Our Educators View this Section Online at www.crestonnews.com/eEdition
Brea Steinkamp Susannah Miller Courtney Adams
2 4 8
Jeff Stuber 10 Photo page 12 Becky Donaldson 13
Sandy Winter Georgia Miller Andy Hitz
15 17 19
Jill Tussey Donna Williams
20 21
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Steinkamp brings Moldova experience to St. Malachy By ALEXI GROUMOUTIS Special to the CNA
Brea Steinkamp was never one to take the road most traveled, so before settling into a comfy teaching career, the 21-yearold Steinkamp had some bucket-list business to take care of. In 2012 she joined the Peace Corps and headed to Moldova, a post-Soviet country, to teach English for two years. “I just couldn’t imag- Steinkamp ine working 40 hours a week for the rest of my life, have kids and get married and do the routine, so I broke the routine,” Steinkamp said. “I signed up for the Peace Corps. Sold all of my stuff and moved to Europe.” Initially, Steinkamp’s parents had reservations about her joining the Peace Corps. Concerned for her safety, they told her she couldn’t go. Unbeknownst to them, she signed up anyway. Worried she’d be assigned to teach in an unstable region in Africa, they quickly overcame their fears when they learned she’d be sent to Moldova. “The more we found out how safe she’d be, the better we felt,” said her mother Dana. Steinkamp, a first-year middle school
language arts teacher at St. Malachy School, was born and raised in Creston. She attended Southwestern Community College before receiving her teaching degree at Northwest Missouri State University. Steinkamp said she learned the importance of serving others while attending St. Malachy School. As a student she participated in St. Malachy’s Adopt-A-Family Program. Then, while attending Creston High School she participated in Helping Hands. Later on, she served in the Appalachian Service Project. Growing up her parents said she always stood up for the underdog and was very kind hearted, so they weren’t surprised by her decision to join the Peace Corps. Although Steinkamp spent much of her life volunteering, nothing prepared her for her time in Moldova. Life there was a stark contrast from her comfortable life in Iowa. Steinkamp said trying to adapt to the cultural change was a whirlwind that could only be understood by someone who’s shared a similar experience. She said it was extremely difficult coming from a structured country to one with no structure at all. “You go from the richest country in the world to one of the poorest countries,” Steinkamp said. After 10 weeks of Peace Corps training
Contributed photo
Brea Steinkamp took this picture of a masa — where Moldovans gather around the table to eat and celebrate holidays or special occasions. Masas are important in their culture because it is time spent with family.
in Philadelphia, Steinkamp was dropped off, alone, in the village of Costeti where she was the only native English speaker. There, she partnered with a Moldovan school teacher to teach third through 12th grade. When she first arrived, most of her students didn’t speak any English. Although Steinkamp learned the Romanian language, she was encouraged to only speak English. With 24 blank Moldovan stares looking back at her, she devised lesson plans to accommodate each student individually. Teaching her students advanced English was no easy task. Knowing that not all children learn the same, she provided her students with every resource possible for successful learning. She played games with them, brought in videos and used technology. She even stood on chairs, anything to engage her students. The compassion and energy she brought to her Moldovan classroom was a far cry from what her students were used to. It was not unusual for students to get hit and called stupid by their native teach-
ers before Steinkamp intervened and deemed such behavior unacceptable in her classroom. The only physical contact Steinkamp allowed between teacher and student was hugs and high-fives (a powerful gesture she introduced to the kids). Growing up, Steinkamp said her former St. Malachy teachers greatly impacted her life and she wanted to be that teacher to her students in Moldova, especially since most of her students came from unstable homes or homes without parents. “You just try to love them as much as possible, to teach them as much as possible, to prepare them for life,” Steinkamp said. Although Steinkamp lived with a host family for two years in Moldova, she said it was difficult being away from home for such a long period of time. She found support from her family and the Creston community. She received an abundance of cards and letters from former neighbors, teachers, Please see STEINKAMP, Page 3
208 W. Taylor, Hwy 34 • Creston 641-782-7021
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During this after-school program created by Brea Steinkamp, children show the supplies donated by Dr. Michael and Dave Buck’s office. Students learned to floss and brush their teeth because some of them didn’t know the importance of oral hygiene.
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STEINKAMP: learned from that, she grew from that and comes back more capable of helping other people.” Walsh said Steinkamp’s experience teaching overseas translates to confidence in the classroom. “Even though it is her first year teaching in American schools, she’s not a first-year teacher,” Walsh said. “She has e x p e r i e n c e s Walsh above and beyond the normal (classroom experience).” Because of that, he says she brings a unique perspective and level of maturity to the classroom. Walsh added: “I think that she’s also a good role model for our girls. Strong women are important.” Since returning to Creston, Dana said her daughter has a new-found appreciation for life in the United States. She values the privileges and resources that many people take for granted. “She seems like she’s more grateful for how she was brought up and what she has,” Dana said. Reflecting on Steinkamp’s decision to join the Peace Corps, her parents said they couldn’t be more proud of their daughter. They said it took a lot of courage that they can’t be credited for. “Where she got it from, I don’t know,” said her father Dean, laughing. Steinkamp said serving under-
Continued from Page 2A
parents and classmates she hadn’t seen since high school. “It’s truly amazing what this community produced for me and always thought about me,” Steinkamp said. “I had an entire community rooting me on. That actually got me through Peace Corps. I didn’t want to let anyone down.” Steinkamp’s students even received care packages from Creston. Dana said dentist Dr. Dave and Michael Buck sent toothbrushes and toothpaste. Since returning from Moldova, Steinkamp said she couldn’t think of a better place than St. Malachy to begin her teaching career. Without the Peace Corps, Steinkamp questioned what kind of teacher she would have been during her first year. “I learned so much about teaching and how to care for kids and how to go about my lessons and what kids really need these days,” Steinkamp said. “You have no idea what these kids are facing outside of school, or in their minds, or personally or socially or educationally.” Before he was her boss, St. Malachy Principal John Walsh was Steinkamp’s grade-school principal growing up. Walsh witnessed Steinkamp evolve from a compassionate student into an assertive educator. “It’s a unique experience for any individual to be able to travel, to see a different culture, to be immersed in a different culture,” Walsh said. “It can be a real challenge, but I think she
privileged students overseas was life changing and she’s a better person for it. She evolved in ways that will shape the rest of her life. “Peace Corps has really taught me what kind of teacher I want to be, what kind of human being I want to be,” Steinkamp said. Contributed photos
Above, Brea Steinkamp, is pictured here with her partner teachers on the first day of school of her first year as a volunteer. The main focus of the Peace Corps for Steinkamp was to help these parent teachers learn English. Right, Brea Steinkamp is pictured here with her host mom Svetlana, her daughter Olesea and host father Slavic.
