School District 55 has a dozen new teachers and certified staff members this school year.
They include the following:
Gretchen Daugherty, Sweet Home High School, Pool Supervisor
Daugherty completed her bachelor’s degree at Eastern Oregon University in June and began her position as Sweet Home High School Swim Pool supervisor on Aug, 1. She served as a head swim coach in La Grande and taught a PE course at EOU.
Elizabeth Beckett, Holley Elementary, .5 Full-Time Equivalent, Resource Room
Beckett completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Oregon. She substituted in Springfield last year, and this will be her first teaching assignment.
Robert Brown, SHHS, Alternative Ed
Brown comes to Sweet Home after seven years as a high school Resource Room teacher in California. He completed his master’s degree at Western Oregon University.
Steven Brown, SHHS, Student Behavior Management/Athletic Director
Brown received his bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University and his master’s from LaVerne University in California. He has more than 25 years teaching experience, most recently as a special education teacher in Grants Pass.
Alison Epperly, District, Speech/Language
Epperly comes to Sweet Home after serving four years as a speech pathologist in an Arizona school district and three years in a preschool. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Northern Arizona University.
Chelsea Gagner, Sweet Home Junior High, Language Arts
Gagner is a graduate of Sweet Home High School and received her bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University in 2009. She has subbed in the district and most recently completed a long-term sub assignment in Corvallis.
Rex Hoffman, Hawthorne/Holley Elementary, Counselor
Hoffman worked as a counselor in Central Linn School District for the past four years. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Oregon University and his master’s from Northwest Christian College.
Elspeth Liermann, Hawthorne, 4/5 grade
Liermann graduated from Western Oregon University in June. This will be her first teaching assignment.
Kyle Moeller, Holley, 5/6 grade
Moeller taught at an elementary school in Valdez, Alaska, for the past five years. He received his bachelor’s degree from University of Alaska.
Timothy Pinson, SHHS, Resource Room
Pinson completed his bachelor’s degree at Northwest Christian College and is working on his master’s degree at Pacific University. He served 20 years in the Oregon Air National Guard, most recently as a maintenance superintendent.
Tomas Rosa, SHHS, Language Arts
Rosa, an SHHS graduate, completed his bachelor’s degree at Southern Oregon University and his master’s degree at University of Southern California. He has subbed in the district and just completed a long-term substitute assignment in Salem.
Monica Turkisher, Foster Elementary, Kindergarten job share
Turkisher completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Oregon. She has nine years experience as a pre-kindergarten teacher and three years as an elementary teacher in Colorado. She will be job sharing the kindergarten position with Dawn Dalton at Foster Elementary School.