TBird Teacher Feature: Meet Russell Muhlenbruck, or as we all like to call him Senor Muhlenbruck, Spanish teacher at NCHS. Originally from Mason City, Iowa (home of fresh air and cold winters), Senor is married to his wife of 20 years, has 2 sons, Elliott and Anders, and best friend, Vito, their family dog. When asked when he first became aware of becoming a teacher, Senor had this to say, ” I didn’t ever know that I wanted to be a teacher. I didn’t even know I was going to college. A lot of what occurred in my life before my 30’s was sort of chance and circumstances. I didn’t understand that I could make my own luck. I stumbled into English education after a failed art degree run. Thank you to Ms. Green for taking a chance on me and putting me into a position I never knew I wanted.” Senor’s High School Spanish teacher was an influence on him becoming a teacher. The class was different than any other in his high school. Maybe that is where he got some of his teaching style from. Senor stated, ” My Spanish teacher in high school was a tad off. Class was always interesting. I couldn’t wait to see not what we were learning, but how we were learning it. It was the only class in high school like that. Also, for a short time, I wanted to be a Sears retail manager. Luckily my wife said, “no, you are going to be a teacher.”” Senor enjoys working with NCHS students. In his words, “The students of NCHS are amazing. They are involved in so many different activities because it is a small school. It is fantastic to see all of the things that students do well.” 
Senor describes himself in one word as LOCO! A couple of interesting facts about him are 1) the last time he took a Spanish class was his senior year in high school and, 2) his family’s favorite game is called “Drawful2”. he encourages you to get it immediately! Someone who is definitely Thunderbird Proud, Senor describes the meaning as, “Thunderbird Proud is believing in someone before they believe in themselves and watching them arrive at their full potential.” NCHS is fortunate to have such a dedicated teacher! If you get the chance, whether it’s in the classroom, at a basketball or football game (Senor is our sports announcer), stop by and see Senor….. you might want to greet him ” Hola, Cómo está” #ThunderbirdProud