Aryn Henning Nichols

It is said the art of teaching is in leading others to discovery. And Molly Holkesvik, longtime English teacher at Decorah High School, has helped literally thousands of Northeast Iowa students discover concepts both large and small, both in and out of the classroom.

“It’s the moments of genuine learning – of discovery and realization – that we have together that keep me going,” she says. Luckily, she’s just as motivated today as the day she joined the DHS faculty in 2002.

In her 20-plus years in the classroom, Molly has helped students hone their communication skills in a variety of ways, from grasping correct grammar to enhancing vocabulary to mastering the ability to write concisely. Beyond the classroom – as a speech, cross country, and (sometime) swim/dive coach – she has helped many of those same students build confidence, achieve goals, and better understand the definition of teamwork.

“It is a totally different kind of learning for students,” Molly says. “And I really get to know them when I see them outside the classroom, in different realms; I get to push them in different ways and see them grow in different ways.”

As an assistant coach, she helped guide the DHS girls cross country team to a conference title in 2023 and an 11th-place finish at state. And as one of DHS’s six speech coaches, she helped program participants earn a school-record-tying 16 All-State Large Group Speech nominations in early February.

Indeed, one might think that given all the long days Molly logs during the academic year – “so many hours” she confirms with her characteristic grin – she would take the summer off. But for Molly, whose self-professed goal is to “help everyone I can and meet tons of people,” the summer months present yet another opportunity for discovery.

Several years ago, Molly took over what was then an annual summer trip for DHS students to New York, but when the number of participants began to dwindle, she reimagined the program, and Viking Voyagers was born. In 2019, she coordinated a trip for students, family members, and a few fellow DHS faculty members to Europe (England, France, and Italy). Subsequent groups have toured Greece and Spain (2021) and Costa Rica (2022 and 2023), while future trips are planned for Ireland, Scotland, and England (2024), and Japan (2025).

Molly traces her deep-seated passion for seeing the world (and helping others do the same) back to her childhood. “My father died when I was two-and-a-half, and that changed my life,” she explains. “When I was young, we couldn’t afford to travel much … and that’s why I’m so passionate about helping students see the world. It’s really important to me because they learn so much from these trips, not only facts, history, and situational awareness but also how to travel, how to appreciate different cultures, and how to maneuver unexpected challenges.”

Molly emphasizes that her dedication to educating today’s youth is simply paying forward the investment her own teachers made in her. She had many impactful experiences with her own English teachers at DHS, she says, and also lots of fun participating in speech, drama, choir, band, and cross country throughout high school. 

Those experiences steered Molly toward studying speech and drama, English, and secondary education at Luther College in 1992; there she encountered “amazing, inspiring, wonderful” professors like Mary Hull Mohr, Peter Scholl, and Terry Sparkes. These and other teachers reinforced her career path even as she and her husband, Bob, also a Luther student, started a family that would ultimately include one daughter (Marea) and four sons (Hans, Steven, Dawson, and Nils). 

“When we could, Bob and I found classes that were opposite of each other, so when I was in class, he was watching the kids, and when he was in class, I was watching the kids, and somehow that worked,” Molly reflects. “Isn’t that wild?”

Molly went on to earn a master’s degree in communication arts from the University of Northern Iowa in 2002. Beyond furthering her own education – and devoting her career to educating others – Molly has finished two full Ironmans (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.22 run), three half-Ironmans, and multiple marathons. In the community, she’s acted in, directed productions for, and currently serves as the board president of the New Minowa Players community theater group. Last November, she co-directed (with Alison Blake) Ye Olde Cabaret: New Minowa Players Through the Years, its 200th show. “It emphasized how important every single person involved in each community theater production really is, from the performers on stage to the people setting up that stage to the people coming to watch,” says Molly. “In order for community theater to work, that continuum of support has to happen, and I think Decorah excels in that.” 

Given all she has accomplished in roles as teacher, coach, wife, mother of five, and grandmother of four, it would be remiss not to ask Molly how she’s able to wear so many hats. Her response is lightning-quick: the unfailing assistance and partnership of her husband of more than 30 years. “Bob is the be-all, end-all of husbands,” she says. “He really is the ultimate support system.”

Sara Friedl-Putnam

Sara Friedl-Putnam enjoyed learning more about Molly Holkesvik while writing this piece and is thankful for the investment Molly made in her own daughter, Maddie, as her English teacher, speech and dive coach, and all-around cheerleader.  

