Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, August 16, 2012, Page 7

A new secondary principal and a new math teacher will be among new faces when the Diagonal Community school district opens classes on Tuesday, Aug. 21.

Lorna PAXSON is the new secondary principal at the school while Brandi COLE will be the new middle school and high school math teacher. A third new face will be coming but was not set as of early this week.

High school English and drama teacher Curtis LAMBSON submitted a late resignation due to family obligations so a new teacher to fill this position is being sought.

Lorna PAXSON, new secondary principal, received her bachelor of arts in education degree from Simpson College in December, 1991. She began teaching in August 1992 in Southeast Polk Community Schools at Willowbrook Elementary School where she taught fourth and sixth grades. In June 2000 she moved to Kellerton and taught first and fourth grades in the Clarke Community Schools in Osceola. She moved into the position of K-12 curriculum director at Clarke Community schools in June 2003.

She began her administrative degree at Northwest Missouri State University while at Clarke and finished it in 2006. She then had the opportunity to move into a school improvement position at Green Valley AEA where she worked with schools in the Green Valley AEA area in school improvement. She then became a regional administrator for Green Valley.

She continued her education in educational leadership, receiving her education specialist degree at Drake University in 2010. She worked with Green Valley AEA until completion of the merger with Loess Hills AEA. At that time she was hired as a consultant for continuous improvement position with the new Green Hills AEA. She served the schools in the Green Hills AEA area half time with Creston Community middle and high school as an instructional coach and school improvement support until taking the new position at Diagonal.

"I am looking forward to working with staff, students, parents, and community to meet the learning needs of our students," she said.

New math teacher Brandi COLE is a graduate of the Bedford Community school district and has recently moved into Diagonal with her husband Adam, son Austin and daughter Alvia. She has three years of prior teaching experience.

Karleen STEPHENS is the district's superintendent and elementary principal.

Faculty for the school district includes:

Elementary school -- Ramona HOPKINS, preschool; Terri NEWTON, kindergarten; Crystal STILL, firstgrade; Shelly LILIENTHAL, second grade; Sue MOBLEY, third grade and Title 1; Melanie KNAPP, fourth grade; Kim NIEMAN, fifth grade and resource teacher.

Middle school-high school -- Allison HAYEK, social studies and head volleyball coach; Brandi COLE, math; Shelly BENTLEY, language arts and resource teacher; Dick STEPHENS, science; Matt WARREN, physical education and health and boys basketball coach; Pat OSWALD, instrumental music; Marry LANGE, vocal music; Gina KNOX, girls basketball coach.

Teacher associates in the district include Laura BENTLEY and Kristy JARRED.

Cooks include head cook Kathy COMER and assistant Donna GOODMAN.

Custodians are head custodian Robert MERCER and assistant Mike LOHMANN.

Bus drivers are Terry PLOWMAN and Vern LIESENER.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2012