New teaching, support staff at Prairie View brings variety of experience to classroom
- Roger Sims, Journal Staff
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
By Roger Sims
When students returned to the classroom in Prairie View district earlier this month, they were greeted by several new teachers and staff members.
For elementary students at both La Cygne and Parker elementary schools, the new year comes with the first time the district has a dedicated elementary art teacher, who will be alternating between the schools throughout the week.
This year's crop of new teachers also includes 4 Prairie View graduates, and 3 of those have either graduated from or in the last part of finishing up a teaching degree from university programs designed to address not only a state teacher shortage but also give people who have been paraeducators an opportunity to become teachers.
In his former role of assistant superintendent, Joseph Hornback was in charge of teacher recruitment, and faced with the statewide teacher shortage, he turned to recruiting homegrown prospects, even offering a workshop for people who were interested in teaching.
Here are the profiles of new district personnel this year.
La Cygne Elementary School
Darci Haupt
Third grade
Like many of the new crop of teacher in the Prairie View district this year, Darci Haupt is a graduate of Prairie View High School and will be working to complete her bachelor’s degree in education through Emporia State University while she is in the classroom.
She has an associate’s degree from Johnson County Community College and was a student teacher at La Cygne last year.
“I am looking forward to building positive relationships with my students and watching them grow throughout the year,” Haupt said.
“I enjoy going to the lake over the summer at Table Rock Lake in Missouri,” she said. “My faith is important to me, and I enjoy serving others and spending time with family and friends.”
Shayla Long
Math interventionist
Shayla Long is a familiar name in education in Linn County. A long-time math teacher at Jayhawk-Linn Junior/Senior High School, she said she was looking for a new challenge. That challenge turned out to be helping students at La Cygne Elementary better understand math and perform better on state assessments.
A graduate of Jayhawk-Linn, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at MidAmerica Nazarene University then went on to earn a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
Her teaching pedigree is international in scope, and she has taught in both China and Kazakistan for Quality Schools International, an organization that teaches English-based courses to students across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North and South America.
“I love to travel and run,” Long said.
Allison Loomis,
Special education instructor, 1st, 2nd, and 5th grades
PVHS assistant basketball coach
Allison Loomis is hardly a new face at Prairie View. She is a PVHS graduate and her entire pre-K through 12th grade career was spent attending Prairie View schools.
Loomis is an example of a homegrown teacher. With an associate’s degree in general studies earned at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, she served as a paraprofessional last year at Prairie View. After deciding that a career in education would be the right move for her, she enrolled in Wichita State University’s Teacher Apprentice Program, and is currently working to complete her studies.
“This program has allowed me to take on the role of instructor while completing college classes through Wichita State University,” Loomis said.
She said she is looking forward to seeing her students excel past the limits many put on them.
The master of a “crazy puppy” Australian Shepherd named Franny, Loomis spent her summer as the day camp coordinator at Wildwood Outdoor Education Center in rural La Cygne.
La Cygne and Parker Elementary Schools
Jane Hough
Elementary art
PVHS junior varsity basketball coach
Prairie View alumnus Jane Hough is charged with beginning a kindergarten through fifth-grade art program for both Prairie View elementary schools.
“I am excited to be a Buffalo again and help develop the elementary art curriculum for the district,” Hough said. “As an art teacher, I love all types of crafts and creating my own personal artwork in my free time.”
Attending Emporia State University on a pole vaulting scholarship, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Art Education with a minor in Athletic Coaching. Her student teaching provided a broad experience including K-5 art at Aspen Grove and Stillwell Elementary, and teaching art and graphic design at Spring Hill High School. She also served as a track coach at Spring Hill.
Hough said she is looking forward to creating engaging lessons that encourage student creativity and exploration while building foundational skills and knowledge of art content.
A three-sport varsity athlete during her high school career, she said she is looking forward to returning to her roots. “I look forward to coaching volleyball and being involved with the athletic program at PV,” she said.
Parker Elementary School
Samantha Watson
Kindergarten
Samantha Watson is first-year teacher who completed her practicum at Parker Elementary last year. More importantly, she is a Prairie View graduate, and a homegrown teaching candidate. She is already in the classroom as she is finishing up a bachelor’s degree in Education through Fort Hays State University. She earned an associate’s degree from Johnson County Community College.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know each of my students,” she said. “I can’t wait to see them grow as learners and as individuals. I also am looking forward to celebrating that growth and encouraging their love for learning.”
The daughter of long-time Parker Elementary secretary Carrie Watson, Samantha said she loves spending time with her family, especially at the lake in the summer, and with her dog Maisy.
“I enjoy reading, taking walks, and spending time with my 2-year-old niece,” she said. A mac-n-cheese and coffee lover, Samantha said her faith is important to her.
Chrystal Wittman
Fifth grade
“My husband Chris and I have three kids; our youngest will be attending Parker Elementary,” said Chrystal Wittman, the new fifth-grade teacher at Parker.
Wittman comes to the district with six years experience teaching first grade and two years as an assistant elementary school principal. A graduate of Anderson County High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at Fort Hays State University and a master’s degree in educational administration from Emporia State University.
“I’m very excited to meet my students,” she said.
“I enjoy caring for my many plants, watercolor painting and trying new crafts,” Wittman said. “I love learning new things and can’t wait to share that with my class.
Erica McClendon
Paraeducator
“I love working with kids, and I’m looking forward to building new relationships with kids and staff,” said Erica McClendon, a former preschool teacher.
A graduate of Lathrop (Mo.) High School, McClendon and her husband are parents to three children and four dogs (including two Dachsunds that she says she’s obsessed with). Her menagerie includes 14 chickens.
