Algoma Science Teacher Eric Nelson to retire after 33 years

ALGOMA – The 2026 Golden Apple Awards nominees were announced at the beginning of January, including Algoma Middle/High School Science Teacher Eric Nelson. It’s his third year being nominated, but it will be his last, as he plans to retire at the end of the school year.

Like many people in the community, Nelson grew up hunting and fishing, which sparked his interest in science early on. By the time he was in high school, he had a passion for the outdoors, and he discovered a teacher who would help him feed it.

“My high school biology teacher intrigued me even more to learn more about science, especially in the biology and ecology fields.”

It was that same teacher that piqued Nelson’s interest in teaching.

“That teacher was a mentor and a friend, and I just enjoyed the subject,” Nelson said. “And probably the biggest motivation was, I saw how a teacher could help students, not just in the classroom, but with the challenges of growing up.”

Nelson didn’t head to college with a career in teaching at the front of his mind, though. His love for science drew him to the field, but it didn’t take long before he realized the classroom was where he wanted to be.

“I started out as an environmental science major, but I quickly switched to teaching within the first semester. [The field] wouldn’t allow me to work with people the way I wanted to.”

Nelson said connecting with students is what makes the job most worthwhile, in both the short and long term.

“I think a gift I was blessed with is that I can relate to students from all walks of life. I think the students know that I truly care about each of them and helping them deal with their problems or achieve their goals,” he said. “And in return, we’re able to build some really good connections that even last well beyond the four years that I’m with them when they’re in high school. I still communicate with students that are 40, 50 years old now.”

Nelson began teaching in ‘92 at the Tri-County Area School District, but took a position in the Algoma School District as athletic director in ‘93. He said coaching appeals to him for many of the same reasons as teaching.

“I was fortunate enough to be a part of two different teams qualifying for the state tournament. In ‘96 we took second at state,” Nelson said. “I also coached a couple years for Luxemburg-Casco as an assistant coach, and I was athletic director here at Algoma High School for 10 years.”

Nelson said he has spent a total of 25 years coaching Little League and American Legion baseball, and he doesn’t plan to stop with retirement.

One of Nelson’s most significant achievements is the Leadership Through High Adventure course, which was also inspired by his science teacher.

“He took a group of us students into the mountains of Yellowstone and Glacier National Park for two weeks, and it was a great experience.”

Nelson said when he began teaching in Algoma, he raised the idea of a similar trip as a summer course to fellow teachers Steve Schmiling, Brett Brooks and Melissa Dupke, who were quickly on board.

The program ran from 1998 to 2001, when it was put on hold due to the teachers having families which made two weeks of travel difficult. However, the course was restarted in 2016 with the help of Meda and Mike Kruis, and has run every year since, apart from 2020.

“We take any student who wants to go — we don’t turn anyone away — and we take them for 11 days to South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota,” Nelson said.

The course challenges students in ways the classroom simply can’t, putting them face-to-face with the elements.

“We do whitewater rafting and Jackson Hole, and it’s a challenge for the students, because many of them have never been out of state. They have to work together in groups to make the meals, load the trailer, deal with adverse weather conditions, encourage each other on the challenging hikes and just be more responsible for not only themselves, but for others,” Nelson said. “Kids get a chance to grow in ways that they normally wouldn’t in the comforts of home. They don’t use cell phones, and it’s a great bonding opportunity for the students to get to know their classmates and teachers in a way that they normally couldn’t in a regular classroom.”

Over a 33-year career, a lot changes, but Nelson said the community has not.

“I think [enrollment] was 320 kids when I first started, and now I believe about 100 less than that, but the students have stayed the same. It’s a friendly community, and it’s pretty consistent from year to year.”

Moving into retirement, Nelson said he’ll miss the work but will continue to treasure those relationships he has made.

“I’d just like to thank the students, the staff, the administration and school board and the Algoma community for letting me be a part of their community,” Nelson said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend my teaching career, but I still get to spend the rest of my life with the people of this area, and I’m looking forward to that.”