Seven teachers join Lind staff

The Lind School District welcomed seven new staff members to the two schools this year. With the 2013-14 school year already underway, three of the new staffers teach in the elementary school with four teachers working primarily at Lind-Ritzville Middle School.

Read The Journal next week for profiles of new staff member in other local school districts.

Shauna Burghard

At Lind Elementary School, Shauna Burghard is stepping into the educator role for the third grade class and is excited to return to the area where her parents graduated high school. Both of Burghard’s parents attended Ritzville High School and she is looking forward to becoming part of the small town lifestyle and community.

Burghard received her certification for elementary education and is endorsed in reading and special education as well. Burghard has been working as a substitute teacher in Tri-Cities, specifically with the Richland School District, since she received her certification.

For Burghard, she has always enjoyed working with elementary students because they still have the willingness to learn and are just starting their educational career. She enjoys working with the students and providing hands-on activities that keep the students engaged and interested in learning.

Burghard first became interested in teaching after assisting her mother in her kindergarten classroom. After that experience, Burghard realized the only career she was interested in pursuing was becoming a teacher.

For Burghard, the largest benefit of working in the Lind School District is being a part of a small town and becoming involved in the community.

“I really like this area and the small community,” Burghard said. “Everyone knows each other and helps everyone.”

In her first full-time teaching position, Burghard has many goals for herself as an educator and also for her classroom. She hopes to develop positive working relationships with her coworkers and get to know her students, as well as their parents.

Burghard’s goals for the year are to ensure each individual student receives the attention they deserve and excels in the classroom. One major project Burghard has planned for the class this year is doing a large lesson about the solar system where at the end of the class, the students have the opportunity to build a rocket ship as a class.

Burghard’s future plans include going back to school to earn a Masters degree in literacy, as it is a field of study she has always been interested in.

To contact Burghard, call the Lind Elementary School at 677-3481 or email at [email protected].

Gaynor Edwards

Gaynor Edwards has stepped into the position of special services instructor for the Lind Schools and brings with her a plethora of experience in the classroom. Edwards serves as the primary para-pro and works one-on-one with students.

Edwards used to work as a professional seamstress, and spent a lot of time working a variety of ranching jobs, including still training dogs and horses, before making the decision to return to school and pursue a teaching career. She currently resides in Moses Lake with her husband, Rodger, and the couple has always resided within the eastern part of the state.

Edwards has received a Master’s degree, and is certified in special education, bilingual education, elementary education and English as a second language. Edwards began her teaching career at the Jubilee Youth Ranch in Prescott, Wash., and served as the superintendent and principal.

She moved on to work for a Hutterite Community near Odessa, and served as a K-12 teacher. During her 14 years there, she helped implement online schooling to help better prepare the students for a career and becoming active in their culture, while simultaneously expanding their education. She also taught courses at Big Bend Community College and Heritage University.

In 2008, Edwards received the Teacher of the Year award from the Washington Federation of Independent Schools.

As a semi-retired educator, Edwards took substitute-teaching positions in a variety of districts in Eastern Washington. She hoped to find a community and school district that was dedicated to the education of students, and after working in the Lind and Ritzville districts, she realized she found a district she wanted to be a part of.

“The teachers were impressive and the staff was impressive,” Edwards said about the district. “I’m glad I did understand farming and ranching, and it was so refreshing to see the kids being individuals.”

Edwards is looking forward to developing cohesive working relationships with her fellow staff members and continuing to improve the level of education within the district. Edwards explained her best quality is her tenacity to stick with a project, and that is a quality she applies to teaching students.

To contact Edwards, call the Lind-Ritzville Middle School at 677-3408, or reach her via email at [email protected].

Rita Fryberger

Taking the helm as the new Lind-Ritzville Middle School English teacher is Rita Fryberger. Fryberger has spent the majority of her teaching career in the Moses Lake School District at Chief Moses.

