(Editor’s note: The start of the 2010-11 school year has brought several new faces to area public schools. Today’s roundup features new teachers at Iola Middle School and Iola High School – USD 257.)
Danielle Schooler
Danielle Schooler said she feels right at home in the art class at Iola Middle School. She is spending the semester fulfilling her student teacher requirements under the watchful eye of Joyce Atkinson, who was her art teacher when she attended IMS. Schooler is a 2003 graduate of Iola High School.
Schooler, who will graduate in December from Ottawa University, requested student teaching positions in Iola, Chanute and Burlington.
“I am glad I get to finish my degree here at my old school,” Schooler said.
Schooler and her husband, Josh, and daughter, Evie, 6 months, live in Iola.
Jeff Fehr
Jeff Fehr worked in horticulture for 18 years before returning to college to earn his teaching credentials.
He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and his master’s degree from Pittsburg State University.
Fehr works as a special education teacher at Iola High School through the ANW Special Education Cooperative. This is his first teaching position.
He and his wife, Muffy, live in Chanute. The couple have a daughter, Elizabeth, who is a senior at Chanute High School.
Regina Heier
Regina Heier teaches freshman and sophomore English at Iola High School. This is her first year as a teacher. She is a graduate of Fort Hays State University.
When she was a senior at Colby High School she said her teachers encouraged her to go into education.
“I first majored in speech and language pathology, but after two years in college decided I did want to be a teacher,” she said.
She lives in rural Iola. She and her fiance Trent Chriestenson are planning a summer wedding.
Lindsey Ross
First-year teacher Lindsey Ross teaches sophomore English and newspaper and yearbook classes at Iola High School.
After graduating from Meade High School, Ross completed a degree in journalism at the University of Kansas.
“I thought I wanted to be a journalist, but after a couple of years I found what I wanted to do was teach,” she said.
She received her teaching credentials from Baker University.
She makes her home in Iola.
Anna Bumgarner
Anna Bumgarner is the physical education and health instructor at Iola High School.
The St. Louis, Mo., native is a graduate of the University of Kansas.
After graduating from college she worked in public health.
“I found the best part of working in public health was teaching people how to live a healthier life,” she said.
She returned to college and earned her teaching credentials and has been in education for 10 years. Prior to coming to Iola she taught in Turner Middle School in Kansas City.
She and her husband, Hal, and sons, Nelson, 4, and Tristen, 2, live in Chanute.
Bill Peeper
Bill Peeper teaches freshman and sophomore social studies at IHS.
A graduate of Oklahoma State University, he grew up in the Enid, Okla., area
Prior to coming to Iola he taught for four years in WauKomis, Okla., and 10 years in Syracuse.
“I guess you could say teaching is in my blood. I come from a long line of teaching and being a history buff, teaching was a natural for me,” he said.
He and his wife, Autumn, and children, BreAnna, 6, and Mason, 2, live in Gas.
Krystal Henderson
Frontenac native Krystal Henderson is in her first year of teaching. The Pittsburg State University graduate teaches family and consumer sciences at Iola High.
“I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. My favorite game as a child was pretending I was a school teacher,” she said.
She said she likes Iola High School because it is about the same size as her school in Frontenac.
Henderson lives in Chanute.
Alyce Gawlas
Alyce Gawlas is a special education teacher at Iola High School.
Gawlas grew up in Parsons and earned her teaching credentials at Pittsburg State University.
It was while she was teaching science in Joplin, Mo., that she found she wanted to teach children with special needs.
She lives in Iola with her three sons, Isaiah, 11, Gideon, 5, and Noah, 3.
Katie Murphy
Katie Murphy teaches freshman English at Iola High School and also at Crossroads Learning Center.
This is her first year as a full-time teacher. She was a substitute teacher last year in the Topeka area.
“I liked to play school when I was younger and give my little sister homework. I have always wanted to be a teacher,” she said.
A Wichita native, she is a graduate of Emporia State University.
She makes her home in Iola.