By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
Moapa Valley Rotary Club welcomed all of the local teachers back to school last week with the annual teacher breakfast. Rotary volunteers began arriving at the Moapa Valley High School school bright and early at 5 am to set up and begin cooking a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruit, and more.
Rotarian Carol Bishop welcomed teachers and administrators and called them to come eat, saying, “We are so grateful for what you do for our children and our community. This breakfast is just one small way we can thank you for all you do.”
The annual event is a chance for the each school administrator to welcome his/her staff back to school and for teachers from all four schools to gather and meet the new teachers and staff.
At the beginning, administrators stole the show by gathering onstage decked out as rock stars with giant black wigs. They performed a lip sync of a song they had changed the lyrics on to welcome everyone back. Bowler principal Shawna Jessen played lead singer, with MVHS vice-principal Pledger Solomon, Bowler vice-principal Venessa Solis and Perkins principal Holly Lee on guitar, Mack Lyon Principal Ken Paul on drums, and MVHS principal Hal Mortensen playing keyboard.
After their enthusiastic welcoming song, the principals each took a moment to welcome and introduce the new staff in their schools.
Moapa Valley High School had the biggest turnover with five new teachers coming on board. Bonnie Yamashita Getz is returning to the valley to run a new and additional self-contained unit. Getz worked at local schools for 12 years before shifting to teach in Vegas for the last four. She was very excited to be back, saying, “I’m home!”
Kevin Walker is also new to the school, taking over for Maria Chidester, who retired during the summer. Walker will be taking on a full load, teaching graphic design, computers, MVTV, and running the school’s T-shirt company. He is excited to be returning to teaching after being in the insurance industry for several years.
“I went to school to teach and I’m so glad to finally be doing it,” Walker said. “I wanted to be more involved working with kids and in the community.”
Michele Anderson will be taking over for Emily Pack in the math department. Anderson has been a popular substitute for the last two years, especially in math, and will be teaching half-time at the school. She will be teaching Algebra II Honors and Personal Finance.
Other new faces at the high school this year include Tyler Bailey who will be covering in-house suspension while doubling as the athletic trainer; and Steve Wallace who will be teaching special education.
Ute Perkins principal Holly Lee only had one change to announce at her school. Music teacher Raquel Thompson left the school over the summer. This allowed Angela Crouch, who was new to Perkins last year, to come back to teach both music and art. The school had been forced to surplus Crouch due to budget cuts. Lee said she was thrilled to have her back.
There was only one new teacher at Mack Lyon Middle School as well. His arrival was much anticipated, however. The new band teacher AJ Burgess has come from Massachusetts, but recently received his master’s degree in conducting from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Burgess is very excited to be teaching.
“I love band and am so excited to be here,” Burgess said. “I’ve been able to travel all across the country with music and I’m excited to be someplace new. Everyone here seems to be so nice.”
Shawna Jessen announced the new teachers for Bowler Elementary, saying, “We’ve had changes right up to the last minute, but we’re really excited about what we’ve got in place for this year.”
Bowler has three new teachers joining them. Arica Cook has been a familiar face around the valley for a while, but has been teaching at JL Bowler in Mesquite for the past 3 years, and was teaching in Vegas for 3 years before that. She is very happy to work closer to home. Cook will be teaching 5th grade as the English Language Arts specialist.
Also new to Bowler is Special Education teacher Agnieszka Mullins who moved to the valley after teaching in Vegas for 14 years. So far, of her experiences in the valley she says, “I love it and am so happy to be here.”
Cindy Olafson is also trying to set up a new home and a new classroom at the same time. She is joining Bowler as a 2nd grade teacher after teaching in Las Vegas for the last 24 years. She is also very excited to join the school and the community.
Jessen’s words were heartfelt as she welcomed her new teachers and the others to the community and to the valley. “I’m so proud to be part of this great education team,” she said. “It makes my heart swell every time I see any of you out in public. We have a great staff and fantastic students. It’s going to be a great year.”
