Two high school, two middle school and one elementary school teacher were hired for the 2023-24 school year at noon Monday by Hennessey Board of Education members.

New High School Teachers Brian J. Richardson, the long-time Sayre head boys and girls basketball coach, was hired to coach girls basketball, and will also teach at the high school. [ Ed. note: See related story.]

Amy Lopez will teach high school language arts, and lives in Isabella. She has been an alternative education teacher at Kingfisher Public Schools for the past year, and taught English to Kingfisher juniors and seniors 2014-2020. She taught fourth-eighth grade grammar, spelling, reading and writing at Holy Trinity Catholic Schools, Okarche 2012-14, and 7-12 in English and humanities at Dover Public Schools, 200107. She was named Teacher of the Year at both Kingfisher and Dover schools. She graduated from SWOSU, Weatherford, 1997, BA, English education; and has 30 hours of master’s work in instructional media at UCO, Edmond.

Middle School

Jennifer C. Richardson will teach middle school language arts and will move from Sayre to Hennessey with her husband, the newly-hired HHS girls basketball coach. At Sayre she has taught second grade, 2006-17; fifth grade ELA 2017-present; health teacher, 2019-present; Elementary Student Senate Sponsor 2018-21 and 2-23, and basketball bookkeeper for girls and boys, 2019-present. She was a third grade teacher at El Reno Public Schools, 200506, and a student teacher at Hinton Public Schools in 2005. She earned her bachelor’s in elementary education from SWOSU in 2005 after graduating from Erick High School. She is certified to teach grades 2-8, and has a Class B school bus driver’s certificate.

Kris Piersall will teach middle school art and lives in Kingfisher. He has been a Hennessey Public Schools substitute teacher in grades 5-12, 2019-current. He taught 7-12 art to Hennessey students, 2008-16; K-12 art, Shidler Public School, 2002-08; instructor, telecom/elec, Colorado Interstate Gas 1990-91, and K-12, art, Beaver Public School, 1976-81. He has six years experience teaching robotics and as a yearbook advisor using Adobe Photoshop and In-Design; 19 years teaching K-12 art with emphasis on elements, principles of design, drawing, stipple, linear perspective, color theory, pottery, painting, cardboard sculpture and leatherwork. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art education with a minor in elementary education in 1976 from Oklahoma Christian University of Science and Art and is working on his master’s at SWOSU.

Elementary School Kelsey Bennett will teach in the elementary school and lives in Hennessey. She is an educational consultant for the Oklahoma School for the Deaf, February 2022-present; elementary teacher, Oklahoma School for the Deaf, Sulphur, 2013-22, and teacher for deaf/hard of hearing, Guthrie Public Schools, 2011-13. She is certified in early childhood (PK-3); elementary (1-8); deaf/hard of hearing (PK12), and is currently being processed for official certifi cation in American Sign Language. OSD Teacher of the Year, 2015-16; OSD Counselor-Teacher Association (co-president, 201819 and president 2019-21), and Wengage Tech Support for Teachers, 2018-22. She attended UCO, Edmond, 2006-08, and earned her bachelor’s in deaf education from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Chickasha, 2011.

Present at the meeting

All board members were present: President Luke Lough, Vice President Patrick Griffin, Clerk Dr. James Matthew Matousek, David Tillman and Amy Charmasson.

Also at the board table was Superintendent Jason Sternberger and Office Manager Timberly Jech who also served as recording clerk.

Staff in the audience were HPS principals Josh Faulkner, high school, and Ricardo Tarango, middle school.