Winnes is excited to help students connect the dots

Creative, helpful, and understanding — these are the three words that one of Sophie Winnes’s students, first-year Juliet Nemecek, uses to describe her. 

Sophie Winnes (Photo by Makaela Binder)

For years before joining MA, Winnes had been hearing about the school from friends. This year, however, she got to see what they’ve been talking about. Joining the MA community as a math and computer science teacher, Winnes is very excited to be a Redhawk. 

“I wanted to be at a school where I could integrate my faith with what I’m teaching in the classroom,” she said.

Winnes is teaching Algebra One, pre-calculus, and AP Computer Science Principles. 

“I think math in general is a subject that can be very abstract and can be difficult,” she said. “I think it’s really rewarding to work with students and help them to see the patterns and to be able to understand a subject that can be intimidating.”

Originally from New Hampshire, Winners attended Wheaton College in Illinois, where she earned a degree in math. She is currently working on a master’s degree in teaching and has worked in several different environments. 

“I taught at Naperville High School [near Chicago],” she said. “I taught calculus, algebra two, and algebra one there. And I worked with an organization in the Twin Cities called Breakthrough.” 

The Breakthrough job is the one originally that landed her in Minnesota. 

“It is an organization that partners with public schools, and over the summer, they work with at-risk students, so I was working with middle school students teaching geometry,” she said. 

Winnes called her track and field experience  “one of the highlights from high school” and now enjoys playing ultimate frisbee.

One fun fact about her? “I can cross my eyes and roll them at the same time.”