Mr. Bute has been a teacher at NUHS for 31 years.
He student taught here in 1992 along with Mr. Engeldinger after he graduated from MSU. One of the first things he helped coach was football. He has taught every class in the Social Studies department at one point or another but has been settled on AP European History, AP World History, and College Psychology for several years.
Mr.Bute was born in Fairmont, MN, and was the 6th of 7 kids. His family later moved to Alden, MN, where his father worked as a diesel instructor. All 5 of his brothers got their father’s knack for hands-on work, while Bute got the teaching part. Before becoming a teacher, he was in the army for 21 years and continues to be a part of the American Legion. His interest in teaching came from his father, his old Social Studies teacher, Mr.Germaka, and his military background.
Since being at NUHS, Mr. Bute has been a leader in many ways. He has been the head knowledge bowl coach since 2006. “Mr. Nelson and Mr. Foley are amazing, and Mrs. Stuart has always been there when I needed her,” said Bute.
He has been a big part of the athletic and fine arts boosters since 2016. In the world of sports, Mr.Bute has coached almost every sport at one point or another, including girls’ fastpitch, wrestling, track and field, and football. Currently, he umpires girls’ fastpitch softball and announces at basketball games. He heads most of these activities himself because he “loves learning things, whatever they are,” and he “doesn’t like to sit still; I’m a little antsy.”
Since 2019, Mr. Bute has been the mentor for all new teachers at NUHS. Initially, it was Mrs.Longtin, but it later got passed on to him. He said mentoring “comes naturally from my years in the military.” Mr. Sagmoen was the one who mentored Mr.Bute in his early years here and inspired him to “ask more questions, rather than just lecturing and giving information.”
Outside of school, Mr. Bute likes to relax or build things up at his family’s cabin with his wife, Julie, who is also a teacher, and his two daughters, Emma(26) and Ellie (24). Mrs. Bute is currently a special education elementary teacher but has been at every building at one point or another. He also enjoys traveling and helping others find a love for traveling, like when he leads the school’s Europe trip.
