Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, August 16, 2012, Pages 1 & 7

Teachers and staff are spending the week making preparations for the opening day of school Tuesday, Aug. 21 in the Mount Ayr Community school district. There will be a new elementary principal and six new teacher faces to greet students at the elementary school this year.

At the high school a new Spanish teacher will be the only new face.

Chris ELWOOD is the new elementary principal and his staff will include first grade teacher Kristen GRAHAM, second grade teacher Crystal STORHOFF, third grade teacher Michael LONGLEY, fourth grade teacher Jody GREENE, fifth grade teacher Ranae KLINKEFUS and self-contained special education classroom teacher Melissa SHENNUM.

In addition Beth BJUSTROM will be returning to the district to serve as a special education consultant for the elementary room serving autistic students.

At the high school principal Lynne WALLACE will be handling only the secondary level principalship after working as principal on both levels for part of the year last year.

The new teachers will be Gilberto CASTRAJE, a native of Spain, who will arrive once the paperwork [has been] completed to allow him to teach here for the year and Susie CANTANZARETI, who will be the new vocational ag instructor.

The new elementary principal Chris ELWOOD comes to Mount Ayr from Griswold. He has degrees from Iowa State University and Creighton University and has taught for 17 years -- 14 years on the elementary level and three years on the middle school level. As well as Griswold, he taught in Anita and Exira and has an extensive coaching background as well.

He and his family -- wife Callie, son Dalton and daughter Karly -- have moved to Mount Ayr.

ELWOOD said he felt his many years of teaching experience would make the transition from classroom to administration a smooth one.

New elementary teachers Kristin GRAHAM of Mount Ayr will be a new first grade teacher this year. She is a recent graduate from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake in elementary education and has a social studies concentration and reading endorsement. She did her student teaching in the Mount Ayr Community district.

Crystal STORHOFF of Mount Ayr is the new second grade teacher at the elementary school. STORHOFF has her bachelor of science degree in physical education and elementary education from Maysville State University in Maysville, ND. She has been a substitute teacher in area school districts for 15 years, has worked with the Sites for Learning program and has had a home child care business among other ventures.

Michael LONGLEY of Chariton is the new third grade teacher this year. He is a 2010 graduate of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education with history, reading and coaching endorsements. He has been a substitute teacher and teacher in a Sylvan Learning Center. This is his first full-time teaching position.

Jody GREENE of Mount Ayr is the new fourth grade teacher. GREENE has a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO. She has been working with the Sites For Learning program in the Mount Ayr Community school district for the 12 years.

Ranea KLINKENFUS, originally from Panora, will be the new fifth grade teacher. KLINKENFUS is a graduate of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake in elementary education with English, language arts and reading enforsements. For the past three years she has been a Title 1 reading teacher in the Brassfield, OK, school district, where she was also student council sponsor.

Melissa SHENNUM is the new special education teacher for the autistic special education classroom. She comes to the district from Circle, MT, where she has been a substitute and long-term substitute teacher. She has a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies for K-8 grades from Western Governor's University in Salt Lake City, UT. She will be working with Beth BJUSTROM while she works on her certification in special education.

Gilberto CASTREJE will be the Spanish teacher in the high school this year, but has been delayed by the efforts to get his visa matters handled as he is a native of Spain. He has bachelors and master's degrees from universities in Spain and as well as teaching has worked in public radio in his home country. For the past seven years he has taught in Beatrice, NE, in a high school distance learning program.

Susie CANTANZARETI of Mount Ayr will be the new ag instructor and FFA advisor. She is a graduate of Tarkio College and has a master's degree in education from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO. She has taught business education in the past but has been working with college programs for many years at Southwestern Community College in Creston and Graceland University in Lamoni. She has been director of the TRIO Upward Bond program at Graceland University for the past 15 years.

Other staff new to the district this year include Tiffany WIMER, flag coach; Kurt LARSEN, custodian, Tanner RINEHART, varsity baseball coach; Kalian SMITH, drill team coach, and Heidi ALBAUGH, teacher associate.

There are a number of new assignments for faculty and staff as well. They are included in the listing of teaching and extracurricular assignments included in the rest of this article.

Administration: Joe DRAKE, superintendent; Lynne WALLACE, middle school-high school principal; Chris ELWOOD, elementary principal.

Elementary faculty and staff include Beth CHRISTNER, Little Raider Preschool; Kris QUICK, early childhood special education, special education coordinator and assistant drill team coach; Betsy BUDACH, kindergarten; Katie COULSON, kindergarten; Dara GREENLAND, junior kindergarten; Tracey GILES, first grade; Kristin GRAHAM, first grade; Stacia NICKEL, first grade; Janet AUGE, second grade; Karen TAYLOR, second grade; Crystal STORHOFF, second grade; Michael LONGLEY, third grade; Darla SOBOTKA, third grade; Jody GREEN, fourth grade; Deb LYNCH, fourth grade; Jess FROST, fifth grade; Ranae KLINKENFUS, fifth grade; Bret RUGGLES, sixth grade; Julie STEWART, sixth grade.