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Miller stays up to date with teaching, advancements in agriculture By AMY HANSEN
goals was to also involve the community and bring them in and be part of what’s going on at the school and this project,” Miller said. “I knew that we couldn’t just do it with just the students at our school, that we needed some more adult help, as well. It turned out to be a wonderful project, not only in Murray, but all of Clarke County. We involved a lot of the Osceola organizations, as well.” Miller said it was beneficial for her students to plan and execute a project from the ground up. “It was a fun day,” she said. Another one of Miller’s hands-on education goals is to start a greenhouse where students can do more projects with plant growth. She wants it to be an opportunity for students who live in town and not on a farm to have a chance to work more with agriculture. “Miller has done an outstanding job in integrating the FFA program into the student body and encouraging kids and reaching out to kids to participate,” said Murray Superintendent Alan Miller. “Susannah has a tremendous relationship with the students.”
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
MURRAY — For Susannah Miller, Murray’s ag instructor and FFA advisor, education is best when it’s hands-on and ever evolving. Miller grew up in the Osceola area, so teaching at Murray is local for her. She attended Iowa State University, but was originally undecided on her major. “I knew I wanted to be in agriculture, but I didn’t know which area I wanted to focus on,” Miller said. “I bring that up because I’m working with seniors and trying to help them figure out their options in life and what they can pursue.” Eventually, she decided on agricultural education. Miller’s brother is also an ag educator at Southeast Polk’s school district. “I wanted to make an impact with students,” Miller said. “I wanted them to know the difference and the positive sides of agriculture.” She spent two years in northwest Iowa and then got the position at Murray in 2006. “Every day is something different,” Miller said. “I don’t just stand at the board and teach math problems or have them
Susannah Miller is pictured in her agricultural education classroom at Murray School District.
read stories. We’re trying to do as much hands-on stuff and doing all sorts of different subjects under agriculture. It’s always changing. My curriculum is not the same from year to year.” She said she is focused on always finding a better method of teaching ag related topics.
Murray FFA As the advisor of Murray’s FFA program, Miller is responsible for guiding
the students, helping them fundraise and being in charge of the finances. “I try to encourage them to see all the opportunities there are with FFA,” she said. “I kind of kid them that we could be gone every day of the week doing something through FFA almost. It seems like there’s so many opportunities. They just have to chose the ones that they’re interested in and go with them.”
The grant check from Du Pont and Pioneer to Murray’s FFA program is displayed in Susannah Miller’s classroom at Murray School District. It was for Murray FFA’s Operation Feed the Hungry project and organized through a FFA “Be the Seed” grant project.
Miller said she has about 40 students a year in the FFA program. This includes out-of-school FFA members who have earned the Iowa (FFA) degrees and want to pursue an American (FFA) degree. It also includes students who have graduated but still want to show livestock through FFA. “I feel like it is a good size,” she said. “The class sizes run about 25 or so per class. So, 40 is about two class sizes here at Murray. So, I feel that that’s a pretty good number.”
Operation Feed the Hungry One of the recent standout projects with Murray’s FFA program was packaging food for Operation Feed the Hungry in the school’s gym March 12,
CNA photo by AMY HANSEN
2014. Operation Feed the Hungry was organized through a Murray FFA “Be the Seed” grant project. The goal was to have 50,000 rice/soy meals packaged for Meals from the Heartland. Murray students, faculty, staff and more than 100 community members helped surpass the goal, packaging 61,560 meals in two hours. “My students that organized it, they have graduated and have moved on,” Miller said. “The kids here still remember it and they loved the project. They loved doing that and they would like to see that happen again.” The community was also able to have a lot of involvement in the FFA project. “That was one of our
CASE Miller is also focused on staying up-to-date with agriculture in the classroom and curriculum. An example of this is CASE, which stands for Curriculum For Agricultural Science Education. With CASE, there are certifications teachers Please see MILLER, Page 5
CNA photo by AMY HANSEN
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MILLER: Continued from Page 4A
receive, which allows them to teach certain courses to their students. To get the certification, a teacher must attend a rigorous two-week institute to learn the curriculum and take back to the classroom. They are usually held during the summer. CASE is purposely designed to spiral student-learning experiences throughout the entire course. The curriculum is student-driven, inquiry-based agriculture science lessons. Its daily activities vary between building hydroponics units, dissecting fetal pigs to exploring the basics of soil. The curriculum encompasses national teaching standards in English, science and math. Miller has three certifications, which are CASE-AFNR (agriculture, food and natural resources), CASE-Plant Science and CASE-Animal Science. As for acquiring more CASE certifications, Miller is taking the summer off from attending the institutes because
she wants to focus on her family since she had her third child last fall. However, the education process doesn’t stop for Miller because she is working on her master’s degree in agriculture from Iowa State University. “I’ve been working on that for awhile, so it’s time to really finish that up,” Miller said with a smile. Miller said she is always appreciative of the CASE program and how it has aided her work in the classroom.
Bacteria grows in a petri dish as a class project in Susannah Miller’s classroom at Murray School District. The agricultural education lesson is centered on the topic of “Biosecurity: Managing risk in relationship to agriculture and farms.”
STEM
CASE is funded a lot through the governor’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) council because it deemed CASE as a worthy project to support. Through funding, Miller’s institutes and teaching equipment have been paid for. “This STEM money has really, really supported our efforts,” Miller said. “It’s something that would be hard for me to purchase on my own through the school. But, with that money, it helps.”
CNA photo by AMY HANSEN
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Pictured is a view of people working in Murray’s gymnasium for Operation Feed the Hungry March 12, 2014. Operation Feed the Hungry was organized through a Murray FFA “Be the Seed” grant project. The goal was to have 50,000 rice/soy meals packaged for Meals from the Heartland. Murray students, faculty, staff and more than 100 community members helped surpass the goal, packaging 61,560 meals in two hours.
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
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8A
Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Kodak moments
Mount Ayr teacher uses hobby to capture life’s moments By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter
bpoolman@crestonnews.com
MOUNT AYR — Courtney Adams is a wife, mother and teacher in Mount Ayr. She is also a photographer in her spare time, capturing the moments in her life so she can hold on to it. Adams, 31, began her photography hobby, called “While the Grass Grows,” six years ago. “I’ve always enjoyed crafting, painting, decorating. And, I started taking notice of local scenery and wanted to capture it. However, my painting skills are limited when it comes
to realistic scenes. This is where the photos started,” Adams said.