“I love cows and just being outside with all my kids and animals,” she said. “I don’t really know what free time is, so my hobbies include hanging out with my kids and husband.”
Prairie View Middle School
Lacie Mersman
Special education, resource
“I am looking forward to growing as an educator and getting to clelebrate my studens’ growth along the way,” said Lacie Mersman, a first-year special education teacher at PVMS.
A Paola High School alumnus who earned her bachelor’s degree at Univesity of Missouri - Kansas City after studying at Johnson County Community College, Mersman is working on a master’s degree from Fort Hays State University.
“I look forward to getting to know each of my students and creating a supportive, engaging classroom where they feel valued and encouraged,” she said.
Mersman and her husband, who is also a teacher, have four children, including a set of twins.
“They keep us busy with sports and activities, but I always enjoy starting my day with a good cup of coffee and ending it with a great book,” she said. Her family has a much-adored one-year-old Dachshund and they prepared themselves for the coming school year with a stay at house on Grand Lake in Oklahoma and a weekend in Branson, Mo.
Matt Wilson
Seventh grade Social Studies
Assistant PVMS football coach
A history buff who loves teaching students about his favorite subject matter, Matt Wilson comes from a family where education is the family business – his brothers are school superintendents and their wives are teachers.
“I chose to be a teacher because I love history, and I want to be involved in coaching as well,” he said.
He graduated from Chase County High School and earned his bachelor’s degree at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. He will be teaching Kansas History, World History and computer applications at PVMS. He will also be on the football field this year as an assistant coach.
An Army veteran who was stationed in Germany, Wilson’s teams are the Royals, the Chiefs and the Jayhawks, and he loves reading, movies and music.
Prairie View High School
Tyler Clubine
Social Studies
Tyler Clubine said he loves anything K-State and the Atlanta Braves. Coming off a nine-year teaching stint at Chaparral High School in Anthony, Kan., he will be teaching World History, World Geography, and Introduction to Law and Public Safety this year.
Originally a Mustang, he graduated from Iola High School in 2013 before earning his bachelor’s degree from K-State. He was awarded a master’s degree from Emporia State University in 2023.
He said he is looking forward to learning about the culture of Prairie View and the area communities. He spent the summer moving and working on his new home and hanging out with his two dogs, Rocco and Ruby.
Lauren Fry
Agriculture, FFA sponsor
New ag teacher Lauren Fry got a chance to meet many of her new students at the Linn County Fair during the first week of August. Along with PV ag teacher Trenton Smedley, she could be seen in the bleachers at the livestock shows throughout the week.
A graduate of Danville Community High School in Danville, Ind., Fry graduated from Kansas State University this year with a degree in Agricultural Education. Her teaching schedule is varied this year as she will teach Agriculture Explorations for eighth-graders, Agriscience for freshmen, Animal Science, Advanced Animal Science, and Horticulture.
Fry said she is looking forward to “building relationships with students, helping them discover their passions in agriculture, and watching them grow through classroom experiences and FFA opportunities.”
She comes to PVHS after a student teaching stint at Chanute High School.
“I am excited to begin my teaching career at Prairie View High School,” Fry said. “I’m originally from Danville, Ind., and grew up raising club lambs and Shorthorn cattle with my family. In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends and family, baking and cheering on the Kansas State Wildcats.”
Olivia Fields
10th grade English
Assistant coach PVHS JV volleyball
Olivia Fields graduated this year from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., with a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in business. She is currently working toward a master’s degree in secondary education.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know my students and hope to foster a fun, collaborative classroom environment,” she said.
A graduate of Blue Valley North High School, Fields worked for Mizzou Athletics with attending the university by being an English tutor for athletes. She said she loves breakfast, karaoke, and summer.
Jennifer Haefele
Level IV
Jennifer Haefele is hardly new to the Prairie View district. Before going to be a special education teacher at Osawatomie Middle School eight years ago, she was at Parker Elementary, where she taught kindergarten, preschool and special education.
A graduate of Osawatomie High School, she earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Emporia State University before being awarded a master’s degree in special education from Fort Hays State University. This year, she will take the place of Cheryl Kratzberg, whose long tenure as a Level IV ended with her retirement this year.
Haefele is married and her oldest daughter is a teacher in Paola, her other daughter plays volleyball at Allen Community College, and her son is a high school junior.
She said she is looking forward to working with the students and meeting new people this year.
Billy Roudybush
Math
Billy Roudybush’s name should be familiar to Journal readers. He is a contributor to the Journal and his photos and stories appear frequently on this website. However, he makes his living teaching math.
He comes to PVHS from Pleasanton High School, where he taught math for four years. Before that, he taught math at Burrton High School in Burrton, Kan., for seven years.
Roudybush and his wife Catherine have three grown children, one in Colorado Springs, another in Winfield and a third in Oklahoma City. They have two grandchildren.
Districtwide
Mike Johnson
District information technology technician
Citing the desire to learn how a larger school district’s information systems work and be closer to family, Mike Johnson made the move from the Crane (Mo.) R-1 school district to Prairie View USD 362 last May.
With an associate’s degree in applied technology from Ozark Technical Community College in Springfield, he was IT director at Crane.
His move follows the retirement of longtime IT director Jeff McCright and the subsequent move by another longtime IT technician Chris Abeyta to fill the director’s post.
A self-professed bibliophile (aka “Book Wyrm”) Johnson likes to read books – mostly on his mobile phone – and maintains that the mobile device is one of the best inventions ever. A Kansas City Chiefs fan ever since he can remember, his favorite foods are buttered popcorn and pizza.
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