Kennar Wee named new art teacher at school

Kennar Wee knows it’s not easy following in the footsteps of a “legend”, but Minneota Public School’s new art teacher is ready for the challenge.
“I am replacing a legend,” Wee said with a laugh. “Scott Hanson is an amazing teacher. I’m hoping to offer a fresh mind that the kids will enjoy and they can teach me as much as I teach them. I want to be a student-based teacher so they can be in control of their project. I want to challenge the students to talk about their ideas for certain projects.”
Hanson taught K-12 art in Hendricks for four years, and then spent the last 38 years teaching at Minneota Public School before retiring at the end of this school year.
Wee is a 2019 graduate of nearby Lakeview High School in Cottonwood.
She started out in college at Central Lakes in Brainerd and then majored in Art Education at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, with a minor in Special Education.
With several family members being teachers, it was only natural that Wee would follow their path. Initially, though, she wasn’t expecting to become an art instructor.
“I have always enjoyed art and I wanted to find a way to become an artist,” she said. “It wasn’t until I was at Central Lakes taking general courses, though, that I decided to go into Art Education. Because family members were in education, it was always in my head so I figured ‘Why run away from it?’ and decided to combine my interest in art with teaching. ”Wee, who turned 22 on May 25, found out about the opening at Minneota through friends and family. She has been employed at Borch’s Sporting Goods in Marshall for the past 3 ½ years.
She and her fiancé, Lane Louwagie, who is also from Cottonwood, will be married on July 8.