Meet the new staff at Perkins County Schools

by shari friedel

the grant tribune-sentinel

There are several new staff members at both the high school and elementary school in Grant this year. Some are returning to their roots as past Grant graduates; two are coming out of retirement having been employed at Perkins County Schools in the past, some are fresh out of college or early in their educational careers.

Tyler Mahnken returns to Grant as a long-term sub, instructing band. He attended school in Perkins County and was active in the music and drama programs while a student. He graduated from PCHS in 2005 and has most recently been a long-term substitute in the Denver area. 

Dean Friedel, activities director, returns to PCS after retiring as high school principal in 2019.Previously, he was the elementary principal in Grant and high school principal at Wheatland in Madrid, and had taught in Fort Calhoun, Neb., after graduating from Dana College in Blair, Neb.

Sophia Jaeger is originally from Ogallala, and currently resides there. She graduated high school there in 2015, then played collegiate volleyball at Eastern Wyoming College, earning two associates degrees. She finished an accounting degree at the University of Wyoming in May 2019 with a minor in finance. She has been employed with financial companies the past three years, while coaching volleyball on the side. Transitioning to the education realm she is now serving as high school business teacher and assistant junior high volleyball coach at Perkins County.

Science teacher Renee Marquardt returns to Perkins County Schools following a 42-year career in education  from which she retired, and has since served as a substitute. She is originally from Cedar Rapids Neb., and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Taking on the new position of school psychologist at PCS is Shalee Pollard, a Perkins County 2012 graduate. Shalee graduated from UNK in 2015 with a degree in K-6 special and elementary education; and in 2019 with an education specialist degree in school psychology. This is her fifth year as a school psychologist having worked at Columbus Public Schools and as a private licensed psychologist with area schools.

 Alecia Einspahr, high school guidance counselor, was raised in Grant, graduated in 2010, and attended undergrad school at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, majoring in elementary education. She taught English Learners for seven years in Grand Island and Lincoln before deciding to make the transition to become a school counselor. She has a master’s degree in administration and is currently working on another for school counseling.

First year teacher Rochelle Hazelton comes out west from Fremont, Neb. She graduated this year from the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

Emily Glause has been hired as the new Distance Learning Spanish instructor at PCHS. She is originally from Broken Bow, Neb.,  and graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2015. Later she earned her masters in instructional Technology from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She has taught Spanish in Broken Bow as well as coached cheerleading and working with English Language Learners for the last seven years. She still resides in Broken Bow, but “zooms” into Perkins County and other area schools each day for Spanish class.

Next week: more new school employee profiles.