early. Jake Fitzsimmons, an Intervention and Enrichment Teacher at Stanley Boyd Elementary, had wanted to be an Oriole since he was a young boy. Stanley was where his parents, grandparents and other family members grew up and that appealed to Fitzsimmons. “I always wanted to be an Oriole. My brother and I would ask for Stanley-Boyd gear for Christmas when we were young. Now I am lucky enough to be able to work in this district,” he shares. Fitzsimmons chose to work at Stanley-Boyd because he wanted to be close to family and make an impact in the city that held so much family history. Fitzsimmons attended Marathon School for the entirety of his elementary and high school career, continued his education at UW- Marathon County for two years and then earned his bachelor’s degree from the UW of Stevens Point.

In Marathon High School, Fitzsimmons was involved in many sports including football, wrestling, basketball, baseball, and track. While he enjoys them all, one of his favorite sports is wrestling, and he explains why. “There is no one to blame besides yourself if you lose in a wrestling match. It is you vs one other person who is the same weight as you.” In addition to teaching, Jake has also been a wrestling coach for the past thirteen years, which he enjoys because “it teaches wrestlers responsibility and accountability.” He is currently in his seventh-year coaching in the youth and high school wrestling program at Stanley-Boyd. Jake has passed on his love of wrestling to his son who is involved in the youth program at Stanley-Boyd. Jake believes that wrestling teaches students skills that they bring into the rest of their lives. “If you want to get better, you need to fix your mistakes, work hard, and have a growth mindset. Responsibility and accountability are important as they transition into the next stages of their lives whether that be a job, college, or whatever they choose to do,” he remarks.

When he is not busy coaching athletes and imparting wisdom to young minds, Jake enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife, Hillary, an elementary physical education teacher at Stanley-Boyd, his four-year-old son, Jace, and his two-year-old daughter, Brett. “I love being in the woods bow hunting, going for walks, snowshoeing, building forts with my kids, or collecting maple syrup,” he says. Things at home are about to get busier as Jake shares that his family has a new baby due in March. Parenthood has changed Fitzsimmon’s teaching style as he has learned to juggle family life and school. “I have had to get better and managing my time and planning ahead,” he says.  

The hard work and determination Fitzsimmons has for teaching spills out into his everyday life as well. In 2022, Jack ran a 26.2-mile marathon in Wausau after he was inspired by the book, “Comfort and Crisis” from his favorite author, Michael Easter. When asked how he trained for the impressive feat, Jake says it took a lot of running. “Lots of lots of miles. Over 1,000 miles this past year.” He explains why he pushed himself to run. “I wanted to do something that was really hard and would challenge myself mentally and physically. I wanted to show my kids that they can do anything that they put their mind to.” And he’s not finished yet! After participating in two half marathons this past summer, Fitzsimmons says he plans to run in another marathon when his children are a little older.

Jake enjoys traveling and when asked what his favorite vacation trip was, Fitzsimmons replies, “I have taken two really memorable trips. The first being going to Greece with my wife. The food was delicious, and the history and views were amazing. We also went to Yellowstone National Park this summer as a family. My kids loved seeing the bison and that it snowed on us while we were in the mountains.” But if he had his choice and could visit anywhere, Jake would go to Alaska. “The top spot on my travel list would be Alaska because of all the scenery, animals, glaciers, and parks to go see.”  

Now in his seventh year of teaching at Stanley-Boyd, Jake is excited to make an impact in the lives of his students. “I choose to become a teacher because I love being able to help students,” he remarks. “My favorite part of teaching is seeing the student's passion and excitement for learning when they come into the classroom.” Anyone who has the privilege to see Jake in action in his classroom, will see the dedication he has for his students and the excitement for learning that he brings every day. He mentions that he is excited to be working in his 2nd year as the K-8 Intervention and Enrichment Teacher and hopes that he can give them different experiences and opportunities that they don't always have time for in the regular classroom.  “I love being able to work with the different age groups throughout each day,” he says. Jake knows that it’s important to challenge his students and spur them on to develop their skills, both academic and physical. He hopes that parents of his students know that his goal is for their son or daughter is “to be the very best that they can be.” He adds, “I tell students that the most important part of my class is doing the best that they can and challenging themselves.” Jake is one of many incredible teachers at Stanley-Boyd who helps their students excel in the classroom and beyond!