Minnesota Students Mourn Teacher Killed Hiking In Alaska

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Friends and family are remembering a Minnesota teacher who was killed in a hiking accident.

Brittany Boegel, 32, died after being crushed by falling ice in Portage Valley, Alaska. Two others were injured.

Soon the classrooms at Venture Academy will be full, but a void will still be felt. Boegel taught sixth-graders there, and co-workers said she loved her job and loved her students.

"She kind of had that passion for life she always wanted to be on the move and on the go," co-head of Venture Academy Mike Warner said. "She was pushing them everyday to be the best that they could be."

Parents said that Boegel had a positive impact on their children's lives.

"My daughter came in not really liking math or science," parent Clara Catalan said. "The influence she had on my daughter was invaluable for me."

Outside of school, Boegel lived for traveling, and had been on adventures all over the world. Her family said she died doing what she loved.

A family statement reads: "Her mom, dad, and brothers were with her until the very end of her last earthly adventure ... She was a joy of life that focused on giving back to her family, friends, students, and communities, and we ask that everyone remember Brittany by carrying that forward."

In addition to being a teacher at Venture Academy, Boegel also volunteered for Girls on the Run.

Normally there would be a summer session at Venture Academy, but students are on break with the holiday. Instead staff members are spending the day calling parents, informing them of Boegel's tragic passing. They will be making counselors available to students.