Paul Rykken has been a social studies teacher at BRFHS for 22 years and has received many awards for his teaching abilities. Rykken teaches AP American History, American Politics, 21st Century World and Law and Society.

Beside teaching, he is also the head of the Falls History Project and directs the student senate.

“He’s a good teacher because he knows what he’s talking about, he cares about his students and he doesn’t give us busy work. Instead, he makes sure we understand what he’s teaching,” said junior Mara Ransom.

The Law and Society class focuses on the different types of law and how they function. A lot of the class time is spent in the computer lab doing research on cases.

“We didn’t really have a lot of homework assignments, we just spent time learning. We learned about our legal system and we spent the whole term doing case research,” said Ransom.

Rykken started the Falls History Project in 2000 in the effort to document the history of the area. Last year’s concentration was on the Native American-European American relationships in the area.

“I’m really excited to get started with the history project. I think it’s going to be a really good opportunity for me and I’m really interested in the project itself. Mr. Rykken really finds a way to keep everyone interested and involved and I think his styles and strategies keep everything open for discussion,” said senior Joshua Hanson.

This will be Rykken’s eleventh year being involved with the project.

“He’s really into what he teaches. He’s always very thorough,” said senior Tim Nortman.