USD 234 New Teachers: Howell, Motley, Weddle

Loretta George

4 months ago

This is part of a series of new teachers in USD 234 School District, Fort Scott. There are 22 new teachers and two new administrators in the district.

School starts for students on August 16.

There are five campuses in the district:

Fort Scott Preschool Center (serving pre-kindergarten students ages 3+)
Winfield Scott Elementary School (serving kindergarten through through second-grade students)
Eugene Ware Elementary School (serving third through fifth-grade students)
Fort Scott Middle School (serving sixth through eighth-grade students)
Fort Scott High School (serving ninth through twelfth-grade students)

The district has nearly two thousand students enrolled within the district and over 350+ staff members, according to its website.

Carolien Howell, 49, is a new second-grade teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary School.

She has a varied teaching experience.

First-grade teacher for 3 years at Grace Christian Academy in Saipan, Mariana Islands
PE/Art teacher for grades 1-5 for one year at Grace Christian Academy in Saipan, Mariana Islands
Third-grade teacher for 4 years at Grace Classical Academy, Springfield, MO
Fourth-grade teacher for 1 year at Polk County Christian School, Bolivar, MO
Substitute teacher in Wyoming elementary schools for 2 years.
Substitute teacher at Meadowlark and George Nettels Elementary Schools for 3 years.

She is involved in her church, Family Life Assembly of God in Pittsburg as a pre-kindergarten teacher, works with youth Sunday School, life group leader and host, and on the refreshments team.

Her husband, Bill Howell, works as the director of Family and Children’s Services at Crawford County Mental Health and they have been married for 27 years.

They have two sons. Liam, 14 years old, attending Pittsburg High School as a freshman, and Karsten,12, a 7^th grader at Pittsburg Community Middle School.

“The rest of my family lives in the Netherlands, which is where I am from,” she said.

“I think that the best part of being an educator is seeing the growth in the students,” she said.

There are many challenges to being an educator, she said.

“One of the biggest challenges is managing and helping all the students when there are so many needs within the classroom.”

Aubri Motley, 28, will be a new special education teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary School.

” I graduated from Ottawa University with a bachelor of arts in elementary education and three years of experience as a para-educator in a school setting.”

She and her husband Levi have three children together and live on a small ranch with three dogs and a cat.

“From my experience as a para I think the best thing about being an educator is when you see the “aha moment” from a student because whatever they are learning is starting to click,” she said. “I am sure I will come across many challenges as a first-year educator but I am ready to tackle all of the challenges head-on.”

Codee Weddle and family. Submitted photo.

Codee Weddle, 25, is a new fourth-grade teacher at Eugene Ware Elementary School.

At Fort Scott Community College she earned an Associate in Science, from Ottawa University and a Bachelor’s in Arts in Education.

She was a paraprofessional for five years at Winfield Scott Elementary School.

She is a member of Fort Scott Nazarene Church, and she and her husband, Dalton, have two sons Porter (3) and Kallum (9 months).

“I love interacting with the kids and watching them feel excited about learning!” she said.

“A challenge I have had in the past is not being able to help more outside of school. Knowing what they go through and then expecting them to come to school as if everything is okay is heartbreaking.”