Elizabeth Jens, the art teacher at Bear River, has lived a colorful life full of music and travel. From the countless music bands and projects she’s been involved in to the 20 different countries she’s traveled to, Jens is a truly interesting character. In her 19 years teaching at Bear River, everyone she’s known has their own story to tell about her.After asking Jens to share one of her most fun and notable travel experiences, she had a very detailed experience in Europe to recount.“Well one of my favorite cities in the world that I've only been to twice is Ljubljana in
Slovenia,” Jens said. “It’s like a completely forested country, and it's right next to northern Italy and it's absolutely gorgeous. The city itself is like the ‘dragon city,’ because everywhere you see these huge metal and stone dragons that are said to protect the city. You can also walk up to the top of this huge mountain right in the middle of the city, and there's a castle you can go in and all around. It’s like from the year 1100.”Jens has been all over Europe, and is fluent in six languages: English, Dutch, Flemish, German, Italian, Afrikaans, and also understands some French. On top of all of these languages and rich travel experiences, Jens has been involved in many musical bands and projects over the years.“I've sung in several bands and toured with them all over Europe, … you know in California and (others),” she said. “The first one was called the D-Rangers, and with my husband, we had that band for eight years when we lived in the Netherlands.
“We did 3 European tours with that, and I was a singer and the bass player, and then we came to the States and we started a project called Panther and Bear Fight. For tha, I was just singing. I was also in this crazy metal band for a while just singing called 47 Miles”.
Mia Guerra, a Bear River alumni, touched on an exciting field trip she went on with Jens.“I got to go on a field trip to San Francisco with the Art Club, and Mrs. Jens was our supervisor,” Guerra said “We visited several museums, local attractions, and enjoyed the Chinese New Year’s Parade! During this trip, I got to see more of Mrs. Jens personality that I couldn’t during school hours. She’s led such a rich life, full of traveling, art and adventure.”Lorian, one of Jens’ daughters, states,“She always goes out of her way to help people and makes sure everyone is happy. She is my rockstar and my best friend.”Lucy, Jens’ other daughter, has similar things to say as Guerra about her strong sense of character, and fondly remembers camping trips..“At night, coming back to the campground, we would cook s’mores and hotdogs and others, and I remember my mom singing,” Lucy said. “I would sing with her, something we still do. Music is of utmost importance in our family. There are two songs I still remember from camping: The Eagle and the Hawk, and (Ghost) Riders in the Sky. I highly recommend listening to them, they are very cool songs.“My sister and I used to be obsessed with SpongeBob, and there is this one Halloween episode where Patrick says “ Let’s go scare somebody” in a really funny voice.
“She would say this line to make us laugh, in perfect Patrick voice. You could ask her to do the voice, but I can't promise she will! This, among countless other impressions, was better than watching the shows themselves.”