Photography In 2009, Adams purchased an “expensive camera,” she said. “(I) started playing around with it. My children soon became my models and the things we did ... became my locations,” Adams said. “It’s not seasonal, it’s constant. It doesn’t have to be perfect weather on a perfect day at the perfect time. It can be on my time frame, I can do it when I need or want to do it.” Adams would take photos of her children fishing, swimming, playing outside
in the sunshine and riding horses. “Photography is calming to me. It allows me to slow down and appreciate things that I take for granted daily. It’s not seasonal, it’s constant,” Adams said. “As cliche as it sounds, photography is a way to capture a moment, memory, emotion and hold on to it.” Along with her children, Adams photographs her family’s home, a farm where she and her family can play outside and she can capture the moments. “Most of the time I’m photographing people,” Adams said. “When I’m doing photography for myself, it’s almost always my children or things around the farm — things I need or want to appreciate in my everyday life.”
Growth In the six years since Adams established her photography hobby, she has developed likes and dislikes, new theories to editing and favorite poses. “I see things from different angles, understand my camera logistics better and can take better images,” Adams said. “I’ve developed the theory that less is
Contributed photo
Courtney Adams and her family pose for a group shot at Murphy’s barn in Mount Ayr by Allison Knox Photography. From left are Ellison, Austin, Courtney, Mason, Weston and Ashtyn Adams.
more when it comes to the editing portion.” Adams prefers taking pictures of children. She said she likes following her children around when they play to get a loose, non-posed feeling, such as outside and
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son captures her personality and attitude perfectly,” Adams said. “She’s a sassy little girl who thinks she’s much older than she really is, and it Please see ADAMS, Page 9
Contributed photo
Ryann Cannon, Courtney Adams’ niece, sits in the sunshine for her nine-month photos, which Adams took in September at Fife’s Grove in Mount Ayr.
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9A
ADAMS: Continued from Page 8A
shows in that image.” Adams said she does not have a favorite photo, but after every session, she finds more photos she falls in love with.
Work Since starting “While the Grass Grows,” Adams has not started a photography business. However, she will photograph other people if asked, and if it works with her schedule. Adams also edits her photos using a program with purchased and downloaded effects.
She gives them as gifts, or uses them for home decorating. “We are currently building a home, and I have already lined up photos for home decoration ... that I plan on using for each room of the house,” Adams said. “Walking into a home and seeing framed photos that I’ve shot, receiving holiday cards or save the date cards that use my images, or seeing signs that I’ve created is a very flattering feeling. It makes me smile every time.”
School. She attended Southwestern Community College for two years before transferring to Buena Vista University. She graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in teaching with an endorsement in special education. She began teaching halftime at Diagonal Elementary School in general ed-
ucation and half-time as Sites for Learning coordinator at Mount Ayr Junior and Senior High School. She then began teaching special education at Mount Ayr Elementary School the next year. Adams and her husband Austin have four children: Ashtyn, 11, Weston, 5, Ellison, 2, and Mason, nine months.
Background Adams is a 2002 graduate of Mount Ayr High
Contributed photos
Top right, Courtney Adams’ daughter Ellison, 2, leans against a fence post by Oakridge Cemetery in Mount Ayr in February while Adams photographed her. Above, Courtney Adams’ four children, from left, Ellison, Mason, Ashtyn and Weston, pose for a photo Adams took at her mother-in-law Brenda Adams’ house near Mount Ayr.
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Contributed photo
Courtney Adams shoots a photo of her cousin Cadence Ingram with her hand under water pouring from a spigot at a park in Waukee in June 2014.
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10A
Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
A pinnacle feat SWCC instructor spends spare time hiking mountains
By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
A section of wall in Jeff Stuber’s classroom at Southwestern Community College showed electrifying quotes about his profession. Stuber, electrical technology instructor at SWCC, pioneered the college’s electrical technology program several years ago, and still has enough energy to do what most people probably haven’t: climb mountains.
Contributed photo
Jeff Stuber, left, stands with wife Nona, son-in-law Davie Nielson, daughter Hillary Nielson and Bruce Nielson on Gray Peak, located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, in 2014.
Mountain climbing Stuber, 55, formerly of Ohio, moved to Creston with his wife Nona, SWCC adjunct nursing instructor, in 2011 to develop the college’s electrical program. Since then, the couple have taken advantage of the long winter and summer breaks to travel and hike mountains. “We’ve been avid hikers for 30 years. We have a national park pass, where you get a lot of little stamps,” Stuber said. “The western region is full, the Midwest region is full, the eastern region is completely filled up from Massachusetts, south.” The couple also drive to different places, such as Colorado, where one of their daughters lives, to hike, snowshoe and cross-country ski. “We love to go to obscure national parks,” Stuber said. “If you ever get a chance, go to Craters of the Moon (National Monument and Reserve in Idaho). You’ve heard of the big ones like Yellowstone (National Park in
Contributed photo
Jeff Stuber and his wife Nona sit on a peak on Mount Democrat, a fourteer that is part of the Colorado Rocky Mountain range in 2014.
Wyoming) and the Grand Canyon (National Park in Arizona). But, there are so many dinky ones, it’s unbelievable.” One of the most recent trips Stuber and his wife went on was to Colorado. They spent the night in Aspen, Colo., because they arrived early and their daughter and son-in-law were working, so they took a trip up to the Maroon Bells, two mountain peaks in the Elk Mountains. “The same day we did the Maroon Bells, we came into Aspen and there’s a
John Denver memorial park,” Stuber said. “It’s got rocks, a rock stage and a few rocks in that semi-circle kind of look. And, quite a number of his
songs are just etched in the natural granite.” John Denver was an American singer, songwriter and humanitarian famous for his songs,
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park junkies,” Stuber said. A fourteener is a mountain that meets or exceeds a 14,000-foot elevation above sea level, with a Please see STUBER, Page 11
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
11A
STUBER: You wouldn’t believe how beautiful it is,” Stuber said. “I mean, the ocean colors there are so neat. They’re not just that blue, not like that Irish gray sea. These were, like, green and sea green, and blue and little bits of yellow. And, it’s like, how can the ocean be all these different colors all right there? It was just neat.” While in Medjugorje, the couple also climbed Mount Podbrdo. “It was just the whole package. You gotta fly over there, you gotta spend, like, 10 hours in a plane just to go across,” Stuber said. “Then, you accomplish your goals, and you feel real good about yourself because you accomplished what you set out to do.”
