Hennessey’s board of education is back to full strength.

“I’m ready to listen, hear ideas, and I’m excited to be on the board to represent the community and our teachers,” said Amy Charmasson, the newly-appointed member of the board in a KT&FP phone interview Monday night.

Charmasson has reason for excitement.

She’s believed to be just the third woman on the HPS board since Dr. Naomi Fast in the mid-late 1970s, and then Brenda Reinschmiedt in the 1990s.

Board President Luke Lough called Charmasson after the meeting ended to give her the news.

Her appointment was due to a seat vacated in December after the resignation of Vice President Cristopher Choate.

Other board members at the February regular meeting were Patrick Griffi n, David Tillman and Dr. James Matthew Matousek.

Lough said there will be a reorganization of the board at its next meeting when Charmasson takes her seat.

Some may recognize the Charmasson name because of the family’s lamb farm where she and her husband, Chad, raise show lambs and have a feed supplement company.

The Charmassons came to Hennessey in 2008 to raise their family on land west of town that some may remember as the old Hobbs’ Place.

They have two sons, Cade, a seventh grader, and Crew, a second grader.

“Both of my parents are teachers,” she said.

Charmasson’s father coached in Lindsay where Amy grew up, and her mother taught there, and also taught in Hennessey.

Amy’s parents are Linda (Hobbs) and Dale Howe of Hennessey, and her paternal grandparents are the late Karcher and Brownie (Hickey) Hobbs from Hennessey who later moved to Stillwater.

Her maternal grandparents are the late Ed and Virgie Hickey.

In addition to helping at the family farm, Amy also works at Twenty-Twenty Oil & Gas Co. on Main Street that was started by Karcher Hobbs.

Hirings

The board unanimously voted to her appointment after they spent an hour in executive session to discuss that appointment and several hirings for next year.

All four building principals were rehired for the 2023-24 year: Stacey Mack, early childhood center; Barry Crosswhite, elementary school; Ricardo Tarango, middle school, and Josh Faulkner, high school.

All but Faulkner were at the meeting.

Hired on a temporary contract for 2023-24 as the alternative education teacher/ assistant football and assistant baseball coach was Nathan Hill, who coached in Hennessey from about 2007-18.

Others hired for next year were Kim Lester, speech pathologist, and Jacob Bullis, high school math teacher.

Hired for the current school year as a daycare worker is Ayla Plumlee.

Resignation

Earlier in the meeting, Superintendent Jason Sternberger said he’d accepted the resignation of Evan Sprayberry effective Feb. 24.

Sternberger said they’d be able to cover his classes for the rest of the school year.