Ritzville schools welcome teachers in new roles, nurse

Ritzville School District has hired three teachers to serve as educators in the Ritzville Grade School during the current school year.

The district has also recently approved the hiring of three para-pro instructors, who will be highlighted in next week’s edition of The Journal.

Susan Schafer

With 12 years of teaching experience in the Ritzville School District, Susan Schafer has moved into the subject where her passion truly lies: music. Schafer is working in a half-time position for the district this year to teach music classes for kindergarten to fourth grade students at Ritzville Grade School.

Schafer attended the University of Idaho and graduated as a double major in vocal performance and education. While interning in the Ritzville School District, she attended Eastern Washington University and earned her master’s in elementary education.

Schafer began her teaching career in the cooperative preschool that her son attended before beginning to work at the Ritzville Grade School in 2005. During the past eight years, Schafer has served as an instructor for preschool through third grade classes, with her most recent position being the second grade teacher.

The decision to move from a full-time to a half-time position was an easy choice for Schafer. Her and her husband Derek have two children, Devin and Linnea, and Devin is now beginning to become active in sports. Schafer is also extremely enthusiastic about having the opportunity to teach the one subject she has always had a natural passion for.

“I’ve always utilized music in the primary classroom,” Schafer explained. “I’m thrilled to be where my passion lies in teaching.”

Schafer is working on creating ensembles that students are welcome to participate in during recess or during the lunch break, and is focusing on providing the students with a variety of musical genres to help them develop an appreciation and understanding of music. Schafer is hoping to familiarize the students with various instruments as well, in hopes of the students gaining an overall understanding of the importance of music.

The largest benefit for Schafer is she has been with the district and is familiar with the students, faculty and families in the area. She also believes the Professional Learning Community (PLC) work time during late-start Mondays has provided her with priceless collaboration time with the other music instructors in the Lind and Ritzville School Districts.

To contact Schafer, email [email protected].

Aimee Schell

Local school districts have welcomed Aimee Schell into the district as the hired nurse to serve for the current school year. Schell brings over 20 years of nursing experience with her to the district, and has served primarily as a long-term care nurse in the Ritzville community.

Schell has been considering taking a job as a school nurse for about three years, and the opening in the school district provided her with the opportunity she had been looking for. Schell earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Washington State University and has always been interested in teaching people about health practices.

For Schell, one of the highlights of her position as school nurse is working to educate school faculty about being the first responders to medical issues in the school, such as dealing with bloodborne pathogens or potential disease. Schell has always had a passion for teaching and has enjoyed working with local faculty to educate them about health promotion to ensure the safety of the students.

Schell rotates as the primary nurse for Lind, Ritzville, Harrington and Washtucna School Districts, spending about one day in each school every week. Schell said she enjoys the schedule because it keeps her moving and interacting with new students every day.

“It’s been fun,” Schell said about the start of the school year. “I grew up in Ritzville and I know the families and the kids.”

Schell said she is surprised about how many students she recognizes and knows throughout the four districts, and said the majority she has met many families through sporting events or farming. Schell and her husband, Colby, have two daughters, Kate and Rachel, who are currently attending school in the Lind and Ritzville cooperative schools.

Schell is looking forward to the year ahead and continuing to develop her expertise as a nurse, while working with students and faculty to ensure everyone is healthy and educated about health practices. She said the best part of her job is working in a positive environment and in districts where students are excited to be attending school.

Schell can be contact at [email protected].

Kim Weishaar

Returning to the Ritzville Grade School to teach the second grade class is Kim Weishaar. Weishaar previously taught in Ritzville for five years, and traveled to Moses Lake to teach for two years, but is excited to be returning to the Ritzville School District.

Weishaar began the school year on a part-time basis, as she is balancing class time while still being on maternity leave. Weishaar and her husband Nick, a teacher at Lind-Ritzville Middle School, have a 12-week-old son named Tate and Weishaar is working half-days at the school until the beginning of November.

Weishaar graduated from Eastern Washington University with a counseling degree before taking a job as a para-educator with the Ritzville School District. She returned to EWU to earn her teaching certification, and received a master’s in education, with an emphasis in early childhood development.

For Weishaar, she has always loved teaching and especially enjoys working with students at the elementary age groups for their enthusiasm and the ability to witness their growth as students.

“In my practicum for my counseling degree, I worked in a daycare,” Weishaar explained. “I really enjoyed the amount of learning that takes place in the younger children.”

In the classroom, Weishaar is working on making sure each student is meeting the common core standards and are working to perform to the state standards.

With a solid curriculum already in place, Weishaar is working with students on an individual basis to ensure their success in the classroom. Weishaar believes one of the largest benefits of a small school is being able to provide students with the individualized attention they deserve.

Weishaar is also focusing on building community within the classroom and helping students learn to encourage each other. She believes creating a positive atmosphere and a sense of community is key to students’ growth inside and outside of the classroom.

“The goal for myself this year is to really focus on, first and foremost, building that community and that relationship of community,” Weishaar said.

To contact Weishaar, email [email protected].