Hello! I am Amanda Allen and I am your student's social studies teacher this year. This is my 16th year teaching social studies (6th and 7th grade) at IMS. I was born in Independence and raised on my family's farm outside of town. I attended kindergarten through high school in USD #446. After attending 2 years at ICC, I transferred to Pittsburg State University (Go Gorillas!) to complete my Bachelor's in Education in Social Studies, graduating in 2005. I also obtained my master's from PSU in 2010 in Educational Technology (Library Media). In addition to teaching, I currently serve as our school social studies department chairperson and on the INEA Executive Board as treasurer. I am a coach/sponsor for our IMS Quiz Bowl team. When I have a chance, I love supporting our middle school sports, as well as the Indy high school sports.

Outside of the classroom, I also stay busy. My husband, John (who teaches P.E. at Jefferson), and I have an adorable (and spoiled rotten) little "dog-ter", Indy - a 9-year old border collie/black lab mix. A "house divided", I am a huge KU basketball fan, while my husband cheers on K-State. We are season ticket holders for K-State football games and also enjoy attending Pitt State football games whenever possible. You can often find us at IHS football and basketball games cheering on the Bulldogs too. Some of my hobbies include watching sports (especially college basketball), hanging out with my friends, family, and dog-ter, reading, Zumba, and being tech-y on the computer.

MRS. ALLEN'S TOP 10 FAVORITES

10. Favorite Color: blue and green

9. Favorite Teams: Pitt State Gorillas, KU Jayhawks

8. Favorite Restaurant: Mall Deli (Pittsburg), Cafe del Rio (Pittsburg), Chick-Fil-A, Freddy's, Hideaway Pizza

7. Favorite Drink: Unsweet Iced Tea

6. Favorite Snack: Dot's Pretzels, Boom Chick Kettle Corn, Cheezits

5. Favorite Authors: John Grisham, Greg Iles

4. Favorite Candy: Haribo gummy bears or Twizzlers (I don't eat chocolate or really much candy at all)

3. Favorite Cookies: Sugar cookies or Peanut Butter

2. Favorite Scent: pumpkin!

1. Favorite Ice Cream: vanilla, butter pecan, or strawberry