Aaron Callaway

 How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my first year as a full-time teacher.”

How do you feel about this year so far?

“So far, so good. I’m starting to build good relationships with kids. They seem to be enjoying what we’re doing, so that’s good.”

What classes do you teach?

“I teach U.S. and World History.”

What is your educational background?

“I went to Eastern Illinois University and got my bachelor’s degree in history, and then I got a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Eastern Illinois.”

How do you feel about teaching high schoolers when you’re fresh out of the education system yourself?

“I feel like I’m able to relate more to them more than some of the other teachers can just ’cause it wasn’t that long ago that I was in high school too.”

What are you excited to do this school year?

“I’ve coached football [and] I’m going to help coach track. I always love participating in extracurricular activities [and] seeing kids outside of the educational setting…[I’m] excited to keep pushing, getting to know my kids a little better, make them a little bit more excited to go to history class every day.”

What do you enjoy besides teaching history?

“I’m big into fantasy football, college football, NFL, all that stuff. Then in my spare time, I like to cook, I like hanging out with my dogs, watching movies, listening to music, relaxing, that kind of stuff.”

Harris Schiff

How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my 10th year as a teacher.”

What exactly do you do as a math interventionist?

“Primarily, I work with students taking Algebra I, although I work with other students in other different classes…I’ll pull them out of class either to work on what they’re doing in the math class or it may be prior skills that are needed that they’ve struggled with. And another big part of my job is just targeting who needs help.”

What is your educational background?

“I have a bachelor’s degree from Mizzou and a master’s degree in teaching from Fontbonne.”

How do you feel about Oakville so far?

“I love Oakville so far. There’s a lot of support here and there’s a lot of…pride in the school.”

What do you do outside of school?

“I’m married and we have three children, so most of my life revolves around them.”

Christine Haberberger

How many years have you been teaching?

“Twenty-four years.”

What school did you teach at previously?

“I taught at Oakville Elementary School.”

How do you feel about Oakville thus far?

“I love working at the high school. Love it. My colleagues are very helpful considering I’m new and I don’t know everything around here and the students have been very helpful as well.”

What do you do besides teaching special education?

“We (my grandson and I) like to go hiking and go spelunking—we explore caves. And then I do a lot with the rescue world: I rescue dogs and cats, I do volunteering, I foster, of course, I adopt—too many.”

What do you love about teaching?

“I love helping students who may have struggled and [helping them] become very confident and just know that they can do it. Just helping them believe in themselves.”

Linsey Stanley

How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my first year teaching.”

How do you feel about this year so far?

“I feel overwhelmed, but it’s really good. I love the school, so it’s been good so far.”

What is your educational background?

“I went to Missouri State for two years and then I left Missouri State and I went to SIUE for three. So I just graduated in May.”

What are you excited to do this year?

“I am excited to make some memories with my students and learn more about teaching. Hopefully [I’ll] get more involved in the school at some point, but teaching is a lot of work, so I’ll see when I get there.”

Do you feel like your department is helpful and can help teach you more about teaching?

“My mentor is Sarah Hartmann, but everyone in the department has been so helpful and also the new teachers have been helpful, you know. Just building relationships with them has been essential in this first year of teaching.”

What do you enjoy doing outside of teaching history?

“I really love to read. If I wasn’t a history teacher I probably would’ve been an English teacher. I like to go on walks, I like to hang out with my family and friends [and] I like to shop a lot.”

Alexis Caldwell

How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my first full year teaching.”

How do you feel this year is going for you so far?

“I feel like it’s going really well, I feel like being in the building last semester was a big advantage. So I feel like knowing the building is one last thing to worry about, but I think it’s going well so far.”

What is your educational background?

“I went to Belmont University for my undergrad and I have my bachelor’s degree in Spanish, and I went to Lindenwood University for my master’s in arts and teaching.”

What are you excited to do this year?

“I think I’m very excited to play new games and just bring a different methodology and pedagogy style to the Spanish department.”

What classes are you teaching?

“I teach Spanish I and Spanish II.”