A Giant Paper Strawberry Box would be perfect as a May Day Basket (just add a string for a handle) or Party Favor Box, or just because you’re feeling crafty. Happy Spring!

Supplies:
Strawberry box template
Leaf template (if you want to print several leaves on green or white paper)
Red card stock (or white if you want to color it yourself)
Green paper (or white if you want to color it yourself)
Glue stick
Scissors
Paper hole punch
Green pipe cleaner

Print the strawberry box template on card stock. I had red card stock, but you could also print it on white and color in your strawberry box page (red or whatever fun color you would like)! Cut out the template along the gray lines.

There’s a leaf template included on the main strawberry template page, so you could cut that out as well and trace it over your green paper, or you could print a whole page of leaves on green paper (with this template) and save yourself some time (especially if you’re making more than one box).

Fold the template in half.

Open it up and start folding the strawberry segments in toward the center.

Like this.

And this.

Once each segment has been folded, open it back up and overlap the two segments on the ends.

Put glue on the inside of the segment that will be the outer layer.

And glue on the outside of the segment that will be on the inside layer. Put the two glued segments together.

Hold those segments together for a bit while the glue dries.

Grab your paper hole punch and put a hole at the tip of each segment.

Like this!

Thread one end of your pipe cleaner (you could probably use some stiff twine or string here if you don’t have pipe cleaners) through one hole, and then through the next and the next.

Thread the other end of the pipe cleaner through the twi holes on the other side of the strawberry.

You can add your party favors or little May Day Basket gifts at this point, then bring the pipe cleaner ends together to close your strawberry.

Your Giant Paper Strawberry should look like this at this point!

Now, when I first made this template, I thought you could just cut out the leaf template and trace it on to green paper. But that’s kind of a pain. So I made this sheet of leaves that you can just print right onto green paper (or color white paper before cutting them out). That should eliminate at least one step, haha! Learn from my mistakes!

Either way, once you have your strawberry leaves cut out, you use your hole punch to make a hole in the middle.

Thread your pipe cleaner ends through that hole, and you’ve got a finished Giant Paper Strawberry Box! Yay! If you make one, be sure to tag @iloveinspired on Instagram or Facebook so we can see your rad work!

Working with watercolors, it seems, is a little like life. Creating something beautiful requires patience and practice. 

“When you paint a flower with multiple petals, you can’t paint the whole flower at once because you will have a big blob of messy color. But if you paint one petal at a time, those colors will go where you want them to,” says Viroqua, Wisconsin-based artist Anne Butera. “It took a while for me to learn that, but the more I practiced and painted, the better I got. I was building my confidence as well as building my painting skills.”

Anne uses watercolors to capture moments in nature and time, like spring blossoms and blades of grass growing in yards across the Driftless. Her delicate, detailed plant and petal images grace prints, cards, calendars, wallpaper, and fabric, all available through Anne’s online store/ blog, My Giant Strawberry. She also teaches online art classes and encourages creativity through a regular email dispatch dubbed the Joy Letter.

From the outside, Anne’s career looks like a steady string of artistic accomplishments. But the artist and writer explored assorted interests and directions before pursuing a full-time creative career in the late 2010s. As she navigated the twists and turns of adulthood, it wasn’t until she was 34 that she purchased some watercolors and taught herself to paint. 

Early explorations

Anne was a creative child who learned to love nature while playing in her family’s suburban Chicago backyard. She attended college in Ohio before landing in Cleveland with Matthias Minnig, her then-boyfriend, now-husband. Anne worked at an art museum, took some creative writing classes, held various library roles, and returned to school for a master’s degree in library and information science. 

After a few years, as she and Matthias talked about moving somewhere new, Anne also reconsidered her long-term career plans. Around that same time, in the fall of 2010, her parents bought some land near Viroqua, Wisconsin. They invited Anne to help them settle in.

“My mom and I moved and lived together for a year. We planted an orchard and raised baby chicks. I focused on crafting and started teaching myself how to paint. It was a very creative, inspiring time, but I was making no money,” she says.

Anne returned to Cleveland, armed with her renewed sense of creativity, and took a part-time bookstore job. She continued developing her painting skills and expanded My Giant Strawberry, a blog she had started shortly before that year in Viroqua. 

The title came from Anne’s childhood, when the fireflies, birds, vegetables, and flowers filling her family’s garden inspired lively fictional tales of a giant strawberry and pet giraffe living in the backyard. 

