The Hennessey Board of Education hired six more teachers for next school year and still has vacancies for two high school teachers in upper level science and algebra or computers.

A district-wide resource officer is also needed, HPS Superintendent Jason Sternberger told the board during its meeting last Monday.

He will ask the board to hire a part-timer in a careers/intern program next month.

The school will continue to hire the officer through the Town of Hennessey.

However, the school may play a part in the selection of the new officer hired by the town for that job,Tiffany Tillman, town administrator, told the KT&FP.

Resignations

The superintendent also told the board he’d accepted resignations from: Jenna Matousek (HS language arts and volleyball coach); Patrick Courtney (HS media); McKenzie Tucker (paraprofessional), and Joigairy Herrera (ELL aide).

He expected another resignation the next day, he said, but did not give that person’s name, or position.

Teachers hired

Hired on temporary contracts for the 2022-23 school year are:

MS language arts – Jennifer M. Leo Sandoval of Hennessey was hired as a middle school language arts teacher. She graduated from OU in December 2020 with a bachelor’s in elementary education. She has interned at Newcastle Elementary; Santa Fe South Middle School; Reagan Elementary; Cesar Chaves Student Teacher; Lakeland Elementary Middle School resident teacher (August-October 2021). She is bilingual (Native Spanish speaker, fluent English) and an Apple Teacher (2019). Note: Leo Sandoval was hired as fifth and sixth grade reading teacher in Jan. 2022 for the second semester. She was unsure if she would be returning so was not on the list of those re-hired earlier.

Band director – Daniel C. Powers of Enid graduated from SWOSU in 1995 with a bachelor’s in music education (instrumental/general). He is the 2012-present Seiling Public Schools band director of the junior high and high school bands (OS-SAA superior marching band, 2020, and Class 1A State Band Contest qualifier, five years, and District Superior Sight-reading, four years; Tri-State Music Festival superior seven years; 2008 Teacher of the Year); Enid Public Schools assistant band director (2003-12) and director Longfellow Middle School, 2008-12; SWOSU band camp faculty/administration, 2000-present; band director at Pond Creek-Hunter, 1998-03, and Texhoma Public Schools, 1996-98, band director. He has state standard teaching certification and a Class B commercial driver license for passenger, school bus and air brakes endorsements.

HS algebra or computers and assistant football coach – Mathew Loch of Kingfisher will graduate in May from SWOSU with a masters in education administration. He graduated from there in 2016 with a bachelor’s in history education. He has taught these classes at Cimarron Middle School, Edmond, 2016-present: U.S. history and also has certifications in Oklahoma history, government and economics, and coached football, girls track, basketball, baseball and wrestling.

HS English and head volleyball coach – Carrie L. Schwarz of Okarche has a bachelor’s in education/physical education/health/ safety, PK-12 and English, 5-12 grades from UCO in 1997; associate’s in liberal arts, Redlands Community College, 1983; attended Seminole Junior College, 1980-81, and graduated from Okarche High School, 1979. She has taught high school and junior high English, literature, reading improvement, geography, physical education and coached basketball, softball, track and field and girls golf at Luther, 2014-present. From 1996-2013 she taught at Stroud, U.S. Grant, Tuttle, Geary, Union City, Dustin, Newcastle, Cement, Geronimo and El Reno public schools. She has also taught at the Canadian County Education Center, Pioneer Elementary School and Casady Schools.

Third grade teacher – Andrea Jimenez of Kingfisher will receive her bachelor’s in elementary education in May from NWOSU. She received an associate’s in social science from the NOC-Tonkawa in 2019. She has been a student teacher at the Hennessey Elementary School since January. She was a teacher’s assistant at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School, Kingfisher, January 2018-May 2020. She is native bilingual in English and Spanish.

Third grade teacher – Caitlyn Cramer of Ames received her bachelor’s in elementary education from UCO in December 2018. She is currently a third grade teacher at Dover Public Schools where she has taught since 2019. From August 2015 to May 2018, she was a teacher at Children’s Learning Adventure in Oklahoma City.

Tutor pay for new ELL program

The board also voted to increase pay to $30 an hour effective April 1 for certified tutors in the Together con Éxito (Succeed Together) summer program and the 2022-23 before and after-school programs. That program is part of a $215,000 federal grant for English language learner students.

At the meeting

All board members attended the April 11 meeting: President Luke Lough; Vice President Cristopher Choate; Clerk David Tillman; members Patrick Griffin and Dr. James Matthew Matousek (outgoing president and newly-elected board member). Also present at the board table were Superintendent Jason Sternberger and Timberly Mitchell, office manager and minutes clerk.

Staff in the audience were principals Josh Faulkner (high school), Barry Crosswhite (elementary); Stacey Mack (pre-K and K); Allison Hurst, middle school special education teacher; Todd Cameron, technology director, and Rae Fuksa, sixth grade math teacher and tech assistant.