The American Association of University Women in Thief River Falls honor two women of honor this year – Darcy Reese and Kristine Goddard-Anderson – for having touched the hearts of local residents in unique ways, one through music and the second through law.
Darcy Reese
Darcy Reese is the daughter of Norma Hagen and the late Leif Hagen of Greenbush. She graduated from Greenbush High School in 1983.
After high school, she attended Bemidji State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in general K-12 music and choral music. She also attended the University of Mankato long distance learning program where she earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership plus her principal’s license.
Darcy and her husband, Phillip, have been members of the Thief River Falls community for 26 years. They have two daughters, Tevia and Shunay. Both graduated from Lincoln High School. Tevia is now a fourth grade teacher at Challenger Elementary School, and Shunay is a student preparing to get into the nursing program at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D.
For 27 years, the students of Lincoln High School have had the privilege of having “Reese” as their vocal music instructor. She has taught music theory and composition through the Northern Expressions School of the Arts and has added choir to grades 6-8 at Franklin Middle School. Darcy works with over 330 singers per day for the entire nine months of the school year. She has taken over 10 trips to New York City with her high school choirs plus numerous side trips to Minneapolis where her singers have performed at synagogues, churches and convention centers. She currently has five choirs that meet during regular school hours plus four extra-curricular choirs.
Reese also has a unique working relationship with the MacPhail Center of Music in downtown Minneapolis along with professional artists in Minneapolis and New York City.
Her interest and passion is to create a better world through experiences in music. During her extra time, she is writing her May show each year. She believes the most fulfilling part of teaching is knowing that you are making a difference in a student’s life. She also loves creating shows with a message and taking students on the road to Minneapolis and New York City. Seeing the singers make the shows come to life is very rewarding for her.
Reese’s passion for music education was evident to others when she received Teacher of the Year for School District 564 in 1996. She was also awarded Minnesota Music Educator of the year for the state in 2002 through the Minnesota Music Educator’s Association.
When Reese has free time, she loves to decorate their home and cabin. She also enjoys photography. Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her husband of 28 years and her daughters. She will soon be spending tons of time with her granddaughter, who will be arriving in November.
Reese’s most rewarding accomplishments include raising her two beautiful daughters and finding the man of her dreams. Building a successful choral program and making recordings with various artists also has been a fulfilling dream for her.
In addition to her full schedule as music director, she is the assistant swim coach for the Prowlers. Her daughter, Tevia, is the head coach.
Reese has been an invaluable addition to Lincoln High School. She has had an impact on the lives of many students during her years as choral director. She has insatiable energy for her profession of music.
Kristine Goddard-Anderson
Kiki Anderson has spoken to our organization recently about how lives can be changed through a giving community.
Kristine or Kiki as she is known throughout the community, was born and raised in Thief River Falls. Her parents are Thomas and Wendy Goddard. She married her high school sweetheart, Nathan Anderson, in 2000. Their daughter, Ingrid, is 10 and in fourth grade. Their son, Paul, is 8 and is in second grade. Kiki’s younger sister, Beth Petersen, lives in Shoreview, with her husband John and two boys.
When she has free time, Anderson likes to quilt, craft, and take pictures. But since they purchased a home previously owned by Master Gardener Tom Schafer, they will be studying the secrets of soil and its gifts as well.
Anderson graduated from Lincoln High School in 1996. She was part of the Northern Expressions School of the Arts, Theatre and Media concentration. She was in National Honor Society, varsity tennis, band, and choir. In 2000, she graduated magna cum laude from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Mass Communications. An honors program graduate, Anderson finished her double major in four years and chose a concentration in broadcast journalism. Following this, she attended the University of North Dakota School of Law, where she graduated with her Juris Doctorate, with distinction, and received highest grade awards in Non-Profit Organization Law and Advanced Civil Litigation. She was a student director of the Legal Aid Association, the co-chair of the graduation committee, and served as secretary of the Law Women’s Caucus student group.
Following law school in 2003, Anderson became a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Kurt Marben, a Ninth Judicial District Court judge. In 2005, she began as a staff attorney for Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, and in September 2012, she was hired as the executive director of the Thief River Falls Area Food Shelf. More recently, she has started her position of executive director of the Northwest Private Industry Council, a non-profit organization that is one of 16 Workforce Investment Boards in Minnesota, serving low-income and at-risk youth, public benefit recipients, and dislocated workers in seven counties in northwestern Minnesota.
Further experiences that have broadened her human understanding include college internships in television news reporting and corporate communications at Great Plains (now Microsoft). She also served as an adjunct professor at MSUM, and coordinator of TRF Early Childhood Coalition. Plus, she has volunteered in nine community organizations.
In Anderson’s own words, “When I graduated from high school and left for college I honestly didn’t think I would ever return to Thief River Falls, but I am so thankful that God had other plans. Here, I have been blessed to have a caring support network of family and friends, including the support of our church at Epiphany Station. I am also very proud of how our community, board members and volunteers have come together for the food shelf during the past two years to create a place where clients can not only receive food, but also feel cared for, valued, and respected.”