Bethany KNOX, resource room; Jill WEEHLER, resource room; Courtney ADAMS, resource room; Amy LEVINE, resource room; Melissa SHENNUM, special education; Beth BJUSTROM, special education consultant; Valle SMITH, Title I, school improvement coordinator; Donna KEMERY, Title I; Jane UHLENKAMP, art, Title I math, Talented and Gifted; Victoria GULLIATT, librarian; Carol CASON, instrumental music, vocal music; Deb LARSEN, physical education; Barb GERBER, guidance counselor; Stacey ANDRESEN, nurse.

Cindy STEPHENS, principal's secretary; Heidi ALBAUGH, Debbie GRAHAM, Tara GROSE, Annette LYDEN, Andrea MAIN, Heather MARTIN, Tina MAXSON, Mindy MINNICK, Nichole MINNICK, Betty NEWTON, Sherry NORRIS, Tara SHIELDS, Anne TAYLOR, Mabel TRUJILLO and Elaine WILLIS, teacher aides; Josh HANAWALT and Kurt LARSEN, custodians.

Middle school-high school faculty and staff include Sherry ADAMS, language arts, Second Chance reading; Stacey ANDRESEN, school nurse, health careers; Tori BRABY, middle school softball, assistant volleyball coach; Mark BUDACH, BPA, business education, middle school boys track, middle school football, assistant girls basketball; Carol CASON, cheerleading coach; Gilberto CASTREJE, Spanish; Joe CATANZARETI, high school language arts, middle school football, middle school boys basketball, middle school baseball, middle school track; Suzie CANTAZARETI, vocational agriculture, FFA; Pam CROSS, high school social studies, National Honor Society; Kim CURRY, technology coordinator; Jules DAUGHTON, middle school girls basketball and assistant high school softball coach; Eric EHLEN, middle school physical education, high school wrestling; Brad ELLIOTT, high school boys track; John FORD, assistant high school wrestling; Jodie GEIST, high school special education, TAP coordinator, grant writer; Barb GERBER, family and consumer science, prom co-ordinator, FCCLA; Scott GILES,industrial technology, PLTW, co-TSA sponsor, head boys and girls golf; Victoria GUILLIATT, librarian; Fay HOWIE, high school science, SADD club co-sponsor; Tawnya JONES, concessions; Shaun KNIEP, high school English, publications, speech, drama, drama club, year-book, speech sponsor; Derek LAMBERT, high school physical education, weight coach, co-head high school football coach; Deb LARSEN, head high school girls track, middle school - high school cross country coach; John LARSEN, 7-12 guidance counselor, high school math, high school student council, assistant girls track coach; Tori LARSEN, high school special education; Jeff LEVINE, assistant boys basketball; Frank MUELLER, special education, behavior disorder; Mary K. OVERHOLTZER, middle school science, 7-12 talented and gifted; Chandra POORE, special education, Special Olympics coach; Kris QUICK, special education coordinator; Aaron RILEY, 7-12 art, driver's education; Tanner RINEHART, boys baseball coach; Brandie RUGGLES, middle school special education, high school volleyball; Bret RUGGLES, head boys basketball coach; Christie SHIELDS, cheer coach; Delwyn SHOWALTER, at risk, athletic director, co-head high school football; Kalian SMITH, drill team coach; Crystal STORHOFF, flags; Greg STORHOFF, middle school/high school instrumental and vocal music; Thad STREIT, high school science, middle school health, head high school girls basketball; Kurt WALLACE, industrial technology, PLTW, math, assistant high school boys track, co-TSA, driver's education; Tiffany WIMER, flags; Sally YOUNG, middle school math, middle school girls track; Mike ZARR, boys and girls bowling.

Janette CAMPBELL, school board secretary; Deb YODER, superintendent's secretary; Diana AHRENS, middle school/high school principal's secretary; Betty Lou GROVES, guidance secretary; Kathy TRIGGS, middle school/high school secretary, athletic director secretary; Donna WARIN, special educationsecretary/court liaison; Aleha WHITTINGTON, media associate.

Teacher associates: Barbie BELZER, Tori BRABY, Ryan GREGG, Ashley MERCER, Gayla MOON, Amanda OVERHOLSER, Christie SHIELDS and Bonnie STILL.

Custodians: Clint POORE, head custodian; Dean BLADES; Alan SCHAFER; Todd MINNICK.

Transportation: Dick STILL, transportation director/mechanic; bus drivers: R. B. DAVENPORT, Lyle MAIN, Ken MARKLEY, Owen MARSCHING, Bart SHIELDS, Ron SICKELS, Faye STULL and Brett YODER.

Cooks: Tawnya JONES, food service director; Kathy BUCK, Roberta CAMPBELL, Pat KEMERY, Jackie McVEY, Debbie SHIELDS, Cathy SWANK, Lori WILSON and Shelley WIMER. Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2012