New teachers for Pleasanton schools bring range of experience
- Journal Staff Report
- 47 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Journal staff report with reporting by Billy Roudybush
Four new teachers will be walking the halls in Pleasanton USD 344 schools this year.
One of the Pleasanton Elementary School teachers is well-seasoned and taught for the Jayhawk USD 346 for several years before going to work in Missouri. Another PES teacher has a year’s experience in the public school classroom but home-schooled her children for several years.
Pleasanton High School has two first-year teachers, a language arts teacher who is also a volleyball coach and a social studies teacher who got his degree in Utah and did his student teaching in Texas.
Pleasanton Elementary School
Dee Botkin
Dee Botkin’s career in education has gone full circle with her acceptance of a teaching post at PES. She began her career teaching English at LeRoy, Kan., before accepting a job at Jayhawk-Linn High School, where she taught English and German for 13 years before becoming a school counselor.
Botkin’s husband, Vernon Botkin taught science at JLHS for 28 years before retiring to work on the family’s farm near Rich Hill, Mo. Their son Zach, a JLHS graduate, is a Systems Engineer in New Mexico.
A graduate of Thayer High School in Thayer, Kan., Dee Botkin earned a bachelor’s degree in English and German. She went on get a master’s degree in school counseling at Pittsburgh State University.
Her counseling career was in Missouri schools – where she also taught German – until she applied for the sixth-grade English language arts and social studies teacher at PES this year.
“I am looking forward to going back to my original roots as an English teacher,” Botkin said.
She said she loves to read and enjoys baking, especially cookies. She also enjoys cheering on the KU Jayhawks, KC Royals and KC Chiefs.
Torrie Walton
Living on a farm, Torrie Walton began her interest in education by home-schooling the eight children that she and her husband Jesse have. Along the way of teaching her own kids, she decided on a career in education.
That decision led to her accepting an assignment of teaching first grade at PES this year.
A graduate of Uintah High School in Maeser, Utah, she earned a bachelor’s degree in education by taking classes at Utah State University and Western Governors University in Utah. She is currently working on a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.
Her student teaching assignments for the 2024-25 school year included stints in first- and fifth-grade classrooms.
“I love teaching children,” Walton said. “I look forward to teaching reading and math, both skills that will last a lifetime.”
Pleasanton High School
Jyllian Carpenter
Jyllian Carpenter has a fast track into PHS culture. A Blu-Jay graduate – class of 2021 – she is assistant coach of the Blu-Jay volleyball team, which included spending the summer taking girls to the Kansas State volleyball camp.
Her teaching assignment is English language arts for seventh- through ninth-grades. She is also the sophomore sponsor for PHS.
Carpenter earned a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration from Western Governors University this year, but then decided to shift her career focus to education. She is currently attending Fort Hays State University to get her certification.
“I want to create a positive environment for my students so they can be successful as well as grow,” she said. “Also, I want to build positive relationships with my students.”
She also finds working with the school’s volleyball program to be rewarding.
“I really enjoy coaching volleyball and being a positive role model for the girls,” Carpenter said.
Logan Hall
“This past summer, I traveled with my dad visiting family and stopping at some historical sites.” If that sounds like something a history teacher would do on vacation, it is.
Logan Hall, the new social studies teacher at PHS will be teaching American history, world history and world geography. After a student teaching stint in Texas, this will be his first teaching job.
A graduate of Northeast High School in Kearney, Neb., he received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University with a major in history education and a minor in geography education.
“I can’t wait to get my feet wet with my new career,” Hall said. “Also, looking forward to getting to know my students.”
“Like all native Nebraskans, I am a Huskers fan,” he added. “I love to read and trying new foods.”