NFV welcomes new teachers
By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com
North Fayette Valley will welcome five new teachers to the school district when school starts on Thursday, Aug. 23.
Those new teachers are Megan DeBack, Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL); Kyle Harms, high school and middle school chorus; Holly Mohs, middle school and Valley Elementary physical education; Emily Kullen, TigerHawk Preschool; and Jamie McGowan, eighth-grade language arts.
With North Fayette and Valley’s merger complete as of July 1, grade levels in the different education centers shifted and a number of current educators changed positions for the new school year.
In the past, sixth grade had been located at Valley and Fayette elementaries. Now, all of sixth grade will be located at the Valley education center as it becomes part of NFV Middle School. West Union Elementary (WUE) used to be kindergarten through fourth grade with Fayette Elementary housing fifth and sixth grade for students in the former North Fayette district. This year, WUE will host kindergarten through third grade while Fayette Elementary will have fourth and fifth grade.
Kelly Farley and Molly J. Holthaus have been moved to NFV Middle School from Fayette Elementary. Farley will teach sixth-grade math, while Holthaus will teach sixth-grade science. Transferring from WUE to the middle school is Kim Kleve, who will teach sixth-grade language arts. Also transferring from WUE to Valley Elementary is Renee Larson, who will teach first grade.
Jim Calkins has moved from a high school social studies teacher to the middle school to be the seventh-grade social studies instructor. Darin Johnston doesn’t change buildings, but he will go from being the eighth-grade social studies teacher to the sixth-grade social studies instructor. Johnston and Calkins will also be the middle school’s Leader in Me advisors. Alicia Schneider goes from sixth grade to kindergarten at Valley Elementary.
At West Union Elementary, Tina Halverson will be the new Title I teacher while Morgan Deering moves to first grade. Ashley Henderson will move up two grades from first to third grade. At Fayette Elementary, Stephanie Wirtz transferred from sixth to fifth grade and Joni Walvatne moved up from fourth to fifth grade.