New Teachers Start Work at Meadowlark

Five new teachers can be seen in the halls of Meadowlark school this school year. August 19 was the first day of instruction.

Ellie Perrine is starting her first year of teaching as a second grade teacher in Chinook. She got her training at the University of Montana Western. She did her student teaching in Helena and also subbed there.

Helping raise her cousin was what got her interested in teaching. Her favorite thing about teaching is creating a classroom family and having a strong relationship with students. In her spare time she likes hiking, camping, backpacking and fly fishing.

Another new teacher who enjoys the outdoors is Trent Noel, which is fitting since he is the K-6 PE teacher. He is married to Alicia who is the music teacher for Chinook Schools. Trent has a BS in Civil Engineering from MSU, a MS in Family and Consumer Science, and is currently working on Physical Education certification.

This is Trent's first year of teaching and says he loves working with the kids and watching them develop into adults. "I am loving getting to see kids smiling and enjoying themselves." He will also be coaching junior high football, high school wrestling, and high school track.

Ashley Fisher will be a paraprofessional for the elementary. She got her schooling from Western Governors University. "I absolutely love working with kids," Fisher said. She says her favorite thing about teaching is connecting with the kids and watching them grow. She is also a soccer coach.

Ashley has 3 children, Cassidy, McKenzie and Carson. In her free time she enjoys hiking, fishing, camping and painting.

Karl Merza will teach math, reading, and science in K-6. He is married to another new teacher, Ruby Ann Merza. Together they have two children, Era Cylestine, and Xian Kaizer Merza. They hail from the Phillipines.

Karl has a BS in elementary education and a Masters in Educational Administration. He followed his mom into teaching who was also an educator. He has been teaching for 9 years and loves when his students remember his way of teaching.

His wife Ruby will be teaching reading, written expression, math and self help skills at Meadowlark. She taught for 10 years in the Phillipines and has a BS from New Era University and is also working on her master's.

An experience at 10 day camp called Camp Journey is what got Ruby excited about teaching. "For 10 days we let children with special needs lead a normal life, full of activities and a memorable experience." She loves when children she taught learn from what she taught them and use it for real life situations.