Four staff members will not be coming back to the district next fall. Jill Versteeg, Madeline Gage, Curt Larkin, Susan Krebs, Alicia Rollison all have memories of Johnston. Teachers who are resigning will finish out the rest of this year.
Versteeg, an instructional coach, finished her administrative degree last July. After student teaching at Johnston and then working for the district for 14 years, she took an administrative job at North Polk. “This position at North Polk came up, and it was kind of a dream position for me,” she said.
“I like that Johnston likes to progress with the times.” Versteeg said. “We are not afraid to constantly look for new ways to improve. Overall we provide quality education.”
Some teachers feel that they have made a mark on the school.
Five staff members will not be coming back to the district next fall. Jill Versteeg, Madeline Gage, Curt Larkin, Susan Krebs and Alicia Rollison all have memories of Johnston. Those resigning will finish the school year.
Versteeg, an instructional coach, finished her administrative degree last July. After student-teaching at Johnston and then working for the district for 14 years, she took an administrative job at North Polk. “This position at North Polk came up, and it was kind of a dream position for me,” she said.
Jill Versteeg , an instructional teacher, will be resigning this year and has been with Johnston for 14 years. She started as a student teacher and was hired soon after. Versteeg’s future movements from district to district rides on what jobs come up.
“It all depends on the opportunities that come up and what works for my family,” Versteeg said.
Madeline Gage, a math teacher, will be going to Walkee to teache 8th grade math next year. She has had her own unique experience with Johnston.
“I grauated from college in December of 2014, and so I started teaching here that January.” Gage said. “So, I think it is really rare to get a teaching job in the middle of the year. Especially at a district as great and prestigious as Johnston.”
Some teachers think they have made their mark on the school in the way that they have taught their classes.
“I feel like I have made a lot of students that really hated math, or had bad math experiences, not hate it as much.” Gage said. “They enjoy coming to this classroom, even if they don’t like math. They at least like the atmosphere.”
Alicia Rollison a social studies teacher who has been here for 16 years has many options for what she can do after she leaves.
“I thought it was a good time to explore something different.” Rollison said. “I’m trying to find a position in the Kansas City area, because that’s where my parents live. I have a sister who recently got married over there. So, it seemed like a good time to get closer to family.”
When Rollison leaves, Dale Dejong from the middle school will take her place.
“I really love the people I’ve worked with” Rollison said. “They’re alot of fun, really easy going and they’re really easy to collaborate with.”
Other staff like the school nurse, Susan Krebs remember the students and coworkers in the building.
“I’ve absolutely loved getting to know the students and their families.”, Krebs said. “I’m honored to have had the opportunity to work with such great people.”
When the district loses a teacher, the district will start usually start looking for people to hire immediately. In order for a teacher to resign, they need to send the district a letter, and then get it approved by the school board.
“Everyone we hire is required to be on the cite www.teachiowa.gov.”, Principal Ryan Woods said. “These days, it is not common for teachers to stay in one district. I hate to lose good teachers, but I also understand that more goes into the decision. It could be for a number of reasons and we have to respect that.”
