This blog post has been submitted for publication in the Friday, September 23 edition of the Northern Sun Print and the Reinbeck Courier
The 2016-2017 school year started on August 23, and the first five weeks of school have been GREAT! We are pleased to welcome several staff members to the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Rebel family for the 2016—2017 school year:
Matt Cibula is the new 9-12 Agricultural Education Teacher and FFA Advisor. Mr. Cibula is shared with the North Tama school district, where he has taught Agriculture and Junior High Science for the last 11 years. He is also North Tama’s FAA Advisor, and he coached Junior High track for 6 years. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a major in Agricultural Education.
When asked about his initial thoughts after his first few weeks at G-R, Mr. Cibula stated, “My initial impressions of G-R are simply outstanding. The students I have in my classes are respectful and a lot of fun to teach! I have truly enjoyed my first weeks at G-R!”
Cherie Eckhoff returns to G-R this fall after a five-year absence. She is teaching our 7-12 vocal music classes and directing our choirs this fall as the district searches for a permanent vocal music teacher to start in January. Mrs. Eckhoff received her Bachelor's Degree from Augustana College, in Rock Island, Illinois. She spent her first 3 years of teaching 7-12 music at Montezuma. She joined our district in 1981, teaching music at various grade levels and directing our choirs until her retirement in 2011.
Mrs. Eckhoff is excited about her temporary return to G-R, stating, “The kids have been just awesome and are giving their best efforts to make our choirs excellent. It is a pleasure to come to work each morning.”
Also stepping in to help us in the music department is Cathy Westwater of Gladbrook. When a late resignation made it impossible to fill our K-12 vocal music position, we found exactly what we were looking for in the combination of Cherie Eckhoff at the secondary level and Cathy at the elementary level. Mrs. Westwater will be teaching music to our students in grades K-4 during the first half of the year. She comes to us with a tremendous depth of knowledge in elementary education, having taught first grade at Anson Elementary in Marshalltown for the last three years. She has a bachelors degree from Iowa State and a masters degree in early childhood teaching from Walden University.
Mrs. Westwater speaks highly of both the staff and the students at Gladbrook-Reinbeck. “I am excited to be back at G-R because the staff are great as are our students,” she noted. “Everyone is happy to be here and they work together to help our students.”
Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s new Elementary Principal and K-12 Dropout Prevention Coordinator is Bradi Johnson. Mrs. Johnson taught for 18 years before joining the Rebel family. She spent the first five years of her teaching career as an At-Risk Coordinator and the last 13 years as a kindergarten teacher. She coached volleyball for a total of 15 years, Drill Team for 5 years, and Assistant Girls Track for 8 years. She holds bachelors degrees in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Special Education, and masters degrees in Elementary Education and Educational Leadership.
Mrs. Johnson has been impressed by G-R’s students, staff, and community. She stated, “My initial impressions of G-R include hardworking, progressive, caring members of a wonderful school community. The communities that make up G-R seem to be embedded in these same qualities. This is very exciting for our students! The framework for success can continue to be built on this foundation. I look forward to serving your communities, guiding our teachers, and supporting students through their school journey.”
Caroline Lake is a new Special Education teacher at the elementary level, working primarily with students in 5th & 6th grades. She comes to us from Starmont Elementary near Strawberry Point, where she taught for the past three years. For the first two years at Starmont, she taught 1st grade. During her third year, she taught part-time 1st grade and part-time 5th grade special education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wartburg College.
According to Ms. Lake, Gladbrook-Reinbeck already feels like home. “When I came to my interview,” she stated, “I instantly felt comfortable. G-R felt like home. As I walked out of the interview, I knew I had found the school I was meant to work at.”
Our new K-12 Talented & Gifted Teacher Ana Ragsdale is no stranger to the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Educational Community. She has been with the Little Rebels Preschool in Reinbeck for the last four years. Mrs. Ragsdale received her Elementary Education Degree and English/Language Arts Endorsement from North Central University in Minneaoplis, MN and is working on her TAG Endorsement at Morningside College in Sioux City.
“I love the G-R community and the passion we all have to educate children,” stated Mrs. Ragsdale. “I could not ask to be part of a better group of educators, and I am blessed to stay in-district and call myself a REBEL!”
Another familiar face at G-R is Deeann Stice, who will be working as an Aide in the Kindergarten and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) rooms this year. She previously taught 2-year olds at the Little Rebels Learning Center and helped in the ECSE room at Gladbrook-Reinbeck Elementary last spring. She holds an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Hawkeye Community College.
Deeann commented that one of the reasons she loves working at Gladbrook-Reinbeck is the size of the school, stating, “I really love how small G-R is because it makes it feel like an extension of your home.”
Scott Fisher is the new 7-12 Industrial Technology teacher at the Jr. High/High School. Mr. Fisher is quite familiar with G-R as he did quite a bit of substitute teaching in the district last spring after his graduation from the University of Northern Iowa. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Technology Education and a minor in Coaching. He will also serve as the head varsity coach for our GRNT RebelHawks wrestling program.
After his student teaching experiences at G-R, Mr. Fisher is very pleased to become a permanent part of the Rebel family. According to Mr. Fisher, “During my experiences as a substitute teacher in the G-R schools, the students and staff were extremely respectful, helpful and inviting to a new face. As the new school year has started, this impression has carried through the summer. The staff and administration at G-R are of the highest quality…I feel as though I'm part of a family where we can conquer anything.”
Maegan Meister is G-R’s new part-time Curriculum Director. Her position is shared with the North Tama District, and she will be spending about one day per week in the G-R district this year. She comes to us from Kingsley Elementary School in Waterloo, where she taught third grade for four years and second grade for two years. She was considered a leader among her colleagues at Kingsley, and her classroom was used as a model classroom in which numerous initiatives were piloted for the district. Mrs. Meister received her undergraduate and graduate education from the University of Northern Iowa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education as well as a Masters in Educational Psychology: Professional Development for Teachers with an Advanced Studies Certificate in the Principalship.
When asked for her initial reactions to G-R, Mrs. Meister stressed the supportive, family atmosphere and pointed out how much she loves the atmosphere in a smaller school district. “I am only in the district one day a week but I already feel like part of the family. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming. I look forward to coming to work and am excited to be a part of the G-R team! My husband is from a small town in northwest Iowa and he has always talked about wanting our kids to grow up in a smaller, close-knit community. G-R has opened my eyes to all of the wonderful opportunities a small community with a big heart has to offer.”
Returning from retirement to help us during a time of need is Madonna Wilson, who will serve as a secondary English/Language Arts teacher for the first half of the year. When the district had a late resignation in this teacher shortage area, we turned to Madonna who was pleased to return to the former teaching assignment that she retired from in 2015 after 31 years with the district and 39 years as an educator. She holds a bachelors degree from Iowa Iowa State University, with a major in English and journalism, and a minor in education.
Of her return to Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Madonna stated, “I'm enjoying my temporary assignment at G-R because we have such GREAT students, teachers, and supportive staff. G-R offers our students the opportunities they need to be successful.”
As you may know, your superintendent is also a new addition to the school district this year. My last newspaper column gave plenty of background on me…in case you missed it, you can catch that column (and all of my columns) on my blog. The address is http://rebelsupt.blogspot.com/. Feel fre to leave a comment on the blog as well.
I’ve always felt that it is the PEOPLE that truly make a school great, and this new group of Gladbrook-Reinbeck staff has been carefully selected for the skills, abilities, and aptitudes that they will bring to our educational community. We’re excited to have these new team members on board, and I encourage everyone in our educational community to help them to feel welcome and supported in the important work that they do. Welcome, new Rebels!
