Kelly Michael Renken, a teacher at Tecumseh Middle School, has been selected as the News-Star’s December Teacher of the Month, an award sponsored by the News-Star and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

Renken teaches 6th-8th grade and has spent his 14-year career as a teacher at Tecumseh Middle School.

Renken said he became a teacher for many reasons, including his passion for sharing knowledge and ideas and wanting to motivate and encourage students to be the better versions of themselves.

Teaching also “gives me a sense of real purpose and effectiveness,” he said, as well as an opportunity to be passionate toward various styles of art and technology and being a role model for the next generation.

“My wife, Ashley Renken, has always encouraged and supported me to follow my passions and to be the best version of myself,” he said. Additionally, his own 7th-8th grade teacher, Mr. Dickey, was his role model in school.

“He held me accountable and supported me when my parents didn’t. He taught me how to grow up and be successful,” Renkin said.

And his high school art teacher, Mrs. Atkins, motivated him to use my talents for future career opportunities, he said. Renken attended Lake Roosevelt High School in Coulee Dam Washington and East Central University, Ada.

For Renken, there are many rewarding aspects to teaching, such as “Witnessing the success of former students as they navigate life, knowing I played a part in their journey.”

Further, “hearing their heartfelt stories of gratitude and how my guidance shaped their paths is a profound reminder of the lasting impact a teacher can have – it’s incredibly fulfilling to see the change I helped inspire and to know that the lessons we shared in the classroom continue to resonate in their lives,” he said.

Many things inspire him to teach.

“It allows me to share my passion for creativity and self-expression while making a meaningful difference in the lives of others,” he said. “I’m driven by the opportunity to be a role model to kids, offering them a safe space to explore their talents and discover their worth. Art has the power to heal, inspire, and transform, and seeing the impact I can have on my students’ confidence and outlook fills me with purpose and joy. Through art, I strive to show them their voices matter and their potential is limitless.”

Years from now, he hopes his students remember the time they spent together and remember the knowledge and love for creativity and curiosity and the guidance of overcoming challenges and believing in themselves.

“Lastly, I hope they think of me as a role model, like I had,” he said

Renken is involved in numerous hobbies or creative outlets to encourage personal growth, innovation, and passion, which can be brought into the classroom to inspire students

He and his wife Ashley have two children, Avery and Emery.