Fryberger attended Big Bend Community College, and Spokane Falls Community College where she received an associates degree. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Heritage University, and then began teaching at Chief Moses as a seventh grade language arts and history teacher.

During her third year with the school district, Fryberger earned her master’s degree online through Walden University and the year after received her National Boards certificate.

Fryberger’s teaching experience spans from English, history, leadership and as an Advancement Via Individual Development (AVID) supervisor. As a heavily trained AVID educator, Fryberger is hoping to bring elements of the program into her classroom and working towards having the district become AVID certified.

“The teachers give them the tools, and it teaches them responsibility,” Fryberger explained.

Fryberger, who resides within the school district with her husband Tyler, sent her sons through the local schools and said she made the decision to apply for a job with the district because she wanted to be a part of the cooperative school system.

She has always been an advocate of the cooperative, and now in it’s second year, Fryberger wants to do her part to continue its success.

Fryberger’s main goal for the school year is to prepare the students to further their education, and to ensure there is a balace between reading and writing in the English classes. Fryberger is also focusing on implementing strategies, such as organization, because the middle school years are what dictate the rest of a student’s educational experience.

“They need their study skills now,” Fryberger said. “They need to learn to set priorities, use planners and learn time management.”

Fryberger can be contacted by calling the Lind-Ritzville Middle School at 677-3408, or she can be reached by email at [email protected].

Lance Marquardt

The new math teacher at Lind-Ritzville Middle School is Lance Marquardt, who brings with him a love for education and coaching sports. Marquardt has always enjoyed working with young people, and has served as a coach and a youth minister, aside from his primary career as an educator.

Marquardt attended Moody Bible School, and received his two-year degree from Eastern Washington University in 2006. He earned his teaching degree in December 2009 and began working in the Lakeside School District. During his time at Lakeside, he coached basketball and track, and also was active in the youth ministry.

The following year, Marquardt taught part-time in the Mary Walker School District before moving on as a substitute teacher in the Nine Mile School District. Marquardt graduated from Nine Mile High School and has always enjoyed living in Eastern Washington.

Last year, Marquardt worked as a math teacher at Culbertson High School in Culbertson, Mont. Though Marquardt enjoyed teaching in the rural community school district, he wanted to move back to Eastern Washington and quickly applied for the math position at LRMS.

“I like the small town atmosphere, so I really enjoy it here,” Marquardt said.

Marquardt explained his goal for teaching is four-fold. His four goals as an educator are to teach hard work, responsibility, good character and integrity, and all of his classroom lessons are based around those goals.

Marquardt is currently in the process of moving into a house in Ritzville, and is excited to become a part of the community. His personal goal is to become involved in the community, whether it is through coaching or volunteering, and hopes that students begin to see him as an individual and not only as a teacher to create stronger relationships with students inside and outside of the classroom. Marquardt enjoys having smaller class sizes so the students have more learning opportunities, and allows him time to adjust to the district and learn about the students.

Marquardt can be reached at Lind-Ritzville Middle School by calling 677-3408 or by email at [email protected].

Heidi Nygren

A veteran educator and coach with the Lind and Ritzville School Districts, Heidi Nygren is stepping into a half-time music and physical education position at Lind Elementary School. Nygren has been working in the Lind and Ritzville schools in part-time jobs and substitute positions for the past 10 years.

Nygren attended University of Idaho and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and health. She taught for a year in Boise as a K-12 Health and PE teacher before moving to Ritzville, after marrying her husband Steve.

Nygren’s part-time positions in the Ritzville School District included two years as the seventh and eighth grade PE and Health instructor, and one year as the fifth and sixth grade teacher for the same courses.

Along with teaching, Nygren has served as the junior high volleyball coach for the past 18 years and has also coached junior high softball for eight years.

Nygren’s half-time position with Lind Elementary School has her at the school on Monday mornings assisting with intervention, before teaching afternoon music for K-4 students. During the afternoons on Tuesday through Thursday, Nygren teaches PE classes for the K-5 grade students.