Continued from Page 10
peak height of at least 300 feet, as a general rule. Based on these rules, Colorado has 53 fourteeners, California has 12 and Washington has two. Alaska fourteeners follow a rule of a peak at least 500 feet, and the state has 21 mountains that qualify. “It’s just awesome. I love being able to share this with my husband,” Nona said. “For me, hiking a fourteener, especially since I’m a breast cancer survivor, being able to do that is just a sense of accomplishment.” To reach the peak of a mountain, Stuber said it takes a lot of working together and encouraging each other. It can be difficult the further up a person gets on a mountain because of the lack of air, and sometimes there are obstacles to tackle, such as scrambling over rocks. “It’s not for the faint of heart,” Stuber said. “There’s so many emotions. Many people, when they reach the top, even if it’s a 12,000-foot peak, you cry because you made it to the top.”
Electrical program Before starting up the SWCC electrical program, Stuber was training director for an electrical apprenticeship program in Canton, Ohio. He then got his bachelor’s degree in adult education. “Not that I was unhappy, I’m not saying that. But, I wanted to go to the next level.
So, I started looking around for a community college to teach in the electrical program. And, lo and behold, I saw it (electrical instructor position at SWCC) on one of the job search boards,” Stuber said. He was transferred to Bill Taylor, SWCC vice president of instruction. Stuber and his wife arrived in Creston in August 2011, and, with Taylor’s help, the electrical program was started. “It’s the coolest thing,” Stuber said. “We’ve put at least a dozen electricians out there. They would never have found the jobs had I not had this program.”
Background While in high school, Stuber joined the U.S. Coast Guard. He was in the guard for four years, and a year after leaving he started an electrical apprenticeship. Eventually, he earned a bachelor’s degree from National Labor College in Maryland, and is certified through the U.S. Department of Labor as a journeyman electrician.
He and his wife Nona have three daughters: Hillary Nielson of Colorado, Heather Finlayson of Ohio and Holly St. Hilaire of Washington. They have six grandchildren. Stuber and his wife have hiked together since they met. “It’s something that Jeff and I love to do. When we first met, ... our first place we went together we hiked,” Nona said. “Jeff motivates me. We motivate each other,
and it’s something special to do as a couple, together. It’s something we enjoy. It’s a shared experience as a husband and wife.”
Currently, Stuber and his wife plan to travel to Yosemite National Park in California and hike up the back of Half Dome in the summer.
Croatia The only mountain Stuber has done internationally was to reach the peak of Krizevac, known as Cross Mountain, located in a town called Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Stuber hiked the mountain with his wife in 1997, and Nona also hiked the mountain in 1996, a short time after the Bosnian War. “It was an incredible experience,” Nona said. “We got up at 3 a.m. and hiked up it with a group of people because we wanted to be there at 5 a.m., ... because that was a significant time and a time we wanted to be up there for prayer and reflection. It was just a powerful, spiritually enriching experience.” The couple hiked the mountain on a spiritual journey of sorts, as Krizevac is topped with a white cross, and Medjugorje is known for apparitions of the Virgin Mary to local Catholics. “It’s on the Adriatic Sea.
Contributed photo
Jeff Stuber, right, stands at the top of Mount Democrat, a mountain in the Colorado Rocky Mountain range, with, from left, Bruce Nielson, Stuber’s daughter Hillary Nielson, Stuber’s son-in-law Dave Nielson and Nona Stuber in 2014.
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Jeff Stuber stands in a wooded area of Grand Teton, the highest mountain in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, in summer 2014. Contributed photo
Owen Grundman listens to his teacher Becky Donaldson read from the book “The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder Feb. 25. CNA photo by KYLE WILSON
Contributed photo
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Donaldson: ‘Nothing will ever replace teachers reading to children’ Lenox elementary teacher Becky Donaldson reads to her students for 25 minutes every school day ■
Little House on the Prairie
By KYLE WILSON
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
For 23 years, this Lenox elementary teacher has been able to guide her students — through her storytelling — to another time and place. Every school day now for more than two decades Becky Donaldson — who will retire from the district this May — reads to her elementary students for 25 minutes from one of the books in the Little House series. She does these readings around 12:30 p.m. following their lunch recess. She starts the school year with the first book in the series “Little House in the Big Woods” and normally gets through seven to eight books before the school year ends. “It amazes me how each year these students get into the stories,” Donaldson said. “The children enjoy this part of the day so much I couldn’t stop. And, really I don’t tire of reading these books. It’s my opinion that nothing will ever replace a teacher or parent reading to their child.
CNA photo by KYLE WILSON
Becky Donaldson’s second-grade class at Lenox dresses in Pioneer clothing Feb. 25. Donaldson reads a book out of the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder every day after noon recess.
There aren’t enough computers in the world.” The Little House series is written by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her life in the Midwest during the 19th century. There are nine books in all and told in third person with the main characters including Charles (Pa), Caroline (Ma), Laura, Mary, Carrie and Grace. The nine books include “Little House in the Big Woods,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Farmer Boy,” “On the Banks of Plum Creek,” “By the Shores of Silver Lake,” “The Long Winter,” “Lit-
tle Town on the Prairie,” “These Happy Golden Years” and “The First Four Years.”
Student reaction Hannah Bennett, now a junior at Lenox High School, had Donaldson as a teacher in second grade and remembers her “terrific storytelling ability” in these books that allowed her to imagine what life was like during the 19th century. “It was like we weren’t at school anymore when she read. It was like we were right there on the land or cabin with Laura or
Mary,” Bennett said. Bennett added she changed schools — from Clearfield to Lenox — between her first and second grade years of school. Donaldson was her first teacher at Lenox and is thankful for her as she was so “welcoming” during that transition. Kaleb Anderson, now a sophomore at Lenox High School, had a similar experience in Donaldson’s class. “It was the reason I looked forward to coming to school every day,” Anderson said of the readings.
