February Teacher Feature: Ms. Darlene Jenkins

Mrs. Jenkins’ first grade classroom is full of positive energy. She’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet! Her stated mission is “to train, equip, and educate the next generation of leaders of our great nation.” When she’s not at work, one of her favorite places to be is at the beach, reading a good book, relaxing and listening to the waves. At other times, she likes to visit art museums and galleries — Thomas Kinkaid is her favorite right now — and she dreams of visiting the great museums and monuments of Europe. At home, she has a Cockapooh named Goldie, who should probably be in a circus: “She jumps and twirls and is constantly all over the place! She makes me laugh!” Mrs. Jenkins’ says her most memorable school experience was “When I was in third grade, I had a teacher who was very patient with me. I was left-handed and had a problem with cursive writing. She really took the time to show me how to write.” Now Mrs. Jenkins gets to pass on that care and patience to her MES students. Even Magic Johnson once said she is “refreshing!”

December Teacher Feature: Mr. Matt Metcalf

Fourth-grade teacher Matt Metcalf is one of MES’s best-known personalities. His distinctive voice can often be heard from across the playground or from down the hallway. To watch Mr. Metcalf interact with the students is to see someone who clearly and deeply loves teaching kids. “My philosophy is that every student can do anything with the right amount of love, compassion, motivation and modeling,” he says. He also brings a great sense of humor to work every day. His fourth-grade class is an exciting place to be!

Things you might not know about Mr. Metcalf:

"I have not always been a teacher.  I got a job at the airport loading UPS airplanes in 1994 and worked for the next nine years loading airplanes, moving from UPS to FedEx.  At FedEx I was a Dangerous goods specialist.  This means I was allowed to play with and handle all things that might explode or destroy something chemically.  I have played with things from driving barrels of rocket fuel across the ramp, to boxes of human body parts, to the Buffalo’s head that was leading fluid all over everything.  I have seen some strange stuff and have dealt with some disgusting things, but I traded all those experiences to have 30 students a year look up to me to guide them.” Thank goodness we have teachers like Mr. Metcalf, experienced in handling such volatile stuff!

November Teacher Feature: R J Reichhard

This month our featured teacher is R J Reichhard aka "Mr. R".  Mr. Reichhard is a Physcial Education instructor, and is one of our newest Teachers this year at MES. He comes to Maricopa from Manassas, Va by way of Gilbert, Az.  "It was my experiences with physical education teachers throughout middle school and high school that really pushed me into athletics and eventually becoming a physical educator myself."  Mr Reichhard graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2007 and is pursuing his Master's degree in Education Administration at Grand Canyon University.  He has already made an impression on fellow faculty, parents and students by coordinating our first ever "Word Wide Day of Play," running an after school sports & games program, and being an all-around friendy, nice guy.  When you see Mr Reichhard, congatulate him and say "Thanks for being a part of the MES Family, Mr R !!"

Things you might not know about Mr R:

• His dog "Samoa" is a 2-year old Australian Shepherd.  He has a really fluffy and curly tail and loves people.  "After school I like taking him to the dog park in Casa Grande to run around and play with other pups."
• When he was a kid, his favorite superheroes were Batman and the Ghostbusters!
• His favorite hobbies include taking his dog to the park, lifting weights and watching Professional Wrestling.

October's Teacher Feature: Ms. Heidi Zimmer

Heidi Zimmer is a popular 5th Grade Teacher at MES who hails from Sparta, Michigan.  Ms. Zimmer says, "I believe that every child is a success story just waiting to shine!"  She expects positive attitudes, community pride and daily best efforts from her students.   Ms Zimmer attended the University of Phoenix, where she earned a Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education. "Together, we will make the world a better place!"

Next time you see Ms. Zimmer, congratulate her on being the October 2008 Featured Teacher!

Do you know a great MES teacher that should be featured here? Tell us!  Please include why you think they're so great!

September 2008: Ms. Shannon Boyland

Ms Boyland, one of our fantastic Kindergarten teachers, wanted to be a teacher ever since she was in Kindergarten.  "Teaching is my passion - I couldn't imagine doing anything else."  She was one of those kids that would spend her recess helping out in the classroom or office rather than playing outside.

In addition to her duties as a teacher, Ms Boyland is active in the PTO as the Teacher Liaison.  If you get a chance to talk with her, you will immediately see her infectious spirit, enthusiasm for teaching and love of kids.  Ms. Boyland has been teaching for over 4 years, and has experience teaching in Grades 5, 6, Kindergarten and Reading.  Prior to joining MES, she taught in the Balsz school district in Phoenix.