New staff members for Jayhawk district cite joy of working with students as their motivation

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Improvements to the Jayhawk-Linn facility for 2026-27 include, in order, a new sign pointing the way, the biology lab, the chemistry lab, a general science classroom and new changes to the band room. (Photos by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal)

By Roger Sims, Journal staff

linncountyjournal@icloud.com

A couple of Jayhawk’s return to their roots – this time as teachers – a new K-5 music teacher plans for performances, a new high school math teacher brings heavy duty credentials to the classroom, and a group of new paraprofessionals and aides look forward to their support role at the elementary level. That is the make-up of the new staff at Jayhawk USD 346 for the 2026-27 school year.

On top of that, the completely renovated science labs and classroom at the junior/senior high school were completed just in time for the beginning of school. So was the upgrade to the band room complete with sound-deadening panels and a fresh coat of paint. The upgrades to those classrooms demonstrate the commitment the district has made to maintaining the school that is now about 55 years old.

Here is a look at the new staff members:

Jayhawk-Linn Junior/Senior High School

Corbin White

7th and 8th grade English

Wrestling coach

“I am looking forward to giving back to the kids and the community that helped shape me into who I am today, both in the classroom and on the mats,” said Corbin White, a JLHS graduate who will be teaching junior high Language Arts this year.

After graduating from JLHS in 2022, he headed to Fort Hays State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Health and Performance (sports administration).

A steak-and-potatoes kind of guy, he is a Royals and K-State fan who enjoys golf and going to the lake with friends.

Daniel Vaughn

Strength and conditioning

Head football coach

As the new head football coach of the Jayhawks, Daniel Vaughn’s answer to our survey question for new staff about what they were looking forward to this school year was concise and direct: “Football.”

The JLHS graduate attended Pittsburg State University following high school graduation and finished his college education at Southeast Oklahoma State University.

Vaughn brings plenty of coaching experience to JLHS including stints at Iola, Council Grove, and Cherryvale.

Jayhawk football fans will have plenty of opportunity to watch Vaughn at work on Friday night home games at Jayhawk stadium.

Tim Endicott

High school math

Junior high football coach

Tim Endicott said he is looking forward to meeting his students. The Fort Scott High School grad earned a bachelor’s degree in Math Education from Pittsburg State University and then added a master’s degree in Mathematics.

A husband and father of two, his teaching experience includes classroom experience at both Uniontown and Parsons high schools.

Ashley Endicott

Senior/junior high paraprofessional

Like her husband, math teacher Tim Endicott, Ashley graduated from Fort Scott High School. She continued her education at Fort Scott Community College and then Pitt State.

A former teaching assistant at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Fort Scott, Ashley said she is looking forward to meeting new people and having the new experiences the fresh school year brings.

For vacation, the couple and their two children, Jewel, a K-State student and Jack, an eighth-grader at Jayhawk-Linn, hit the livestock show circuit (and Bucees) with their show hogs, she said. She also loves Mexican food and is a K-State fan.

Melissa Garrett

JLHS kitchen manager

“I’m looking forward to preparing food – cooking, baking, salad bar for students and co-workers,” said Melissa Garrett, the new kitchen manager for the JLHS cafeteria.

Garrett has plenty of experience in foodservice. She was owner of Garrett’s BBQ in Mound City. She worked for Food Fair, also in Mound City, but has worked for Anderson County offices more recently. She was also on the custodial staff at Jayhawk Elementary helping prepare the school for the 2026-27 school year this summer.

A graduate of Norte Vista High School in Riverside, Calif., Garrett also this summer attended Certified Nurses Aide classes at Allen County Community College, which puts her in the ranks of the lifelong learners.

She looks forward to learning new recipes this year, and it sounds like she will be doing what she loves best. “I love to cook and bake.”

Jayhawk Elementary School

Logan Jones

Pre-K through 6th grade music

“I’m looking forward to meeting my students and the community,” said Logan Jones about his new post as music teacher for JES. He comes to the Jayhawk district after teaching two years of secondary music at Humboldt.

A graduate of Pittsburg High School and Pittsburg State, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2024.

“My favorite teams are the KC Chiefs and the Royals,” he said. “I really enjoy hanging out with my friends and playing video games.”

Katie Lott-Davis

Elementary Intervention Aide

Katie Lott-Davis is not really new to the district. She has been a paraprofessional at Jayhawk since 2021. However, this year the Colorado Springs, Colo., transplant in stepping into the intervention aide post.

“I am excited to experience watching the kids enjoy this amazing school,” she said.

She and her husband are parents to two daughters, and the family has three dogs, three cats, and two chickens with more animals “on the way.”

She enjoys cooking, baking, crocheting, sewing, watching her daughters play sports and and taking on do-it-yourself projects around the home.

Kailyn Flagler

Paraprofessional

“I applied for this position because I would love to support and be a part of an amazing community,” Kailyn Flagler said.

The former live-in nanny said she grew up in a small town in South Dakota, graduating from Sturgis Brown High School.

“Being from a smaller community gave me the chance to grow close to any and all educators,”Flagler said. “Those teachers made school a special, safe and exciting place for me. I have always enjoyed working with children and being a fun, creative person.”

“Being someone that gives kids a place where they feel safe and heard has always been important to me,” she said.

“This opportunity is something I’m very passionate about,” she added.

Carolynn Cochran

Paraprofessional

“I’m looking forward to the consistency of the para position and being part of a team,” Carolynn Cochran said about her new post as a JES paraprofessional. “I love helping kids grow.”

The Olathe South High School grad who earned a bachelor’s degree at K-State has plenty of experience with kids. a former substitute teacher, she and her husband (of 24 years) Matt have three children: Mason, 23; Weston 20; and Logan is a junior at JLHS this year.

An avid reader, Cochran and her husband spent most of this summer on the road following Logan’s traveling basketball team.

Mary Watson

Paraprofessional

A Jayhawk-Linn graduate who has eight years experienced working as a special education paraprofessional for both the Iola and Fort Scott school districts, Mary Watson said she enjoys helping kids learn.

Both Mary and her husband, married five years now, brought children to the blended marriage that now includes six children and eight grandchildren. Just off a trip to Branson, Mo., this summer, she said she enjoys spending time with all of her family.

Jayhawk District

Mike Hughes

Transportation coordinator

A former corrections officer and deputy for the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Mike Hughes has also been in the driver’s seat for transporting students for Jayhawk USD 346.

A graduate through the adult education program of the Paola school district, Hughes went on to earn a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University.

Mike and Jennifer, his wife for more than 30 years, enjoyed traveling over the summer to central and western Kansas, where they visited Castle Rock and Mushroom Rocks State Park, both in the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas.