What is your name? Richard (RJ) Thielsen.

What is your job title? Year in school? I am a Science Teacher/RIOT Sponsor (15 years).

Where were you born? I was born in Des Plaines, Lutheran General Hospital.

Which language(s) do you speak other than English? I speak some Spanish.

What is your hobby? I enjoy fishing and building fishing lures.

Do you have a favorite food/show/artist/sports team? My favorite food is sushi, I enjoy watching Stradman on YouTube, my favorite artist is A New Found Glory, and my favorite sport team is the Chicago Bears.

What would you like to see more of at Niles North? I would like to see students being kind and respectful of each other.

What would you like to see less of at Niles North? I want less inequalities of any kind, and students making negative comments about their peers. 

What do you do to make Niles North a safe place to learn? I attempt to make my classrooms places where students can feel comfortable expressing themselves, whether that is with respect to the curriculum or not.

How do you bring positivity to Niles North? I do my best to bring a smile to class everyday. Students have a lot going on in their lives so a smile from me may go a long way. I also try to keep the atmosphere of my classroom light so students feel more relaxed.