The Little House series is written by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her life in the Midwest during the 19th century. There are nine books in all and told in third person with the main characters including Charles (Pa), Caroline (Ma), Laura, Mary, Carrie and Grace. The nine books include “Little House in the Big Woods,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Farmer Boy,” “On the Banks of Plum Creek,” “By the Shores of Silver Lake,” “The Long Winter,” “Little Town on the Prairie,” “These Happy Golden Years” and “The First Four Years.” He added the books taught him and other students about responsibility, respect and the right way to treat others. “I also remember how the books made me thankful for what I have,” Anderson said. Donaldson said — because the students were so interested in the books — she refers to the book often during her day-today teachings. For example, in the past, she had students create maps of where the Ingalls family had been in the United States or Please see DONALDSON, Page 14
Holding Family Values in the Highest Regard CNA photo by KYLE WILSON
Lenox second-graders Emily Ontiveros, left, and Owen Grundman follow along in the book “The Long Winter” while their teacher Becky Donaldson reads aloud.
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
DONALDSON: Continued from Page 13A
had them create routes if the Ingalls were traveling from one destination to another. She also integrated math problems pretending the Ingalls were at the general store buying goods. “We also do a unit on railroads — how they were built and the affects they had in the rise of cities,” Donaldson said. Donaldson said — while she only finishes seven to eight books in the Little House series during the school year — many students would check out the books she didn’t get to and read them over the summer break. Also each year in May, Donaldson hosts “Little House Day” whereby children come to school dressed as their favorite character from the book. The children make homemade butter, write on “white board” slates for the day, a spelling bee is held and during recess children play “Drop the Hanky.” “We also eat lunch together outside and have
CNA photos by KYLE WILSON
Left, Becky Donaldson reads to her students the book “The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Above, pictured is a set of Little House books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
bread with butter, an apple and other items,” Donaldson said. “There were no Lunchables back then.”
Retirement Donaldson is a 1975 graduate of Bedford High School. She was a stay-athome mother for about
10 years before attending Northwest Missouri State, graduating in 1989 with a teaching degree. She started at Lenox School District in 1989 and will retire this May after 26 years. “Becky’s dedication and
Becky Donaldson, right, and her husband Craig both love to travel. They are pictured here at Denali National Park in Alaska. Becky plans to retire later this year from teaching, and the couple plans to do more traveling.
passion has been greatly appreciated during her time. She’s always been willing to go above and beyond to ensure the success of her students,” said Derek Morris, elementary principal at Lenox School District.
Donaldson said retiring will be bittersweet. She said she’s always loved teaching and there will be a void when she’s no longer in the classroom. However, her and her husband Craig have plenty of plans for retirement.
“We love to travel and we have places we want to see,” Donaldson said. Some of those travel plans include going to Europe, vacationing at Yellowstone National Park and touring San Diego, Calif.
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
15A
Winter puts emphasis on student performance as teacher, coach By JAKE WADDINGHAM
CNA associate editor jwaddingham@crestonnews.com
CORNING — Sandy Winter’s high school track coach at Sioux City East knew he could call on her to help the team score points in a variety of ways. “I was one of those kids that could get sixth place in most events, but not first place in many,” Winter said. “One night the coach said, ‘I need you to get sixth place in the softball throw,’ and I did, but my arm was sore for a week afterwards.” After high school, Winter took a job at a pork packaging plant, but after the first day, she knew it wasn’t the right fit for her. She left work and enrolled at Morningside College with a double major in art and physical education. She became a three-sport athlete for the Mustangs in volleyball, basketball and softball. Winter had never played volleyball before becoming a front row starter in college. “That was on the eve of Title XI,” Winter said. “We were given uniforms and practice gear ... when I look back on it, I didn’t think it was a big deal because I thought that was just something the college did. I didn’t realize it was because of Title IX.”
Contributed photo
Sandy Winter was a three-sport athlete for Morningside College with a double major in art and physical education. She is pictured here in the front row, second from the right, with her softball team.
Winter said another benefit was their softball season grew from nine games to 22 to match the baseball schedule. Her experience as a player launched her career into academia. She started out coaching volleyball and softball for her alma mater. “When you step in from the playing aspect, your view is very narrow,” Winter said. One thing that helped Winter adjust to coaching was her collegiate basketball experience. As the
first player off the bench, Winter’s coach had her memorize every position on the floor, giving her a wider vantage point of the team aspect.
Moving to Corning In 1990, Winters moved to southwest Iowa and shifted gears from teaching and coaching college students to teaching elementary students and coaching high school sports. “It is the same mentality, just different sized bodies,” Winter said. “You have the kids that want to study and you have kids
that just want to have fun and they don’t know what they want to do yet.” She has coached cross country, volleyball, basketball, track and softball in her 25 years with Corning — now Southwest Valley — and taught health and art classes. Her longest tenure has been with the track team, with 15 years as the head coach and is still an assistant coach. “The kids taught me a lot,” Winter said. “I learned quickly if they messed up, it wasn’t because they were mad at
Sandy Winter release a pitch for Morningside College.
me, it was because they didn’t understand or didn’t know what they were doing wrong.” Taylor Pappas, a 2009 graduate, had Winter as a teacher and coach in track. During his sophomore
year, Pappas said he really grasped how much Winter cared about the team’s success and how motivational she could be. Please see WINTER, Page 16
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16A
Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
WINTER: Continued from Page 15
“Both Tyler Thibodeaux and I were being coached by her and we weren’t easily coached as we were two of the biggest goofballs Corning had seen,” Pappas said. “Sandy, a veteran teacher and coach, somehow managed to motivate us to put in the work to be successful. Whether it was taking us to throwing camp or filming us during meets, or just getting us to run our warm-up laps before a meet, we knew she cared.” Winter said she puts an emphasis on mental toughness and focus when she is coaching. She added when the athletes start to realize they can be successful, it
“Sandy, a veteran teacher and coach, somehow managed to motivate us to put in the work to be successful. Whether it was taking us to throwing camp or filming us during meets, or just getting us to run our warm-up laps before a meet, we knew she cared.” — Taylor Pappas
Corning High School graduate, 2009
opens the flood gates for a tradition of strong district and state performances. “They only get four years to compete, I get a career,” Winter said. “Trying to get kids to perform their best for them has always been the challenge.”
