Interviews with Inver Grove Heights Schools Staff

Interview with Mathew Corey

Interview with Rebecca Ney

Ney (21:37) and Corey (4:57)

As Matthew Corey recalled, LGBTQ students became more publicly prominent in Inver Grove Heights schools through the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), founded in 2004 as Simley's first group that catered towards LGBTQ students.

Of course gay and lesbian students and citizens lived in Inver Grove, yet no gay events ever made headlines in the city. Simley High School was first to create this group despite it being the idea of Inver Grove Heights Middle School teacher James Eich. The GSA became a place where LGBTQ students in IGH, as well as allies, could come together and have a group where they could speak freely of anything while being LGBTQ.

Rebecca Ney, the GSA’s current advisor, told a similar story of Inver Grove schools having little interest in LGBTQ issues prior to the formation of the first GSA. Listen to the recollections of what Corey and Ney had to say about bringing pride back into Simley High School.

Interview with Matt Mitchell

Matt Mitchell (11:14)

We know that the LGBTQ had a small presence at both Inver Grove Heights Middle School and Simley High School thanks to an experienced teacher, Matt Mitchell. Mitchell has taught at Simley for 16 years, and has been around since the creation of the first GSA. Here is his recollection of events.

Interview with Ashley Mohn

Ashley Mohn (10:53)

Inver Grove Heights Middle School had even less LGBTQ-related history according to its current GSA leader, Ashley Mohn. According to Mohn, the middle school had a more homophobic background before the formation of the GSA, including homophobic remarks and slurs in the hallways of the school. The IGHMS GSA, unlike at Simley, experienced high levels of success due to it being much more recent than the first GSA, which only Corey, Mitchell, and teacher Doris Ferguson experienced. Here are Ashley Mohn’s recollection of events.

Doris Ferguson

Along with Matt Mitchell, Doris Ferguson explained her experience as a lesbian teaching and substituting at Simley High School for the last three decades. Ferguson recalled fondly how many staff members showed at Ferguson’s wedding to another woman in 2013, when gay marriage became legal in Minnesota showing. Unfortunately, the interview with Mrs. Ferguson became corrupted after its recording. Future classes hope to re-record this interview to upload to Inver Grove History.