There are a plethora of new staff members at Alliance High School this year. One of these new staff members is Mrs. Bridget Raben. Raben is a part of the English department and teaches English 12, Honors English 12 and short story creative writing. 

Raben grew up in Hemingford, Nebraska but has since lived all over the state. “I originally went to school for one year in Kearney and then came back and transferred to Chadron State College. I got my degree in literature. I then worked at Cabela’s Corporate for three years….and then decided that I wanted to try cosmetology school,” stated Raben. “I did go to cosmetology school for a while, but I realized that although I really liked doing hair, I think I liked the discount I got more,” she explained with a laugh. Raben also discussed why she tried cosmetology in the first place. “I did the cosmetology thing mainly because I am a firm believer that if you feel like you might have an interest in doing something, you should at least try it before it’s too late.”

When asked how she got into teaching, Raben explained, “Teaching was something that was always on the back of my mind, so I moved back to Hemingford and went back to school for my teaching degree at Chadron.” She has since earned her Master’s degree in curriculum development. Right now she is working on her Master’s in English at the University of Nebraska Kearney. Before teaching at Alliance High School, Raben taught for seven years at Hemingford High School. 

Raben is the youngest of seven children and went on the explain that she actually has a niece that is six weeks older than her. When talking about her family, Raben said, “I have a step-daughter named Brooke [who] lives and goes to college in upstate New York. She will be 21 in November.” Raben also has two children from a previous marriage. “My oldest daughter, Riley, is 16 and is a junior at Hemingford [High School]. My son, Parker, just turned 14 in August and he is in eighth grade. My husband, Justin, and I have a little girl named Emma, who is in second grade.”

When asked if she always wanted to be a teacher, Raben said, “Actually I did. My problem is that I have so many interests that I just couldn’t decide. When I first graduated with my literature degree, I had taken a bunch of education classes, and I switched my major [because] I wasn’t sure if I could be assertive enough to teach high school, but I knew I didn’t want to teach elementary.” Raben went on to elaborate on how her experience at Cabella’s influenced her to go into teaching. “When I worked at Cabella’s as a proofreader, we had to do so many different corrections for grammar. Ever since that time, I just kind of thought that if I can handle all these grown men, then I can probably handle teenagers.” 

Outside of school, Raben is a very avid reader. She enjoys spending time with her family and spending time shooting at the gun range with her husband. Shopping and watching television are also some activities that she enjoys. “Other than that, I kind of just chase my kids around,” stated Raben. Alliance High School is blessed to have Mrs. Raben as one of our many new teachers this school year. The SPUD wishes her the best of luck. Welcome to AHS, Mrs. Raben!