Gina Schindel

Regina Schindel has been teaching for 20  years and recently took on the role of head coach for the girls cross country team. In her free time, she enjoys being with her cats, dog, and children, as well as running, traveling, and Lego-building.

When Schindel attended Oak Creek High School, she told her physics teacher she wanted to be an astronaut. 

“She recommended I go into physics to leave more doors open for the different areas I was interested in,” Schindel said. “She also recommended [UW-River Falls] as an affordable option with a great physics program.”

Following her teacher’s advice, Schindel attended UW-River Falls as an applied physics major and math minor. There, she was also an NCAA athlete for four years and earned an Academic All-America award.

“I was captain of my teams in cross country and track and field,” Schindel said. “I was on the top 10 list in cross country until a few years ago…I worked for a few years and then went back to [UW-River Falls] for a certification to teach physics and then a Masters in Science Education in 2010.”

Schindel went on to teach and coach at Franklin High School until a position opened at Shorewood.

“[Shorewood cross country coaches] Mr. Newman and Ms. Kopplin were always very kind and fun to coach against when I was coaching for Franklin,” Schindel said. “When Mr. Kane retired, I applied right away to work at Shorewood because the people I knew who worked here are so amazing.”

Schindel enjoys helping her students succeed and develop a passion for STEM fields.

“I love seeing things click for kids, especially the ones who need a bit of help from me,” Schindel said. “I know that STEM classes pay [off] so well in the real world and will help my students live successful lives, so I enjoy trying to find new ways to get kids excited about science and physics specifically.”

Schindel aims to keep inspiring her students to continue their interests in both physics and science as a whole. In the future, she hopes her students will be able to have more options and opportunities to experiment.

“I would like to get more kids taking physics classes,” Schindel said. “I think it would be amazing to have a fun elective lab class where kids could try to [invent] stuff as well.”

Karen Frink

Karen Frink, orchestra director, has worked in the district for 28 years. As a certified instrumental music teacher, Frink spent years teaching a variety of age groups before settling on the high school level.

“I started off at all four schools,” Frink said. “Then, finally, in 2014, I was [at the high school] full-time.”

However, Frink did not always plan on becoming an orchestra teacher. 

“In eighth grade, I thought that I was going to be a concert pianist,” Frink said. “Then, it was in high school that I suddenly switched over from thinking of myself as a pianist to thinking of myself as a violinist. I saw so many opportunities in school orchestra…and I loved the idea of standing in front of a group and conducting.”

While in high school, Frink participated in programs that many students do today, including playing with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and competing at Solo & Ensemble Festival. One of her biggest inspirations was her own orchestra teacher at Whitefish Bay High School, Robert Chase. 

“I loved orchestra, and he was one of my favorite teachers all through high school,” Frink said. “Mr. Chase was just a really good role model. He was a good conductor, a good musician, and I loved his class every day.”

After high school, Frink went on to study music education and became a certified Suzuki teacher. Through this process, Frink developed her own teaching style. 

“I have high expectations but am very patient,” Frink said. “I’ve gotten very good over the years at breaking things down and having everybody stay with me, knowing how to approach every new skill or piece of music and make it accessible to everyone.”

Frink has also become a mentor for many of her students. 

“About 10 or 12 years ago, I took it upon myself to just kind of counsel juniors and seniors more about life,” Frink said. “I’ve really enjoyed that aspect of being more of a mentor to kids, not just musically, but for [things like] ‘what are you thinking for after high school?’ ‘What are you interested in?’ What do you see yourself doing?’ and having those conversations with the students.”

Every few years, Frink plans a trip to Europe for her students, where they perform and have a chance to learn about European culture with their peers. The most recent trip took place last year. 

“It’s not just about playing music in Europe, but [it’s also] seeing kids on that experience getting to travel and grow together,” Frink said. “Getting to meet some of the local people and have them so appreciative of the performance makes the kids really excited. It’s also just spending the time together away from school engaged in something that’s really interesting, exciting, and meaningful. It’s an adventure.” 

Outside of school Frink teaches private lessons and has been a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus since 2018. When she’s not involved with music, she enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, and backpacking.

“I don’t think people look at me and think that I can backpack, but I love backpacking,” Frink said. “We’ve done some pretty intense backpacking trips—up to six days in the wilderness. There’s some beautiful wilderness areas out west out in Idaho and Colorado and Wyoming. I think that’s one of my favorite things to do outside of school.”