In the classroom
Winter’s willingness to
adjust and contribute to the team has been helpful in the classroom as well. She started as Corning’s elementary art teacher and high school health teacher. Today, she does all high school art and health classes for Southwest Valley. Technology has made a big impact in her art class-
room, a change she has embraced to help make the students’ projects more efficient. Winter started her career developing film and piecing it together to make videos. Now, entire digital projects can be done on a tablet. “I think we have to find a different way of teaching
(all subjects),” Winter said. “They are not able to focus on one thing at a time. I think the big thing right now is not teaching the kids we used to have, we need to teach we have now.” In her digital technology class, Winter’s students made a video for the school’s website. She said it made the project more like a job because it wasn’t just for a grade, it had to meet the approval of the principal to represent the school. “I think if you look at some of the ways standards are presented, art is the way we have taught things for years,” Winter said. “On the creativity side, it lets kids think for themselves, all while taking them into
real world scenarios.” Winter believes art will remain an important part of future students’ education. “I think it is going to swing back around,” Winter said. “I think we are going to start to find out the arts are important as far as presentation and how kids are learning.” In her spare time, Winter enjoys outdoor activities like camping. She served in the Iowa National Guard, retiring in 2003 as a Senior Master Sergeant (E8) and was a member of the 185th FW in Sioux City. One of her favorite trips was a horse trail riding trip from South Dakota to Wisconsin.
Contributed photos
Southwest Valley art and health teacher Sandy Winter said one of her favorite summer trips was a trail ride from South Dakota to Wisconsin. She doesn’t have horses anymore but hopes to get back into riding when she retires. Right, Winter is pictured her crossing a creek on the trip from South Dakota to Wisconsin.
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
17A
East Union teacher juggles teaching, farming careers Georgia Miller has been teaching at East Union for 24 years. Since 2008, she has also been manager of a 500-acre farm in Lenox.
and began substituting and teaching in a half-time Title I position at East Union. She has now been teaching at East Union for 24 years, 11 of them in first grade.
■
Farm administrator
By IAN RICHARDSON
CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com
AFTON - Whether it’s plants, animals or people, Georgia Miller likes to see growth. As the administrator of a 500-acre farm, each year she watches calves grow into cows and seeds grow into ears of corn. As a first-grade teacher at East Union Community School, each year she watches her students grow from barely knowing how to read to being hungry consumers of books. For the past 24 years, Miller has balanced both her professions, a testament to her love of learning, her hard work ethic and her passion to see things grow.
CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON
From fashion to first grade
Miller and her first-grade class read aloud together. Pictured are Cayleigh Woollums (front); Miller, Roman Weesner and Jase Pettit (middle); and Elijah Mulkey and Macy Kline (back).
Miller grew up in Hopkins, Mo., a town in the northern part of the state. The daughter of a farmer and a teacher, Miller was the middle of five children. Growing up, Miller was involved in her local 4-H and FFA. In fact, she and her sister were the first girls at her school to join
FFA. “We started a trend, I think, for our school,” she said. Miller also learned to sew from her mother, and she sewed many of her own clothes, including her prom dresses. When the time came to choose a college, Miller
said it was almost a given that she would attend Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., which was less than 20 miles away. Here, she followed her love of fashion by studying fashion merchandising and working at JCPenney. While at college, Mill-
er met her future husband, Marvin. When the two married, she moved to his farm in Lenox and began working at Sernett Department Store in Creston. She helped her husband on the farm and also helped raise her two stepdaughters, Brandie and Suzanne.
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Soon, she added an additional responsibility to her already full plate: more college classes. Miller had decided she wanted to go into teaching, so she began taking classes through Buena Vista University at night. Within 2 1/2 years, she graduated, left the department store
In 2008, Marvin died of cancer. Up to this point, he had been the one administrating the farm. Now, Georgia had a decision to make. Her resolution: to continue running the family farm. “I didn’t have to, but I wanted to,” she said. “I didn’t want to give it up.” Miller’s farm is about 500 acres in size, with soybeans, corn and hay fields and a cow-calf operation with about 70 head of cattle. To help her balance her farming and teaching, Miller hired two workers, one for the crops and another for the livestock. Miller does farm chores each day when she returns from school, and it’s something she enjoys. “As soon as I get home, I want to be outside anyway,” she said. “I’m an outdoor person.” Joan Gordon, elementary school principal, said Miller’s work ethic in balancing her teaching and farming amazes her. “As a person who’s lived on a farm and is married to a farmer, I’m so impressed with that,” Gordon said. “That takes a lot of committment.” In addition to farming,
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18A
Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
MILLER: Continued from Page 17A
Miller has several vegetable and flower garden beds. Miller has loved gardening her entire life. She raised flowers as a child, and she used to open her and Marvin’s garden to the public for garden walks. Among other plants, the Millers grew day lilies, which are flowers that open for only one day. As
a part of the Southwest Iowa Bloomers, the Millers took part in a convention in which people from Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska would come to the area and look at the day lilies. Today, Miller continues to grow several perennials and annuals in her flower beds. She also grows vegetables to can and give away.
First-grade teacher Miller said she enjoys teaching first graders because of their ability to develop and learn. “It’s just rewarding to see what kids can learn, especially at this age,” she said. “What I’m teaching now is what I learned probably when I was in third grade, but they can learn it. It’s amazing. If you teach it to them,
they’ll learn it.” She said having a background in Title I comes in handy when teaching first graders to read because she knows several strategies to help them learn. Gordon said it’s hard to pinpoint just one good quality about Miller because she’s such a well-rounded teacher. “I would start with work ethic,” Gordon said. “She’s the kind of person you can
just depend on to do things right and to do them well. Georgia is always on top of everything.” As Miller teaches her class, she sees the relationship between her two endeavors. “Just like farming, it’s not easy but it has rewards,” she said. “Teaching and farming are both hard jobs, but you have your rewards along the way if you look for them.”
“Teaching and farming are both hard jobs, but you have your rewards along the way if you look for them.” — Georgia Miller
Contributed photos
Above, Miller does chores around her farm each day after school. She has 70 head of cattle in her cow-calf operation, as well as fields of corn, soybeans and hay. Right, Miller has been a gardener for most of her life. Her home has several flower beds filled with flowers, like this Silverado iris pictured here, which is one of her favorites.