Insistent that the young dreamer recognize the difference between imagination and fact, a kindergarten teacher brought Anne’s stories to a halt. Years later, Anne wanted to reconnect with the fearless, wonder-seeking person she’d been as a child. By naming her blog My Giant Strawberry, Anne honored that curious, playful version of herself. Her early online posts documented creative projects and provided an avenue for connecting with other artists who shared inspiration and encouragement along the way. 

Over time, Anne started earning money from her art. She dabbled in fabric design. She submitted paintings for exhibitions held across the United States. Eager to trade Cleveland’s big-city energy for easier nature access and life in a smaller community, she and Matthias moved to Viroqua in late 2013.

And then, out of the blue, Matthias was diagnosed with cancer. 

“That just put everything up in the air again,” Anne says.

As Matthias went through treatments, Anne began working at the local Viroqua library and continued making art in her spare time. Matthias has since recovered and is doing well, but the experience reminded them to live in the moment. 

“For both of us, it highlighted that you really need to do what you want now because life is short,” Anne says.

Establishing a business

Painting, blogging, gardening, and practicing gratitude kept Anne grounded through the ups and downs. They also raised her visibility as an artist. A blog post listing joyful things sparked a similar weekly exercise, and that morphed into Anne’s Joy Letter email. Twice a month, her newsletter spotlights creative prompts, inspiring stories, project updates, and a mix of photographs, videos, and illustrated images.

Anne likens it to a note from a friend. “I just share encouragement and remind people to look for things that are joyful and beautiful,” she says.

In 2016, the online learning platform Skillshare contacted Anne about teaching art classes. She hesitated to say yes at first, because she was still mastering her own painting techniques. However, she realized that her blog already encouraged creativity. Teaching was a logical next step.

Anne now produces online courses that explore painting with watercolors, making block prints, establishing a daily art practice, overcoming creative challenges, launching an art-related website, celebrating the seasons through sketchbook activities, and more.

Rather than teaching participants to follow a specific painting style, Anne encourages them to overcome fear and embrace creativity.

“I want to reach people who were like me. Maybe they were creative as children, or they weren’t but always wanted to be, and now they’re thinking, ‘I’d really like to try making art.’ I encourage those people to get past the hesitation and just try,” she says.

That message inspired Karen Houlding, the Seattle-area artist behind the I Am Chasing Butterflies blog. After taking several of Anne’s Skillshare classes, Karen considers the Wisconsin artist an influence and a source of support.

“Anne really encourages play and experimentation and curiosity,” Karen says. “That action of play helps so much when you get into her more detailed classes, where you’re painting leaves, flowers, birds, or butterflies. You have more confidence because you’ve already been playing in your sketchbook.”

In her classes, Anne shares lessons that come from her own experience. 

“As a self-taught artist, I started out not knowing what I was doing. And yet, I’ve come very far,” she says. “If I can do it, other people can, too.”

Encouraging connections

Anne actively builds community through her classes and website, responding directly to questions and regularly sharing links to students’ work. Karen Houlding even met one of her closest friends through Anne’s class on starting a blog. While the two have never gathered in person – one lives in Washington and the other in North Carolina – they regularly schedule video calls to chat.

Anne also supports local artists as a member of VIVA Gallery in Viroqua. The cooperative, which is celebrating 20 years in 2024, relies on volunteer support for its exhibitions, events, and outreach.

VIVA member artist Mike Lind first met Anne when she showed art at The Rooted Spoon, a former cafe and event space operated by Mike’s wife, Dani. At VIVA, he has been impressed by Anne’s willingness to help. 

“We’re all very busy, and sometimes people are hesitant to put in a lot of time. But Anne came in and said, ‘What can I do? How can I help? Let me take this on,’” he says. “I sing her praises related to her work, but her overall message is equally as important and beautiful. It’s about being positive, looking on the bright side, and contributing to the community.”

Similar messages anchor each of Anne’s classes, blog posts, and newsletters. Embrace the moment. Notice glimmers of magic. Cultivate creativity. Choose joy over negativity.

“There’s so much in the news that is miserable, and it’s easy to get pulled down by that. I’m constantly reminding myself to slow down and see what’s beautiful in the world,” Anne says. “I love the quote from [Pulitzer Prize-winner and “Charlotte’s Web” author] E.B. White: Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.”

Renee Brincks

Renee Brincks (reneebrincks.com) writes about inspiring people, unforgettable places, and projects that make the world a better, happier place.