Christy Heiple

“A Splash of Culture” by Christy Heiple is a derivative of Vibrant Holi Festival Celebration in Kolkata by Dibakar Roy, which is licensed under Pexels Free to Use – Some Rights Reserved License. Downloaded on 02/04/26 and edited with BeFunky.

Here in the badlands, where the land is rough and open, the spirit can run wild. Unlike the flowing prairies of North Dakota, the badlands are exposed. Carved into each layer of rock is the story of wind and erosion. It carries the harsh realities of life in the West. Beauty here isn’t lush and obvious, but vast and dangerous. The land endures; time etched into the earth. The horizon stretches, the sky engulfs you, and all is quiet. Tucked away in the folds of the Badlands, the wild horses move like secrets. This is their home. It’s as if the land itself breathed them to life. Here they are wild and free.

Our family enjoys visiting the Teddy Roosevelt National Park in the heart of Medora, North Dakota. We love walking the trails and finding the wildlife. The prairie dogs and bison are easy to spot along the winding road. We keep our eyes on the hills to catch a glimpse of the wild horses. No matter how many times we spot them, we are always captivated by their presence.

I honestly love both the original and the cropped photo. The original focuses on the full landscape, but the cropped photo narrows in on the wild horses. I used the rule of thirds with the horses spanning across the photo to create movement.

This morning, it was -48° with wind chill in Bismarck, ND. The walk from my car to my school actually felt like I couldn’t breathe. We moved here 12 years ago, and I still wonder sometimes why I live in a place that makes my face hurt and my nose hairs freeze. I am trying to psych myself up to put gas in my car on the way home from school. I decided to look for an image that makes me feel warm and cozy. A Book and a Coffee by Rahime Gül gave me that vibe.

Before I became a teacher, I was a barista at a small local coffee shop in Scranton, PA. I loved working there because I got to learn how to do latte art and create my own specialty drinks. However, my favorite part was coming in early in the morning and choosing the background music for the day. I would create the best coffee shop playlist and then hook up my iPod to the sound system. This was the early 2000s, so it was mostly Jack Johnson and Norah Jones with some John Mayer and Sufjan Stevens trickled in.

Closing my eyes while listening to “Gloss Maestro” by Robbero and imagining that I am slowly sipping a mug of hot coffee will give me the serotonin boost I need to put my life in harm’s way while I pump gas this afternoon.

A Book and a Coffee by Rahime Gül, Pexels, Public Domain

“Gloss Maestro” by Robbero, CCMixter, Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY 3.0)

My name is Christy Heiple, and I am in my final semester in the MIS program. I live in Bismarck, North Dakota. My husband, Kris, is a middle school counselor, and we have four children: Wesley (15), Bre (10), Graeme (4), and Levi (2). We also have two extremely snuggly and slightly mischievous cats (Rajan and Lego).

I have been in education for 17 years, with 14 years spent as a classroom teacher and 3 years as a Library Media Specialist. I have had the amazing opportunity to teach in various locations, including Bronx, New York; Erie, Pennsylvania; Detroit, Michigan; New Delhi, India; and for the past 12 years, in Bismarck, North Dakota. Right now, I am a K-5 Library Media Specialist in two public elementary schools.

I am passionate about digital literacy and cybersecurity. I love every part of my job, from teaching students how to find good-fit books to coding, creating different kinds of digital media, finding and citing reliable sources, and so much more. Watching the students grow in their curiosity and confidence is a constant reminder of why I do what I do. I also enjoy sharing new ideas and tech tools with the teachers in my buildings and providing professional development within the district.

Most of my free time is spent supporting my children in their activities. Wesley plays the trumpet in the high school marching band and is involved in DECA. Bre takes horse riding lessons and ballet. Graeme plays soccer and wants to start T-ball this summer. Levi’s favorite pastimes are unloading all the kitchen cabinets, climbing onto the kitchen table, and trying to flip over the back of the couch, but I’m sure he’ll be in organized sports in the near future.

When I do have time to myself, I enjoy building a puzzle (specifically the Dowdle brand) or reading a book. I also dabble in writing and aspire to be a published author someday.