Holyoke schools welcome 7 new teachers

    With Holyoke schools starting class Thursday, Aug. 16, the district’s seven new teachers are busy making their final preparations for the 2018-19 school year.
    At Holyoke Elementary, there are two new sixth-grade teachers, Sarah Bergner and Amy Duvall. Over at Holyoke JR/SR High, Dani Coons is the new physical education teacher, Aaron Cottam is teaching band, Rebecca Koellner is teaching the English language learners classes, and Charlee Kleve and Megan McQuown are teaching English.
    
Sarah Bergner
    As one of the new sixth-grade teachers, Bergner is transitioning to Holyoke after spending the last nine years teaching at Catholic schools in inner-city Chicago, Illinois. There, she spent two years teaching fourth and fifth grade and seven years teaching sixth-though-eighth-grade writing. That experience will serve her well, as she will be teaching her sixth-grade homeroom class reading and will be responsible for teaching writing to fifth and sixth grade.
    Bergner graduated from high school in Magnolia, Delaware, in 2005. In 2009, she graduated from University of Notre Dame in Indiana with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She went on to earn a master’s in elementary education and social policy from Northwestern University in Illinois.
    Bergner and her husband, Landon, who works at Ballyneal, have wanted to get back to a small-town community for a while. When the opportunity to move to his hometown became available, they viewed it as perfect timing. They have a 1-year-old son, Theo, and are excited to be living close to family and look forward to spending more time outdoors now that they’re living in a more rural setting.
    Even before their move, Bergner said, Holyoke always felt peaceful during their visits, and she felt at home right away. Since the move, she’s been overwhelmed by how helpful people have been and is looking forward to meeting students and their families.
    As the school year gets going, Bergner is excited about the technology component available to students. Since they each have access to a Chromebook, it’s an opportunity for them to learn in a different way. She is also excited about the district’s emphasis on social emotional learning.
    When Bergner isn’t teaching, she enjoys art and crafting, as well as traveling.
    
Dani Coons
    While new to Holyoke schools, Coons isn’t new to Holyoke, and she’s certainly no stranger to small-town living. She graduated from high school in 2011 from Elm Creek, Nebraska, in a class of just 21 students. In 2016, she graduated with a bachelor’s from University of Nebraska Kearney, having majored in sports administration and minored in advertising and public relations.
    Throughout high school Coons played sports year-round, and in college she was on the track and field team. She was a two-time national qualifier in the hammer throw. She brings her athletic achievements and experience to her position as the P.E. teacher in Holyoke. Her classes will include seventh-grade P.E., general P.E. for grades 9-12 and weightlifting. Coons will also be coaching junior high volleyball and will be the throwing coach for high school track this year.
    Prior to starting her job in Holyoke, Coons taught kindergarten-through-fourth-grade P.E. in Wray and coached track there as well. During her time at Wray, she also completed the alternative teacher licensure program through BOCES. In transitioning to working with older students, she recognizes that there will be different interactions, but she’s embracing the opportunity to work with them on a more mature level.
    Though she lived in Holyoke for a few months, Coons now resides in Haxtun. In addition to being enthusiastic about anything physical, such as hiking and camping, she enjoys spending her time farming and ranching with her fiance, Reed Jablonski, who sells Channel Seed.
    
Aaron Cottam
    From Holyoke’s new band director’s perspective, the school band program is something the community as a whole can be proud of. Cottam will be teaching band in grades 5-12, as well as directing the pep band and jazz band. Whether it’s in honor bands or at sporting events, he expects the student musicians to create something that Holyoke can get behind. He holds himself and those he works with to a high standard.
    Before moving to Holyoke, Cottam was an assistant director for middle and high school in Florence for a year. Prior to that, he often taught lessons and led music clinics.
    Cottam is originally from Bank, Oregon, a town near Portland that is even smaller than Holyoke. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education at Pacific University in Oregon before continuing on to get his Master of Music degree with an emphasis in music education from University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. He has experience performing both vocally and in a wind band in the Portland area.
    In looking to make the move to Holyoke, Cottam was impressed by the interview and the students he met, and he felt that Holyoke schools would be a good fit for him. Since his arrival, he’s found the community to be friendly and open, and he said he looks forward to continuing the growth of the band program, building on what already exists.
    