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Murray Engineering Club grows in popularity with two robotics teams By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
MURRAY — The numbers don’t lie. Murray Engineering Club (MEC) is having a season of success, and at the head of the club is the coach Andy Hitz, a Murray science teacher. This is the first year there has been two MEC teams participating in the FIRST Tech Challenge’s (FTC) robotics competitions. “We had so many kids who showed an interest that we started a second team. So, we ran two teams this past year,” Hitz said. Contributed photo Hitz has been teaching at Murray for six years. He Dustin Miller works with the robot named MECatron Mk 5. teaches physics, chemistry, Catron Mk 5. MECattack’s earth science and physical sci- grade student. robot is named Steve. ence. The club first originated How do teams “I believe they just needed when students in a physics compete? a name and they went with class wanted to build a T-shirt Teams arrive at a compe- Steve,” Hitz said. shooting gun. tition with their robot, and When league play started, This is the fourth year MEC have to pass inspections to there was a match scheduled has been in existence, and make sure all the hardware almost every weekend or there are approximately 20 stu- on the robot is legal for comevery other weekend from dents in the club this year. petition, and that the software “The robot kids are the is ready for game play. After Thanksgiving until the midmost active right now,” Hitz inspections a match schedule dle of January. “They were going and gosaid. is generated. ing and going and just trying What is FIRST Tech Teams of students design to keep their robots running and construct robots using to figure stuff out,” Hitz said. Challenge? FTC is designed for stu- Tetrix or Matrix robotics Working with robots dents in seventh through 12th kits, and other parts allowed doesn’t come cheap. grade to compete head-to- by the game manual. Robots MEC has received a lot head using a sports model. compete in a 12-by-12-foot of support from the Murray Teams are responsible for arena in a game designed to School Board and adminisdesigning, building and pro- challenge the students with tration, as well as the parents gramming their robots to problems in engineering, pro- of its members. compete in an alliance format gramming and strategizing. “I’m very proud of the stuFTC competitions work dents and Hitz for the work against other teams. The robot kit is reusable kind of like a two-on-two bas- they put in developing the from year to year and is pro- ketball tournament, except program into a state-qualgrammed using a variety of teams play with randomly ifying team,” said Murray languages. Teams, including assigned alliance partners in Superintendent Alan Miller. coaches, mentors and volun- each FTC match. “The staff and students have There’s a different chal- worked tremendously hard teers are required to develop a strategy and build robots lenge for the robots at com- and put in a lot of hours to get based on sound engineering petition every year. to this point.” “Each year, FTC designs principles. MEC is also supported Awards are given for com- a different game,” Hitz said. with donations or grants from petition, as well as for commu- “They release it in Septem- Murray School Foundation, nity outreach, design and other ber. Once they release it, then Murray Development Correal-world accomplishments. the teams start building, then poration, Rockwell Collins, College scholarships are also they go to competitions and Iowa Governor’s STEM-AC, try to qualify to move on.” available through FTC. Solutions (Osceola), Casey’s “MEC and FTC not only MECanism/ General Stores, Walmart, teaches you basic engineering MECattack Great Western Bank, Amerand programming concepts, This year, the two Murray ican State Bank, Great Westthe organizations teach you teams competing in the FTC how to work with your team- competitions are called MEmates and with people from Canism and MECattack. other teams, and how to exThat also means there are plain your goals to others,” two different robots. MEsaid Kylie Shields, a ninth Canism’s robot is named ME-
ern Bank, NAPA (Osceola), Porter’s Prints, Highway Lumber, Bud Jones Construction, Osceola Vision, Clarke County Chiropractic, Medicap (Osceola), Lynch Livestock and KD’s Tires. Students love the engineering club that Hitz devotes a lot of his time to. “I like being in MEC because it’s like no other activity that Murray offers,” said Kira Barr, an 11th grade student. “It’s where you get to be weird and it’s OK!”
On to state At the time of the interview, MECattack with the robot Steve had advanced to state competition at March 6-7 at University of Iowa. This is a second time a team from Murray has advanced to the state level. “The way it worked this year was MECanism’s team and MECattack’s team faced each other in the semi-finals. MECattack’s team won,” Hitz said about the two Murray teams playing each other with the goal of advancing to state competition. MECanism’s team received an invitation to the Iowa FTC Wildcard Championship Tourney, which is the tournament for teams to have one more shot to make it to state. Hitz said it’s been fun to watch the students design their strategies, work with the robots and make upgrades when needed. “There’s something neat about building something and seeing it work, and that’s when it’s fun to watch the kids do,” Hitz said. “I don’t get to build anything. The difference between this and other sports is the coach does not plan the game strategy. I don’t tell them what they should or shouldn’t do. I don’t get to tell them what type of robot to design. They pick all that stuff. They do all that.” As a coach, Hitz’s job is to basically organize, help when needed and write the grants for funding. “It’s their club,” he said.
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
EU’s Tussey commits to the future of teaching strategies By JAKE WADDINGHAM
CNA associate editor jwaddingham@crestonnews.com
AFTON — “Too busy” isn’t a valid excuse for not being able to get homework completed on time in Jill Tussey’s classroom. In her 10th year as the second grade teacher at East Union, Tussey is also a mentor teacher for the school’s Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), teaching classes for Buena Vista University, working on her doctorate in curriculum instruction and a literary coach certificate from Iowa State University. “She is very energetic,” said Jenny Purdy, education coordinator and adviser for BVU’s Creston location. Tussey was recently named one of Buena Vista’s Instructors of the Year. It is a student-voted award. Ballots are sent out to all graduate and professional study locations for the students to vote for their instructors. Academic and Program Development Manager Stacy Gibbs said being selected for the award by students shows how much she is respected as an instructor. “She is always willing to go the extra mile,” Purdy said. “She puts in a lot of extra time to make sure the kids understand and goes above and beyond what is expected of her.”
Mentor teacher TAP is a state-funded program that utilizes a master teacher and two mentor teachers to help implement improved teaching strategies. East Union was one of 39 schools in the state to receive funding to help develop teachers as leaders. East Union Elementary Principal Joan Gordon said they selected the TAP program because it is very structured with specific teaching models and indicators for giving feedback. “Our school is involved with TAP because we have a successful school with teachers who are ready to carry this program out and become leaders themselves,” Gordon said. As a mentor teacher, Tussey helps other teachers at East Union by doing observations, fielding feedback and leading professional devel-
Contributed photos
Above, Jill Tussey was recently named one of Buena Vista’s Instructors of the Year. It is a student-voted award. Ballots are sent out to all graduate and professional study locations for the students to vote for their instructors. Left, Jill Tussey, left, is a huge Peyton Manning fan in her spare time. She traveled to this game in Kansas City, Mo., with Joey Fluckey and Tyan Keller to watch Manning play. She also went to Denver and watched Manning break the National Football League record for passing touchdowns in a career.
opment workshops. Gordon said Tussey can be a model teacher for her peers to observe TAP teaching methods. “It focuses on the best practices for teaching,” Tussey said. “One thing it does is show teachers how to group students in effective ways for learning.” Tussey will be traveling to Los Angeles in March for a TAP conference. “I think it fits her well,” Gordon said. “You have to have a strong work ethic because it is a big time commitment. You also have to be highly organized ... and have a love for teaching, not just to make your classroom better, but to make everyone better teachers.”
