Lem Hansellman, an Albuquerque native and 2018 Academy alumnus, is this year’s new Experimental Education fellow. Mr. Hansellman, a longtime ExEd teacher and Lem’s father, is partially responsible for Lem’s love for the outdoors and wide-ranging skills. Lem has always been interested in the outdoors, mountain biking, and art. They were a part of the first mountain biking club ever held at the Academy and now teach kayaking, rock climbing, and accompany students on ExEd trips across grades. Most importantly, they’d like you to know: “Mr. Hansellman is crazy.”
Just as their kayaking skills are unmatched, Lem’s interest in art flourished during their time at the Academy and continued through college. Lem studied creative media, or animation, during their time at New Mexico State University. They’ve worked on several short films and are currently working on developing a new one. As for the art that we can see right now, frogs are among their favorite things to draw. Their original frog sticker is now on my wishlist.
Along with visual arts, Lem’s other hobbies include gaming. Dungeons & Dragons, Red Dead Redemption II (which they argue is the best game ever made), and the Dragon Age games are among their favorites. There is a suspicious amount of “dragons” in that sentence. Among other pressing issues, Lem does not have a favorite founding father or Mt. Rushmore– but there is a mountain in Arizona that they share a name with.
Lem hopes their students learn to get comfortable doing hard things on ExEd trips and in every aspect of their lives. Lem also hopes to work in Maine at a relative’s donut shop in the coming years. If you ever happen to stop by, you might find them at Frannie’s Mini Donuts.
