by Kaylynn Miner

When the new science teacher Ms. Miller arrived a DWHS, to teach high school science,  her first thought was "What have I gotten myself into?" But as she continued to spend time with students she has formed some great relationships and enjoys the students humor. Let's get to know Ms. Miller!

Q) Where did you grow up?

      A) Oswego, KS

Q) What was your high school life like? What kind of student were you?

     A) I was actually valedictorian, so I'm not joking when I call myself a big nerd. I got along well with my classmates for the most part.

Q) What did you want to be when you were older?

      A) When I was a kid, I wanted to be a zookeeper until I found out how much of that job is really just cleaning up after animals.

Q) When did you decide you wanted to become a teacher? What made that decision official?

      A) My third semester of college is when I changed my major to education. The moment I really decided that I liked teaching was when I taught 5th and 6th graders about CSI at the K-State STEM Camp. It was a blast.

Q) What do you do in your spare time outside of school?

      A) 5. After school, Netflix is my best friend, and I snuggle up with my puppies. However, during breaks, I try to go home and visit my mom.

Q) Why do you teach?

      A) When I was in high school, I had some of the most supportive teachers. They, of course, couldn't be there for everything, but they showed how much they cared about their students. I want to be that for you guys.

Q) Did you play any sports in high school? Which ones?

      A) The last time I played a sport was 7th grade volleyball, next question.

Q) What extracurriculars were you involved in?

      A)  I participated in Scholars' Bowl, Choir, KAY Club, Science Club, Forensics, and Yearbook.

Q) What is something from college you will never forget?

      A)  I will never forget the relationships I formed with people I would have never met if it weren't for K-State. Of course, academics are important, but you must never take for granted the amount of growth you'll experience whether you go to a university or a two-year.

Q) What is the strangest thing you've dissected? 

      A)  I dissected a rat in my Organismic Biology class at K-State. I named her Sheila.

Q) Who was your best friend in high school? What were they like? Are you two still friends?

      A) My best friends in high school were the best. They graduated before I did, and we grew apart because we went to different schools/did different things with our lives. I still keep up with them through social media.

Q) What are your favorite games? 

      A)  My favorite game to play with a group of people is anything from the "One Night" series, like "One Night Ultimate Werewolf," but my favorite game to play by myself is either Animal Crossing or Legend of Zelda.

Q) Have you ever changed your hair color? What colors?

      A) Oh boy. When I was in college, I dyed my hair so many times. It was pink, blue, black, purple, and I think I went blonde at least four different times. My hairstylist was not happy with me.

Q) What's the wildest thing you've ever done?

      A)  I moved four hours away from my family to teach science to high school students. You tell me that's not insane.

Q) Do you have siblings? How many? How old are they? What are their names?

      A) I have an older brother named Jake, and he's 29.

Q) What is your impression of your first 1/2 year of teaching?

      A)  My first impression.. "What did I get myself into?" I'm mostly kidding. I think Doniphan West was a great choice for my first year as a teacher. I really think I've formed some great relationships with you guys, and you're all so funny.

Q) What type of music do you like?

      A) I'm usually okay with any type of music that doesn't scream at me. It depends on my mood. Sometimes it's pop stuff like Ariana Grande, sometimes it's pop-punk like I listened to in high school, and sometimes it's Broadway musicals. It really just depends.

Q) Have you gone to concerts? If so, which ones?

      A) SO MANY CONCERTS. Let's see.. 3 Warped Tours, Rick Springfield, All Time Low (x4), Ed Sheeran (x3), Shawn Mendes, The 1975 (x2), The Ready Set (x3), Set It Off (x3), Lauv (x2), One Direction, The Rolling Stones, The Jonas Brothers, Hinder, Buckcherry, Daughtry, Uncle Kracker... There are probably more that I can't think of.

Q) Favorite movie?

      A) Right now my favorite movie is "Someone Great" on Netflix because I love Gina Rodriguez. My favorite movie of all time is "Perks of Being a Wallflower."

Q) What is your favorite type of science to learn? Why?

      A) My favorite type of science has always been biology because it's so interesting to learn why living organisms are the way they are, and it's always changing. I also like chemistry because the labs are really neat. I once made artificial banana flavoring in my organic chemistry lab at K-State.

Q) What unit are you looking forward to teaching?

      A) I'm really looking forward to teaching about DNA in biology because you guys will be able to extract your own DNA and see what it looks like without a microscope. It never gets old.