What do you do in your free time?

“I love Marvel movies. I’m a huge Marvel fan, I love reading—I feel like some people think it’s cool. I really like kickboxing as well.”

Allen Niedermann

How many years have you been teaching?

“This will be my 18th year teaching.”

.What are you teaching this year?

“This year I’m [teaching] biology and forensics.”

What is your educational background?

“I have a bachelor’s degree in entomology and a bachelor’s degree in forestry, and when I started teaching I got my teaching certification at UMSL and a gifted certification at Meramec.”

What are you excited to do this year at Oakville?

“I’m excited to start working on an Envirothon—a new club—it’s an academic club on conservation.”

What are your interests outside of school?

“I do a lot of conservation work, outdoor activities: archery, climbing wall. I work with the Girl Scouts on the weekends. I teach archery, climbing wall, canoeing. “

Amber Schmitt

How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my 10th year teaching.”

How do you feel about the year so far?

“I’m feeling really positive about it. I feel like the students are really—they seem really mature and they’re willing to reach out and advocate for themselves; they’re really looking to be successful, which is quite a change from my previous experience, so I’m really excited.”

What are you teaching this year?

“Algebra I A/B and then Algebra II.”

What are you excited to do this year at OHS?

“I think I’m just excited about getting acquainted with the school and getting out to different events like choir concerts and performances and games. Just kind of getting acclimated with the school. That’s like my number-one goal.”

Why specifically choir concerts?

“I do love music. I actually used to be in choir but I probably couldn’t sing now because it’s been so long. But I think I’d be really interested in going to choir concerts or different plays…I really enjoy going to different performances.”

What are your other interests?

“Well I have two little kids: one and five.  So my interests right now are doing what they want to do…When I do have a little bit of time to myself I like to read—I haven’t read a good book in a really long time, so if there’s any suggestions, that’d be great.”

Danielle Anderson

How many years have you been teaching?

“Seven.”

What led you to teach at Oakville?

“I’m originally from Jefferson County and my family lives in St. Louis. I recently had a son, who is almost two now, and I wanted to be closer to family, so I applied here and got the job.”

Where did you go to school?

“I went to Southeast Missouri State University for my undergraduate K-12 art education, and I also got my masters from there in Educational Technology.”

What are you excited for this year?

“I’m excited to work with a new team of people. Before I worked by myself, so it’s great to have colleagues to collaborate with.”

How do you like Oakville so far?

“I really like that everyone has a really good sense of community and everyone has been really accommodating. The students are all interested in their learning, so that’s been really nice.”

What are your interests outside of school?

“I’m very outdoorsy. I kayak, I go camping, hiking, I make art, biking, reading and being a mom.”

Emma Nichols

How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my fifth year.”

Where have you taught before?

“I taught at a really tiny school called Southern Boone in Ashland, Missouri.”

Where did you go to school?

“I moved around a lot when I was a kid. My dad was in the military, so my freshman year of high school was in San Diego, California, and then I graduated in Memphis, Tennessee. Then I went to Mizzou for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees.”

What are you excited for this year?

“I am really excited about new coworkers. I needed a fresh start and so far everybody has been really, really wonderful. I have a lot more coworkers than at my old tiny school, so that’s been cool to see so many new faces.”

How do you like Oakville so far?

“So far I really like it. It’s definitely a culture shock for me because of how small my old school was…It feels a lot more professional and tidy. I also really like that I’m coming into Oakville at a time where I feel like administrators are trying to make a really positive change in the building.”

What are your interests outside of school?

“I consider myself a lazy homebody, so I love going home, watching TV, scrolling through TikTok, being on the couch with my daughter…I love to unwind at home.”

Katharine Jenkins

How many years have you been teaching?

“Four, and this will be five.”

What made you want to teach?

“I loved art and working with other kids in my class in high school. I did darkroom photography, so it was kind of confusing for everyone else and I loved helping everybody else work through that.”

Where did you go to school?

“I went to Mehlville High School and graduated from there. [For college] I went to UMSL and Meramec.”