Amy Duvall
    Though she’s worked as a paraprofessional for a combined 10 years at BOCES and Haxtun schools, Duvall is a first-year teacher at Holyoke Elementary this year. She will be teaching reading to her homeroom sixth-grade class, as well as math to fifth and sixth grade.
    Duvall recently earned her bachelor’s in elementary education online through Western Governors University and completed her student teaching in Haxtun.
    She said that her time as a para has given her the chance to work with kids ranging from kindergarten to high school, and she expects that experience to help her be a better teacher. Now that she has her own classroom, Duvall is excited to try out some things such as flexible seating and movement breaks to help meet students’ unique needs.
    Duvall has lived in Haxtun since 1999. Her husband, Randy, works in Sterling for the Department of Corrections. They have a daughter, Emma, who is a junior at Haxtun and a son, Nick, who is in the process of moving to Wyoming with his wife, Kaylee.
    Though she keeps busy with family and work, Duvall enjoys crafting and attends Haxtun Berean Bible Church.  
    
Charlee Kleve
    Kleve taught for one year over a decade ago in Colorado Springs. Now that her kids Max and Ben are in eighth and sixth grade respectively, she’s made the decision to get back in the classroom full time. The classes she will be teaching are seventh-grade exploratory reading, eighth-grade English, American literature, and college prep and college composition, both of which are concurrent enrollment classes with Northeastern Junior College.
    Though it will be her first year as a teacher here, Kleve has subbed extensively in Holyoke schools and has already had the chance to get to know many of her students. A few years ago, she was a long-term sub for P.E., and just last year she was a long-term sub for ELL. She’s known she wanted to be an English teacher since she was a freshman in high school, and she is excited to have the chance to do so now.
    Kleve has spent much of her life moving around, due to her family’s military background. She graduated from high school in Savannah, Georgia, and earned her bachelor’s in English from University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. She’s currently pursuing a master’s in English from Southern New Hampshire University.
    Her family moved to Holyoke, her husband Matt’s hometown, about three years ago, and Kleve said that she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Her husband works as a full-time web developer, while also farming and ranching. Their family also breeds show pigs, and Kleve is a leader for the Holyoke Centennial 4-H Club.
    In addition to teaching, Kleve will be a sponsor for junior high and high school Brain Bowl this year. One of her goals for the creative writing class is to create an anthology of the students’ short stories at the end of the year.
    
Rebecca Koellner
    As the new ELL teacher, Koellner is returning to the high school from which she graduated herself in 1997. Of course, it was Rebecca Rhods at the time. Though the building is largely the same as when she attended, Koellner said that the education seems more cutting-edge now.
    Koellner has lived in Imperial, Nebraska, for the past 15 years. There her husband, Greg, runs Koellner Enterprises, a dirt, demolition and concrete crushing business. They have three children, Jodi, Correy and Hudson. Correy is a freshman and Hudson a fifth-grader, both attending school in Holyoke this year. The family intends to make the move across the state line in the near future.
    Koellner studied elementary education at University of Nebraska Kearney, and she said she’s always wanted to teach. Shortly after graduating, she was a reading and math specialist in Palisade, Nebraska, but in recent years she’s been a substitute teacher. Now that her children are old enough, she’s excited to be in a classroom of her own again.
    With her experience as a sub, Koellner believes that working with all ages in a variety of disciplines will help her as an ELL teacher for students in grades 7-12 this year. She is looking forward to finding a balance for her students. She wants there to be enough homework to prepare them for college but not so much that they’re bogged down. Similarly, she envisions her classroom utilizing both computers and old-school methods of learning.
    With her children and plenty of extended family in the community, Koellner expects to be out and about, enjoying the activities Holyoke has to offer.
    
Megan McQuown
    “Coolest library ever.” McQuown’s response to finding the local library when she recently moved to town tells plenty about her. She’s a lover of books, travel, theater and “Star Wars” and will be serving as an English teacher at Holyoke JR/SR High this year.
    McQuown moved to Holyoke from Cañon City, where she was most recently teaching, but Boulder was her home for many years. She received a bachelor’s in English from National University in San Diego, California, and has taken classes at Colorado State University, where she was a member of the marching band. She is in the process of pursuing a master’s in special education from CSU, as well.
    This year will mark McQuown’s 16th year in education and her fifth year as a teacher. Most of her experience has been in smaller, rural districts. In fact, two years ago, she was teaching in Sterling, so she’s already familiar with northeast Colorado, and she is really excited to be back in the area.
    So far, she’s found the people of Holyoke incredibly welcoming, which is good since she describes herself as someone who likes to get out in the community. She looks forward to attending sporting events, supporting local teams and meeting new people.
    Classes McQuown will be teaching include freshman English, speech and drama, and journalism. She’s especially excited about the speech and drama class. As both of her parents are playwrights, she has a perspective and access to resources that other teachers might not have.
    McQuown is also fluent in sign language, having trained to become an interpreter. If there’s interest, she would like to start a sign language club at the school.