All About Miss Merkle

Welcome new Fifth Graders and families! My name is Jenae Merkle. I am so excited to make the jump from 1st to 5th grade this year, and have your wonderful children in my classroom. I am originally from Bay City, Michigan where I attended Michigan State University. I have lots of family still in Michigan. My brother is Rob, he lives in Detroit and is a Mechanical Engineer for Chrysler (Jeep Wrangler Division). Tom and Kelly are my two wonderful parents, married for 37 years this October. I have been here in beautiful Pisgah Forest for almost three years now. I live here with my boyfriend, Josh and our dogs Peanut and Jett.

I absolutely love to be outside. My favorite pass-times include hiking and kayaking all of the beautiful places we have surrounding us. I have a passion for being eco-friendly/sustainable--I really care about our Earth. That being said, I run my own little small business (Nae's Natural Shop) where I make and sell all-natural items including soaps, deodorants, and wax food wraps--which are an alternative to plastic wrap.

This is my 6th year teaching, but my first year in 5th grade. I am excited to switch to this grade level, and feel that this age group fits my teaching style and personality very well. I have very high expectations for my students and will challenge them daily. We will walk patiently through this year as we learn together as a team. I am blessed to be working on a team of teachers with a collaborative mentality so that we can all work together for the best interest of our students.