Staff and students at Black River Falls Middle School are grieving the loss of one of their sixth grade math teachers.

Kelly Mauck, 42, of Hixton was pronounced dead at the scene of a one-vehicle crash shortly before 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 26. The 2003 Ford F250 truck she was riding in rolled into a median while traveling on Interstate 94 near Osseo. Mauck was traveling with her parents Clifford and Joanne Mauck, both 66 and residents of Sagola, Mich., who were transported to area medical facilities.

According to a report by the Wisconsin State Patrol, Clifford Mauck was driving the truck and all in the vehicle were wearing safety belts. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, the state patrol said.

David Roou, principal at Black River Falls Middle School, said he held a meeting with a group of middle school teachers Sunday and also called parents of children who had Mauck as a teacher.

Roou said Monday the mood at the school was “one of shock and disbelief.”

“Things are pretty raw,” Roou said. “Emotions are high.”

School district guidance counselors held small group sessions with students and staff Monday morning. A guidance counselor from the Eleva-Strum School District also offered her services by bringing a special dog to the school as a way to help students cope with their loss. Pastors, parents and a bereavement counselor from Black River Memorial Hospital also offered to talk with staff and students.

According to Mauck’s obituary, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and a minor in mathematics. Her teaching career started when she accepted a position as a fifth and sixth grade teacher in Weslaco, Texas. She taught at that district for four years before moving to northeast Wisconsin to become an eighth grade and Title I teacher in the Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District.

Mauck’s career in Black River Falls started in 1995 as a Title I teacher at Hixton Elementary and Forrest Street School. She also received her Master of Arts degree in education from Viterbo University in 1997. Mauck became a regular classroom teacher at Black River Falls Middle School in 2005, the obituary said. She was a member of the Black River Falls Education Association and was currently serving as secretary-treasurer.

Roou said Mauck had a special gift as a teacher.

“Being a middle school teacher is very unique in that the academic expectation is higher than early elementary, but along with that, there’s the human side that teachers in this building understand that students are growing n emotionally, physically and psychologically,” he said. “I think Kelly had the ability to connect with students and let them know that she’s always there for them yet she had high expectations that they work up to their ability.”

Roou said Mauck was often the first teacher at school, the last to leave and wasn’t afraid to work hard. He said Mauck considered her co-workers and students to be extended family.

“The impact she has made on kids is long lasting,” Roou said.

A community-wide Celebration of Life service was held for Mauck Tuesday evening at the Lunda Theater.

A complete obituary for Kelly Mauck can be found on Page A6.