Superintendent News & Views
G-R Welcomes New Teachers
By David Hill, Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent
The 2019-2020 school year started on August 23, and the first five
weeks of school have been GReat! We welcomed five new teachers to the
Gladbrook-Reinbeck Rebel family this school year, and I’m pleased to introduce them
to the community in the paragraphs below.
MS. LAURIE SEIDL, 7-12 SCHOOL COUNSELOR: Laurie Seidl is the new 7-12 School Counselor
at Gladbrook-Reinbeck Jr./Sr. High School.
A native of Urbandale, Iowa, she is a graduate of Dowling Catholic High
School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in
Child, Adult, and Family Services from Iowa State University and is completing
a Masters of School Counseling degree program at the University of Northern
Iowa. She has two years of teaching
experience, having taught special education at the preschool level.
Commenting on the positive, welcoming environment at G-R, Ms. Seidl
said, “The people at GR seem like a family and have been nothing short of
welcoming to me so far!”
MR. HUNTER HAMILTON, HIGH SCHOOL AGRICULTURE TEACHER/FFA ADVISOR: Lone Tree, Iowa native Hunter Hamilton joined
the G-R staff as the new High School Agriculture Teacher & FFA Advisor this
past summer. This is Mr. Hamilton’s
first teaching position, as he graduated from Iowa State University last
spring. Just before graduation, he
completed his student teaching experience at Wester Dubuque High School in Epworth,
Iowa.
Mr. Hamilton’s schedule is a busy one...he spends half of his day
at G-R and the other half at Dike-New Hartford, where a new agriculture program
is being established. He’s also advising
a new, joint FFA chapter that is shared between the two schools. When asked about his initial impressions of Gladbrook-Reinbeck,
Mr. Hamilton said, “I am excited to be back in small-town Iowa! Even though I haven't been here long, I can
already feel the community support.”
MS. AUDREANNA BEDNARZ, EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER: The district’s new Early Childhood Special
Education Teacher joined the district this fall with three years of experience as
a preschool teacher. Ms. Audreanna
Bednarz was raised in the small community of Springville, Iowa and is excited
to join the positive and caring community at G-R. “I am from a small town in rural Iowa where
everybody cares about everyone,” she stated recently. “G-R seems like a very
tight-knit community where everyone supports each other, and I am excited to be
part of such a positive and caring community.”
Ms. Bednarz is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, with
a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She previously worked in the field of social
work, but eventually realized that she could have the most impact on the world
around her by working directly with students.
MRS. HEATHER MARA, ELEMENTARY SPECIAL EDUCATION: The new special
education teacher at G-R Elementary is already quite familiar with the school
and the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community. Heather
Mara is returning “Home” to G-R schools where she previously taught 1st
and 4th grade. She re-joins
the district with over 20 years of teaching experience.
Speaking about her return to G-R, Mrs. Mara said, “Last year I
subbed at GR and got to know the staff and students. I was excited to be back teaching in a
small-town district and elated to have the opportunity to meet a new generation
of students/parents here. The way the
whole community has welcomed me back, has warmed my heart and confirmed my
decision of returning ‘home’ to GR."
Mrs. Mara was raised in Hampton, Iowa. She is a graduate of the University of
Northern Iowa where she majored in Early Childhood and Elementary
Education.
MR. SAMUEL ROGERS, K-12 TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR/TECHNOLOGY
INTEGRATIONIST: Sam Rogers joined the G-R
district this summer as the new K-12 Technology Coordinator and Technology
Integrationist. He is a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Mr. Rogers most recently taught 7th Grade
Literacy at Central Middle School in Waterloo. Prior to that, he taught various
English courses at Waterloo West High for while coaching a variety of sports at
the middle and high school level.
Excited about his new technology-related role at G-R, Mr. Rogers
said, “Technology plays such an integral role in our students' learning
experience as well as their everyday lives, and I am excited to help teachers
continue to provide those experiences, help them learn new skills, and
generally make our students' learning experience the best it can be.”
Mr. Rogers holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary English Teaching
and a master’s degree in educational leadership.
MORE FUN &
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT OUR NEW TEACHERS:
Which of these new teachers threw up during the dissection of baby pigs during
their high school years? Which one minored
in horticulture? Which one was once sent
home from school for smelling like a skunk?
What are our new teachers’ favorite books of all time? Why did these teachers decide to pursue a
career in education? Find the answers to
these questions and more on my blog, as we discover more in-depth information
and learn additional fun and interesting facts about each of our new teachers
in my series of blog posts. Just type tinyurl.com/NewGR19
into a browser window to be taken directly to this blog post, where you can
find links to a separate, more detailed article focusing on each of the new
teachers:
I’ve always believed TEACHERS are a school’s greatest resource,
and G-R employs some of the very best in the business! These new additions to
the Gladbrook-Reinbeck teaching staff have been carefully selected for the
skills, abilities, and aptitudes that they will bring to our educational
community. We’re excited to have these new Rebels on board, and I encourage
everyone in our educational community to help them to feel welcome and
supported in the important work they do. Welcome, new Rebels!
You are welcome to visit my blog at http://rebelsupt.blogspot.com/
where this column and all columns I submit to the Northern Sun Print and Reinbeck
Courier are posted. I also welcome you to follow me on Twitter, where
my handle is @DavidRobertHill.
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