In her first year as a music teacher, Nygren is looking to expand her expertise and work with the students to strengthen the music program. Nygren has experience with assisting with music programs at her church, and is currently working on a Christmas concert to have the students perform in this year.

One of Nygren’s goals for the year is to have the students and staff participate in a virtual “Walk Across America” where each individual records how far they walk and slowly records their distance across a map of the United States.

“I like the small town atmosphere and I like being able to raise my kids here in a small town,” Nygren said about a benefit of working in the district. “You get to know the kids, and the kids’ parents and their families.”

Nygren has two daughters, Holly and Rachel, who are currently students in the Lind-Ritzville Cooperative School District. The Nygren family is also hosting a German exchange student for the school year, Anneke Weidmann

To contact Nygren, call the Lind Elementary School at 677-3481 or email at [email protected].

Jason Sanger

Lind High School graduate Jason Sanger has been hired as the social studies teacher at Lind-Ritzville Middle School. Sanger has been serving as substitute teacher in the Lind and Ritzville School Districts for nearly five years, and is glad to be starting his first full-time teaching position in his hometown.

Sanger received his bachelor’s in education in 2007 from Eastern Washington University and earned his master’s degree in education in August 2012.

“The job seemed like a good fit for me and a good place to start my teaching career. I’ve always had an interest in history,” Sanger said about applying for the social studies position.

With the school year underway, Sanger has already incorporated learning tools into the lesson plans to help the students learn about world news.

Every Monday, Sanger plays CNN Student News in his classrooms as an opportunity for students to learn about current events and discuss the topics as a class.

Sanger said it is the highlight of his class so far, as it has kept the students engaged and has brought about excellent class discussion. Sanger intends to continue using the 10-minute broadcast in his classes once a week and slowly bring in other outlets to help expand the students’ outlook on current events, while he simultaneously is teaching students about history.

In the classroom, Sanger is looking for “the four P’s of accountability” from his students: punctual, prepared, productive and polite. He hopes to teach the students to adhere to these four principles through his class lessons and have the students using them by the time the end of the school year rolls around.

As a teacher, Sanger’s personal goal is to continue growing as an educator and learning the responsibilities of a full-time teacher. Sanger said he has an advantage with his new position as a full-time teacher because he already knows the students, staff and district from serving as a substitute teacher.

Sanger can be reached at Lind-Ritzville Middle School by calling 677-3408 or by email at [email protected].

Breanna Walker

The second grade class at Lind Elementary School welcomed a new teacher to the classroom this year with the addition of Breanna Walker to the staff roster. Walker grew up in Spokane Valley and is excited to be a part of a small community, as it is an atmosphere she has always enjoyed.

Walker graduated from Gonzaga University in May of this year with her certification in English literature and elementary education. Walker has always had a passion for education, and as a student, Walker always enjoyed school and that is a trait she is hoping to pass on to her students.

Walker realized she wanted to become a teacher after taking an elementary education class at Gonzaga, and at the completion of the class, she couldn’t imagine doing anything else as a career. After graduation, she began applying for jobs in the area, wanting to remain close to Spokane, and is glad to have been hired as a Lind teacher.

“It just felt right,” Walker said about the job. “All of the teachers are so warm and welcoming.”

One of the largest benefits of the Lind Schools is the small class sizes, Walker said, and she appreciates the opportunity to be able to work one-on-one with students. During her student teaching experience, Walker said she worked in classes that averaged 27 students and it was hard to give every student the individual attention they deserved.

Walker is focusing her classroom activities around math and science projects, as well as the more abstract subjects to help expose the students to a variety of activities and class material. The subjects she believes the students need more experience with are math and science, and she looks forward to providing the students with opportunities to strengthen their skills and knowledge in those subjects.

To contact Walker, call the Lind Elementary School at 677-3481 or email at [email protected].