Tori Kidgell enjoying teaching close to home

By: 
Sam Smith

After growing up in Lovell, Tori Kidgell didn’t have to go far to find a new teaching job in the Big Horn Basin.

The daughter of Karen Sessions, Kidgell is a 1998 graduate of Lovell High School and is now working at Rocky Mountain Middle/High School in Cowley as the new family and consumer science teacher. She is also helping out Carlye Ward as an assistant coach for the cheerleading squad.

Kidgell attended Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg from January 2013 until she graduated in December of 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer science education.

Kidgell landed her first teaching job at Kuna High School in Kuna, Idaho, teaching family and consumer science from 2017 to 2020 before moving back home.

Kidgell is enjoying the students that are in her classes. “It’s been going really well,” she said. “I have great students and fun classes.”

Kidgell said she has been inspired by many teachers that taught her at Lovell High School.

“I love working with the youth and teaching them lifelong skills,” Kidgell said. “I had great teachers growing up, and you can tell
that they cared about their students. I want to carry that on.”

One thing Kidgell likes about teaching family and consumer science is that the classes are hands-on.

She teaches the course work from sixth grade to senior year.

“My middle schoolers are going over time management and goal settings, self-concept, teamwork and leadership,” she said. “In my high school foods class, we reviewed safety and sanitization, and we just started a dairy unit. This week we are making fettuccine Alfredo.

“My child development class is talking about children learning through creativity and imagination.”