What are you excited for this year?

“Getting to know everybody. We have four new art teachers, so it’s really great collaborating with them and communicating with them and getting to know the other teachers.”

How do you like Oakville so far?

“Actually getting to talk with other teachers. Usually, the art teachers are very secluded and so I think the community with everyone is really great. All the students are so supportive and great with the art.”

What are your interests outside of school?

“I like reading, hiking and I have really small children, so a lot of that is just playing with them and running them around. Other than that, napping. If I can get some naps in, that’s great.”

Isabelle Zurcher

How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my first year.”

How are you feeling about your first year?

“I’m super excited. I’m really excited that I get to be back at my old high school and be back at my old theater room that made me fall in love with theater.”

Did you always know you would come back to your old high school?

“If you would have told me in high school that I would have come back here, I probably would have laughed at you and said absolutely not. But then the job opened up when I was looking for one, I was close to graduating, and when I saw the opening I knew that that was the perfect spot for me.”

What are you excited for this year?

“I am super excited to kind of give back to the program that gave me so much, to build it up again and bring live theater back to Oakville.”

How do you like being back at Oakville so far?

“I really enjoy it. It’s really cool to be in a place that’s so familiar and see so many familiar faces that have been so supportive.”

What are your interests outside of school?

“Over the summer I work at Kids of Victory summer camp, and I help out as their assistant creative director and I help photograph and videograph for them. So that’s a huge part of my year when I’m not in school.”

Taylor Cooper

How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my first one.”

How are you feeling about your first year?

“I’m excited. Last year I was actually student teaching here and then I did a long-term sub position at the end of the year. So to be back at Oakville, in the community with a lot of the kids I know, is exciting.”

Where did you go to school?

“I went to Webster University. Go Gorloks.”

What are you excited for this year?

“Building a relationship with my students. I feel like that is one of the most important things I can do and that’s why I’m here. I went to school with a teacher that I feel like didn’t even know my name. So meeting students, treating them with respect and knowing who they are is my job and it’s kinda why I’m here.”

What do you like about Oakville so far?

“My department. I feel welcome in my department because it’s a totally new department in some senses. We had a lot of movement last year. People have moved up to new positions so we are able to start our department from scratch and have a new vision. It feels really powerful, and it also feels exciting.”

Tyler Lingle

How many years have you been teaching? 

“This is my first year. I student taught here last semester, and now I’m back.”

What goals do you have for this school year?

“I want to get a foundation going because I want to start clubs and new programs, but this first year I need to get my footing. I have to figure out what I’m teaching, the best way I can teach it and I gotta figure out the school and how everything works. Since I was only here for a semester, I got to see some stuff, but I didn’t see how the first semester was, so this is all new to me. I wanna get my feet firmly planted, and then I want to start doing some stuff and making some changes.”

What are you excited to do this year?

“I’m kinda excited to see the special days we have. When I was in high school, I loved spirit days, I loved days on or around holidays like right before winter break or around Halloween or Thanksgiving because you can always tell the school mood changes because they know it’s a holiday and it’s just more fun. I always liked that in high school, and I want to do that this year.”

How do you like Oakville?

“So far so good. I was a little stressed at first but the students I have are great and the math teachers are fun.”

What are your other interests?

“I like to hang out with my friends. We play a lot of games: board games, tabletop games, video games and watch shows. I like the Marvel stuff, well I like the movies, not the shows. I like going to movie theaters and I like shows with drama and mystery…I like to read, mostly fantasy books, I don’t like nonfiction. It doesn’t hold my attention. I like to write too. During COVID, I taught myself how to draw. I was so bored I taught myself to play piano and draw. I’m self-taught. I do it on my little tablet.”

Meghan Frejik

How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my 13th year teaching but my first in Mehlville.”

What are your goals this year?

“This is my first year teaching as an ELD specialist, so like students who come to school not speaking English or not speaking as much English or just hearing other languages at home, so I guess my goal would be to help them with their school because everything here is English, so just helping them and supporting them as they learn.”

