New teachers ready to join staff

The holes in the Rogers City Area Schools teaching staff were filled during Monday?s board of education meeting with the hiring of five new teachers, four for the elementary and one for the secondary. The recommendations were made by a five member committee and presented for formal approval.

The district received approximately 150 teacher applications for the four posted elementary teaching vacancies. The committee met and interviewed 12 people for the four elementary teaching jobs and also interviewed three people from the 13 applications for the 6 to 12 science position.

THE INDIVIDUALS recommended for hiring were, Sarah Simmons, kindergarten teacher, Amanda Polaksi, first grade, Rebecca O?Bryant, second grade, Kristin Tebo, fifth grade, David O?Bryant, 6 12 science.

?It has been a very, very busy month to be honest with you,? said superintendent Jamie Huber. ?The committee put in a lot of hours reviewing those candidates.? A motion, and a unanimous vote by the board put the final stamp of approval on the hirings and put an end to the search to fill the positions left by the mass retirements brought on by the incentives put forth by the state.

?I?m excited about working with the staff and I?ve heard a lot of great things about Rogers City,? said Tebo, who taught in the middle school students in Vanderbilt for the last two years. ?I’m very happy to be teaching in Rogers City,? said Polaski. ?It has always been my goal to return to my hometown as an educator. Being asked to teach first grade was just the cherry on top.? She had been at Bingham Arts Academy in Alpena since 2006 and taught a fourth & fifth grade split last year. Polaski is a former employee of Presque Isle Newspapers.

THE O?BRYANTS, a married teaching duo, will be moving from Wolverine to Rogers City. They

had been laid off from Inland Lakes. ?I?m excited,? said David O?Bryant, who taught in Inland Lakes for six years. ?From what we?ve seen, it?s a nice place, a nice school, nice people, nice area.? Even though the board was able to bring new members of the staff on board, they will need to hire a special education teacher with the resignation of Kimberly Cardwell, who has taken a job in Alpena. Her position has been posted. Additionally, Missy Wozniak stepped down as high school council advisor. Joe Fairbanks resigned his position as junior varsity (JV) assistant football coach to take the head JV coaching job.

The district received approximately 50 applications for the secretary to the 6 to12 principal job and interviewed six people and ended up hiring Christin Vogelheim. Kirk Schaedig was given the nod as the lead transportation supervisor. Three internal candidates applied for the position and the most seniored employee was being recommended.

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