Polson introduces new teachers
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POLSON — School began on Aug. 30 for students in Polson. Many new teachers have joined the staff of School District 23.
Polson Middle School
Polson Middle School’s new Spanish teacher is Melissa Martin.
Martin taught at Centerville High School, Valier High School, Lone Rock Middle School and Libby High School before coming to Polson.
After growing up in Pennsylvania and attending Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., Martin moved to Montana when she married her husband, Logan.
The couple keeps busy with their three horses, two cats, and one dog.
Martin also likes to play basketball, hike, camp and ride horseback as well as reading and quilting.
“I guess that my teaching or coaching philosophy is to have to students take something away from my class. What they take away might be not just the information I teach, it might also be a new perspective on the world,” Martin explained.
Multi-School
Whitney Pitts will serve as the Family School Resource specialist for K-8 and will move from school to school. Pitts said the staff in Polson is very committed to student success, and she’s excited to join the team.
Pitts just finished college at Whitworth University and moved back to Polson, where she grew up.
Pitts loves spending time with her family, reading and being outdoors. She also enjoys photography.
“I hope to be able to contribute to student success by supporting the parents. Parents know more about their children than anyone, and I hope that I can advocate their ideas and concerns in a way that will support and foster achievement, “ Pitts said.
Cherry Valley School
New to the Polson School District is Kylynn Sherry, who teaches kindergarten at Cherry Valley.
Sherry taught kindergarten for six years in Phoenix, Ariz. before coming to Polson. Originally from Missoula, Sherry attended the University of Montana for her BA in Elementary Education and then Arizona State University for her master’s in Elementary Education with an emphasis in English Language Development.
Sherry is married with two boys, a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. She enjoys horseback riding, camping, waterskiing, photography and scrapbooking.
“Given the tools, understanding, and support, all children can learn and be successful,” Sherry said.
Annie Flynn teaches K-1 Special Education. Flynn grew up in Kalispell, attended the University of Montana and went to Tucson for graduate school where she earned a masters in Special Education, Rehabilitation and School Psychology. Flynn previously taught for 6 years at Northwest School for Hearing-Impaired Children in Seattle, Wash.
Flynn is a newlywed, and she and her husband have cats and chickens.
She also likes mini-donkeys and show tunes. Flynn also enjoys going to the theater and concerts and also is interested in sewing/quilting and her vegetable garden.
“ . . . As an educator, I believe it is my duty to develop an understanding of each child’s circumstances and beliefs and allow those understandings to guide the design of my lessons. The most powerful and memorable lessons are those through which strong connections are made between new information and a child’s real life,” Flynn explained.
Another newcomer to Cherry Valley is Jackie Smith; Smith teaches kindergarten.
Linderman School
Julie Calhoun teaches second grade at Linderman School after working as a paraprofessional at the school for two years.
Calhoun, her husband Mark and sons Zach, 15, and Jake, 11, and their Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Samson, moved to Polson from Wichita, Kan., two years ago.
Originally from Wyoming, Calhoun attended the University of Wyoming. Calhoun loves to ski, hike, read, watch movies and sing.
“I focus on the whole child,” Calhoun said. “All children have strengths – it’s just a matter of identifying those strengths and helping them succeed in a safe, caring, and stimulating environment. I also believe in experiential learning by helping kids find the relevance of what they are learning and apply it to their own lives.”
Mona L. Friday takes over a fourth grade classroom at Linderman also. Friday has lived in the area for six years although she’s from Minneapolis, Minn. She lived all over the United States and Europe while on active duty in the U.S. Army. In her spare time, Friday likes photography, reading, writing and helping others.
A graduate of Salish Kootenai College, Friday has a daughter, Lindy, in 8th grade and a son, David, in 7th grade.
“I believe in team/peer teaching,” Friday said. “I try to identify students’ learning styles and cater to them.”
Another new fourth grade teacher is Brittany Simonich. This is Simonich’s first year with her own classroom. Simonich and her husband, Marcus, have a daughter named Grace, who just started kindergarten.
Simonich graduated from Carroll College in Helena. Besides fourth graders, Simonich loves being outdoors and active with her family and their two dogs, camping, hiking, biking or swimming. She also likes to sing karaoke, read and watch movies.
“I believe students can learn if they’re put into an environment where they feel safe and care for. I am a huge advocate of relationship building from the very beginning,” Simonich said.
Karen Reeves, who teaches special education, rounds out the new teachers at Linderman School.
Polson High School
Four new teachers are replenishing the English department at PHS: Amy McConnell, Linda Pete, Mike Schwanbenbauer and Katrina Venters.
McConnell taught for five years in Augusta before coming to Polson. She will teach English 10 and 11 and yearbook.
Pete is a transfer from PMS and will teach reading, English 10 and advanced English 10.
Schwanbenbauer is from Pennsylvania originally and worked in Simms for three years before finishing graduate school at the University of Montana. He will teach beginning journalism, journalism and English 12.
Venters comes from Madras, Ore., where she taught for three years. She will teach advanced English 9 and English 11.
Becky Hoxie and Nicole Leibach are both new math teachers.
Hoxie, who will teach Algebra I and Algebra II, and her family moved from Corvallis. Hoxie previously taught in Oklahoma and Kansas before spending 11 years as a full-time mom.
Leibach grew up in Sidney and attended Carroll College before teaching in Polson. She’ll teach Transitional Math, Math 2 and Geometry.
Rounding out the new high school teachers is Jan Toth. Toth is a special education teacher and also has four years coaching PHS volleyball under her belt. Toth and her family moved here from Cut Bank, and she also taught in Livingston.
