News : Fourteen new VS educators attend orientation

New VSHS teachers: Tony Steinberg, Annalise Sudtelgte, Nick Waymire and Michala Martin.

New VSMS staff: Stacy Kinney (VS/MS librarian) Tricia Tendick (ELP), Alexa Francois, Brenda Harting.

Alissa Brunssen, Jennifer Pettyjohn, Courtney Templeton, Joshua Meyer, Emily McLaughlin, Lori Franks

Ah, the first day of school – the day when teachers and students learn to pronounce – and spell – each other’s names.

At Vinton-Shellsburg High School, the first day of school will introduce students to the pronunciation and spelling of the name of the new Family & Consumer Science teacher, Annalise Sudtelge.

“Kindergarten,” says Ms. Sudtelge, “was brutal,” as she recalled the unusually difficult challenge of learning to write an uncommonly-spelled name.

Fortunately for the district’s 5-year-olds, Ms. Sudtelge – who recently posted a link on Twitter in honor of “children who could never find their name on a souvenir” – chose to be a high school teacher.

From Elkton, S.D, Ms. Sudtelge has also been asked about her “accent.”

Another teacher who said she has trouble writing her name is Courtney Templeton. No, the name isn’t that unusual for this part of the United States; it’s just that Templeton – the new Shellsburg Elementary 2nd grade teacher – has only had her name for three days. Mrs. Templeton was married on Saturday, three days before the orientation for all new V-S teachers, which began today (Tuesday, April 13).

In total, 14 teachers attended the orientation, although some of their names are already familiar to Vinton-Shellsburg staff, students or alumni.

Jennifer Pettyjohn is the new Special Education teacher at Shellsburg. She is the wife of VSMS teacher Chad Pettyjohn.

Brenda Harting will teach Reading at VSMS this year. She is also a llama farmer.

“By day I inspire junior high students to become all they can be. By night and on weekends, I experiment with the fiber arts. My husband, Dan, and I raise llamas and CVM fiber sheep on Wolf Creek Farm near La PorteCity,” Mrs Harting wrote on her Linkedin page.

Tony Stenberg will teach at the Alternative High School. Vinton-Shellsburg athletes will remember competing against him in baseball and football. After graduating from Benton Community in 2009, Stenberg went on to play baseball at Wartburg.

Another college athlete who has joined the VS staff this year is Alexa Francois. The new MS Behavior Learning Center teacher played volleyball at Mount Mercy, where she was the team MVP her senior year. She also earned All-Academic Awards and earned Team Spirit and Most Hustle Awards.

Tricia Tendick also attended the orientation with the other new teachers, although she has been with the district since December, when she was hired to replace Kathy Turner as HS and MS ELP teacher.

The new vocal instructor at VSHS is Michala Martin, who comes to VS from North Cedar, where she taught for two years. She began her music teacher career in 2006 in Wapello.

“My career goals are to be the Director of Choral Activities in a high school in a large district with a well-established and supported music department and to sing as an oratorio or Bach soloist on the side,” Ms. Martin writes on her Linkedin page.

Other new teachers include:

Elementary

Alissa Brunssen, Expanded Learning Program, Tilford and Shellsburg

Joshua Meyer, 5th grade, Shellsburg

Emily McLaughlin, 1st grade, Shellsburg

Lori Franks, 5th grade, Shellsburg

Middle School/High School

Stacy Kinney, VSMS/VSHS librarian

Nick Waymire, VSHS band

High number of new teachers an ‘anomaly,’ says Superintendent

Fourteen is an usually high number of new staff members. Superintendent Mary Jo Hainstock said it represents “an anomaly,” and not a new trend for the district.

Orientation included a variety of topics and speakers, allowing the new teachers to receive information on personnel matters, the VSEA as well as area communities.