Katie Kelley

Spanish Instructor, High School

katie.kelley@pcae.k12.mn.us

Katie Kelley began working at Perpich in 2026. Experiencing different cultures and perspectives has been the driving force behind much of her adult life. After high school, she worked in various national parks across the country. Serving guests from different countries inspired her to do some traveling of her own.

In her mid-twenties, she bought a one-way ticket to South America and slowly backpacked her way across the continent. It was here that she accidentally stumbled across the teaching profession while looking for a way to make some money between stops. She fell in love, and language teaching became her passion. She spent five years there teaching English as a second language.

During her five year stay in Chile, she got her TEFL certification to teach English internationally before coming back to the United States and finishing her BA in Spanish teaching at the University of Mankato. She has taught Spanish and Spanish immersion at Rosemount High School and Hidden Oaks Middle School before joining Perpich Arts High School in 2026. She hopes to inspire young people to travel, to be open to new experiences, and to embrace the variety of cultures our world has to offer.