New teachers filled with nervousness, excitement as school year approaches
Sports reporter
With any new job comes mixed emotions. For seven new teachers in Marion-Florence USD 408, nervousness and excitement are at the top of the list.
Jennifer Owen, Sarah Waddell, Shaun Craft, Kim Harden, Autumn Priddy, Bethany Carlson, and Kathy Schmidt will be taking on new adventures this year in their respective teaching fields for USD 408.
Owen and Craft will be spending most of their time at the Hill School on the Marion High School campus. Craft will be outside a lot as well when he is teaching physical education, as well as an assistant high school football coach and head high school baseball coach.
Craft, who coached and taught at 3A McLouth last year, said the job kind of just fell into his lap after Sean Spoonts left for Onaga.
"It's a good opportunity," he said.
Craft is familiar with the area. He graduated from MHS in 1998, after playing football, baseball, and running track for the Warriors. He then spent time at Emporia State University and Tabor College where he played football and ran track, finally finishing in 2004 at University of Kansas.
He said he feels a little pressure after the baseball team's success this past season, but also is excited.
The fact that he coached some of his future players in pee-wee football should make it an easy transition.
Owen on the other hand is new to the area. She grew up in Wilsey and attended Council Grove High School.
She will be taking over Lois Smith's business and computer classes.
Like Craft, Owen attended ESU where she earned a bachelor's degree in education. She will finish up her master's degree in the next year or two.
For now she is focusing on her new classes. Owen too said she is nervous but excited to teach what she loves, especially since it is becoming more prevalent.
"You pretty much need computer skills to survive," she said.
MHS is her first teaching job after completing her student teaching at Centre High School with Lisa Beye.
Two teachers, Autumn Priddy and Kimberley Harden, will begin their first year as teachers at Marion Elementary School.
Priddy will teach fifth and sixth grade social studies, as well as help coach MMS basketball. Harden will be one of three fourth grade teachers.
Harden isn't unfamiliar with MES. She was Laura Baldwin's student teacher last year.
"It gave me a tremendous amount of experience for this year."
The Ashland native and Tabor grad is excited to get the school year started and said she is blessed to be working with fellow fourth grade teachers, Baldwin and Alisa Jirak.
Priddy, who grew up in Leon and attended Bluestem High School, will showcase her academic achievements as well as her athletic ones at MES.
After receiving her associate's degree from Butler Community College she received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford (Pa.).
In college she played basketball and softball, and after graduation she was an assistant coach at Pitt for both sports.
Priddy will join Nicki Case, Marj Sandberg, Ginger Becker, and newcomer Sarah Waddell as fifth and sixth grade teachers.
Waddell, who worked as MHS library aide last year, joins Becker as a language arts teacher. It will be her second year in the school district.
The Hesston native and Wichita State University grad said she is excited about the new school year.
Two teachers, Carlson and Schmidt, will be starting their first year in USD 408 as special education teachers.
Carlson spent the past two years at White City teaching special education while completing her master's in the same field at Kansas State University.
She decided to come to Marion after her husband accepted a job as an engineer at Hillsboro Industries.
Schmidt will be joining Carlson, as well as Erica Buller and Denise May, on the MES special education staff.
All seven have been busy this past week, attending meetings, writing lesson plans, and preparing for a new job.
While there was some nervous tension in the air, most agreed when the beginning bell rings on that first day, jitters will give way to more important things — namely, educating students.