Buena Vista After graduating from Southwestern Community College, Tussey took advantage of the program sharing through Buena Vista University to get her elementary teaching endorsement. Now, she is an adjunct professor for college juniors and seniors. Her classes meet on Monday and Thursday nights at SWCC, but students from all over southwest Iowa log in for her class. “It is kind of like skyping, but it is called collaborate, so
everything is over the computer,” Tussey said. Tussey is able to share PowerPoint and links with her students. She added the student’s ability to complete the course from home helps keep her enrollment numbers steady each semester. Her classes are all based in the education department. Tussey also does reading endorsement classes and twoweek fast track classes during the summer months. Tussey said connecting with her second grade students is a much different challenge than her college students. “The little ones you are helping with the foundation and the older ones you are helping train their mind to rethink in terms of a teacher,” Tussey said. “Instead of connecting with the information on a personal level, you need the students to think about how will this affect my classroom.” For example, Tussey said she has taught a child development class that studies the different behaviors of babies, toddlers and adolescents. She then challenged her class to relate what they learned to how a student in a certain age category might react in a classroom.
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
21A
Basketball allows Williams opportunity for teaching career Donna Williams was the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree. She will retire from teaching this May. ■
By KYLE WILSON
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
VILLISCA — Nobody in Donna Williams’ family had ever graduated from a four-year college. It was her dream to do so and in the winter of 1975 — because of her athletic skills on the basketball court — she was given the opportunity to make good on that dream when she received a scholarship to Tarkio College in Tarkio, Mo. “I wanted to be a teacher at a young age,” Williams said. “But, I didn’t even know if that was a possibility for me. My parents didn’t even finish high school.” Williams excelled as a forward on the Manilla High School basketball team in both her junior and senior years playing for coach Larry Bullock. This was when girls played 6-on-6 basketball and her team was a scoring machine — often netting
more than 90 points per game. The team only lost one game her junior year and eventually won a state championship that year beating Adel at “The Barn” (Veterans Memorial Auditorium) in Des Moines. “There was just one class in those days. We played schools of all sizes,” Williams said. Tammy Muhlbauer, a guard on the state championship team, remembers Williams as a scrappy player who worked really hard to make herself into an above average player. “I just remember how hard she did work,” Muhlbauer said. In her senior year, Manilla’s team remained undefeated and rated No. 1 the entire year until losing to Mediapolis in the semifinals of the state tournament — halting the team’s winning streak of more than 50 games. Williams ability on the court and classroom helped her earn
Contributed photo
Donna Williams was a member of the 1974 Manilla High School state championship team. This was when girls played 6-on-6 basketball and her team was a scoring machine — often netting more than 90 points per game.
“I was torn, but eventually — once I knew I was capable of playing at that level — that was enough for me and I started pursuing my teaching career.” — Donna Williams
Contributed photo
Donna Williams won the Charles E. Lakin Outstanding Teacher Award in 2014. This award is given annually to two instructors within a 40-mile radius of Emerson — Lakin’s hometown — for efforts in enticing students to come to school each day.
a scholarship at Tarkio College. There, she started all four years on the basketball team and played in two national tournaments, but more importantly completed her dream of earning a teaching degree in 1979. “It was overwhelming to get that degree,” Williams said. “Like I said, nobody in my family graduated from college. But, I thought why not me? Other people go to college. Why couldn’t I? There was a lot of pride when I walked across that stage and I had a lot of support from my family. They were proud.” After graduating from college, she was drafted by the Iowa Cornettes to play women’s basketball professionally. The team was based out of Cedar Rapids and were one of about 15 teams in this startup league. Williams later tried out for a professional team in St. Louis. “I was torn,” Williams said about her decision to play professionally versus starting her teaching career. “But eventually
— once I knew I was capable of playing at that level — that was enough for me and I started pursuing my teaching career. I also wanted something more stable and professional basketball was going to pay less.” The problem was, though, by the time Williams made that decision — the academic school
year was about to start. So, she contacted the placement center at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., and Villisca School District had an open teaching position. She was hired at Villisca two days before school started that year in 1979. And, the rest is history. Williams has lived her
dream of teaching elementary students in the Villisca — now Southwest Valley — school district for the past 36 years. She will retire this May. Jennifer Berns, now a principal at Corning elementary, worked with Williams from 2012-14 at Enarson Elementary and was impressed with her ability to face every challenge with optimism and her will “not to give up on kids.” Berns said Williams started a before-school Please see WILLIAMS, Page 22A
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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 24, 2015
WILLIAMS: Continued from Page 21A
tutoring program at the elementary whereby mentor volunteers from the community helped the kids who were struggling in school. Additionally, Williams coordinated/transported breakfast for the children in this program so students could still eat their breakfast while getting homework help. Berns said this program resulted in students making gains on their studies, building confidence and creating positive study skills. “She’s a go-getter,” Berns said. “I knew that from the first moment I met her and when she does something it’s 100 percent. The culture of caring she brings showed that any student can be successful regardless of their background.” For her efforts, Berns nominated Williams last year for the Charles E. Lakin Outstanding Teacher Award given by KMA Radio and Green Hills Area Education Agency. This award is given annually to two instructors within a 40mile radius of Emerson — Lakin’s hometown — for efforts in enticing students
to come to school each day. Williams was one of two educators honored with said award. She was given $10,000 and the school received $2,500. “She was so deserving of the honor,” Berns said.
Coaching days She’s also had quite a coaching career at Villisca. She started coaching volleyball, softball, track and field and basketball in Villisca in the 1980s. She stopped coaching in the late 1980s after getting married to her husband Bruce and having children who include Abbey, Josh and Aaron. She returned to coaching in 2007 when she took the junior high basketball position at Villisca. “They were such a good group,” Williams said. She enjoyed the group so much that — when the head coaching job at Villisca came open in 2009 — she applied and was hired. She coached the group all the way through high school and helped lead them their senior year to the school’s first state tournament appearance since 1968. “They were a special, special team,” Williams
said. “They were also the last basketball team at Villisca before the wholegrade sharing agreement made us Southwest Valley.” Williams now coaches middle school basketball for Southwest Valley. She will stop coaching — at least temporarily — when she retires this May. Williams said she does plan to Contributed photo continue teaching as a sub- Donna Williams, back left, coached the final Villisca basketball team to the state tourstitute after retiring. nament in 2013.
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Donna Williams, center, is pictured here with her family Aaron, husband Bruce, Abbey and Josh.
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