What are you most excited for?

“I come from kindergarten, so I’m kinda excited to just see how high school is. [Kindergarten] has its challenges, so it’s very different. I’m excited just to learn about how high school functions.”

How do you like Oakville?

“I love it here. It’s a very good school community.” 

What are your interests outside of school?

“I am very interested in traveling with my family. I have a daughter who is almost 9 months old, so I’m interested in helping her learn, and she’s crawling, so pretty soon we’ll be teaching her to walk.”

Brenda Colvin-Nelson

How many years have you been teaching?

“Twenty-plus years.”

What are your goals for this year?

“For this school, my goal is to learn how to use Canvas and to use it properly. I’m looking forward to meeting and getting to know all of my students. I wanna get to know my students better and help them fulfill their academic needs.”

What are you most excited for this year?

“I haven’t been in a position to move from classroom to classroom before. I always had my own classroom.”

What do you like to do in your spare time?

“I have three amazing children. I have one that lives in Chicago that just graduated from college, so I go to Chicago a lot to see her. I have another daughter that lives in Cape Girardeau, so I see her as much as I can. And my son just started at Lindenwood University, so he just left for college and is on the archery team there, so I’m going to his meets. I’m just running after and enjoying time with my kids. We also have two rescue dogs and three rescue cats that live outside. We also have chickens and rabbits, and I’m a beekeeper too.”

Megan Mills

How many years have you been teaching? 

“Fourteen years.”

What goals do you have for this year?

“Getting used to a new school, new district and a new position. I’ve never taught English I before and it’s gonna take up most of my time.”

What are you most excited for this year?

“I’m excited for the pure size and diversity of the student population here. It’s so exciting to meet so many different kinds of kids in one day.”

How do you like Oakville so far?

“I like it. It’s very different from anywhere I’ve ever worked for. I’ve never worked in a big district before. It is all really new and can be overwhelming but is also very exciting.”

What other interests do you have outside of school?

“I like my kids, I have too many animals, I like to watch movies and I love to hike.”

Sara Stancliffe

How many years have you been teaching?

“Four years. Bernard was my first teaching job.”

What goals do you have for this year? 

 “I would like to feel connected to the Oakville community, to get to know the kids really well. It’s nice that I already know a lot of the Bernard students. I just want to feel more confident and get to know my job better.”

What are you most excited about?

“I’m really excited about the curriculum. The stuff I get to teach is really exciting for me. I’m also really excited about going to student activities. Going to see the plays and games and different stuff like that is really exciting to me.”

What interests do you have outside of school?

“I like to sew, be outdoors and hike, play the piano, spend time with friends and family and look for new places to explore in St. Louis.”

Codie Wicks

How many years have you been teaching?

“This is my fourth year. I teach English I and English II.” 

What goals do you have for this school year?

“This is my first year at Oakville, so probably getting to know the school, students and teachers better. This is also my first year back after teaching completely virtual last year. Getting back into a routine of being in a classroom because I enjoy it much more than teaching virtually. I think just to have as much of a normal year as possible.” 

What are you most excited for this year?

“Probably just being back in the classroom and building relationships with my students and getting to know them better.”

How do you like Oakville so far?

“I really like it. Everyone has been very welcoming and supportive.” 

What are your other interests?

“I also coach the Golden Girls, so I really enjoy dance. I also like to go hiking, and I have two dogs that take up a lot of my time. I also love to read.”

Kristina Crowley

How many years have you been teaching? 

“This is my eighth year teaching. I taught at Northwest School District and Hancock Place before.”

What goals do you have for this school year?
“Just get to know everybody and add whatever I can to whoever needs me.”

What are you most excited for this year? 

“I’m excited to be part of a team. I was a single teacher for a while. I’m also excited to teach interior design because I haven’t taught that before.” 

How do you like Oakville?

“Oakville’s great. I was excited to come back here because I graduated from here. When a job opened, I was excited to come back.”

What are your other interests?

“Whatever my kids are doing at the time. I just like to hang out with family and do activities outside.”