Mr. Fish joins eighth grade math team

By Wai Hom Yap

Staff Writer

In January, Concord Junior High welcomed a new teacher, Mr. Payton Fish, who joined the eighth grade math department.

Mr. Fish attended Bethel University in Mishawaka where he earned his college degree in mathematics. Before accepting a position at Concord, Mr. Fish completed an internship at the Elkhart County Highway Department. He assisted engineers by giving them traffic data to analyze. 

This is his first year teaching, and he’s been in the classroom for about three months. He completed his student teaching at Goshen Jr. High where he taught 7th grade. He enjoyed a lesson over scale factor where he had students bouncing a tennis ball to get an average rate of bounces per seconds. This hands-on experience made math more engaging and helped students understand the concept through real-world application.

Elian Luna Each said, “Mr. Fish is a good teacher because he gives brief descriptions of incorrect answers from students.”

 He was inspired to become a teacher by his own teachers during Covid. Seeing them adapted to the challenging circumstances and stay committed to helping students learn showed him the impact a good teacher can have. Their motivation showed him a career in education, so he could be like them one day.

During his early high school years, Mr. Fish faced many challenges to make the basketball team. Despite his efforts, it took him about two years before he was finally selected during his sophomore year. This accomplishment reflected the persistence and dedication he had built over the years. Before that, his junior high years were a transformative period, focusing more on personal growth than achievements.

Although Mr. Fish teaches math, his favorite subject was actually percussion, and he disliked language arts the most. He enjoyed watching WWE as a hobby, playing a board game called ROOT, and listening to his favorite rapper named NF. 

Hawaii is the longest distance that he ever traveled, and it was a memorable experience filled with beautiful scenery and new adventures. Mr. Fish regularly attends Vineyard Church in Mishawaka.

Mrs. Loomis shares her love for math 

By Abigail Evans

Staff Writer

Students welcomed Mrs. Abigail Loomis to Concord Junior High School as the new eighth grade math teacher.

Mrs. Loomis had previously taught math in South Bend School Corporation for three years prior to teaching at CJHS at the beginning of January.

Mrs. Loomis graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a focus in management from Trine University. In addition, she earned an associate’s degree from Ivy Tech. She also acquired a teaching license in the transition to teaching program. In the future, she hopes to earn a master’s degree in curriculum development.

Before becoming a math teacher, Mrs. Loomis was a restaurant manager. Then when she got her bachelor's degree in business, she worked in an office for a fire safety company. She later realized she didn’t enjoy this type of work and decided to switch to teaching.

 Mrs. Loomis discovered her love of teaching through being a softball coach. She really enjoyed teaching the kids on her softball team and wanted to continue teaching the same age group. 

One of the most challenging things Mrs. Loomis discovered about teaching is creating lessons that require students to think, while also making the content accessible for students at different levels. 

“Despite the hardships of her classes' personalities clashing, she remains head strong and commanding throughout her teaching,” said Sophia German.

At Mrs. Loomis's former school, she had been a runner up for teacher of the year. Her most memorable moments in the short time she has spent at Concord is interacting with the kids outside of school, at the school dance, and at school sporting events. She also enjoys watching students thrive in the classroom. 

Mrs. Loomis said that the best “training” for being a teacher is being a parent. Her four children are seventeen, thirteen, nine, and seven years old. She and her family enjoy camping, hiking, baseball, wrestling, and cheerleading. On her left arm she has four clock tattoos set at the times of her children’s births. She also has biblical tattoos on her back. 

Mrs. Loomis uses math in her daily life. For example, when she had to pick out a bed for her son's room, she needed to calculate the dimensions.

 Mrs. Loomis said, "The better you are at math the better you are at solving problems, even if they are not math related." 

Some of Mrs. Loomis’s favorite hobbies are reading, gardening, and being outside. She and her family are also involved in the Granger Community Church, and she coaches for East side Little League in South Bend.

CJHS life skills teacher exudes compassion

By Mariabigail Hernandez 

Staff Writer

Accepting a new position at Concord Junior High School, Mrs. Saige Bourdon became the new life skills teacher after teaching in other districts for the past eleven years.  

She is currently in her twelfth year of teaching. Before coming to Concord, she taught in Minnesota for her first four years and then at a high school in Middlebury over the last seven years. Additionally, Mrs. Bourdon taught in an elementary school for one year. 

Mrs. Bourdon attended the University of Wi-oshkosh dre. She has a degree in special education, which comes with her teaching license, and a master's degree in mild and intense interventions. She won the Teacher of the Month Award in Minnesota and appeared on a news channel.

When she was growing up, she had a cousin who had significant disabilities, which led to her choice to become a life skills teacher. One important skill Mrs. Bourdon learned teaching this group of students is never to underestimate them and not to set your expectations for students because every student can accomplish great things. Her favorite part of teaching is her students, and she forms bonds with them.

Her favorite lesson to teach is not the academic part but the social and life skills that will help students in everyday life. One of the most challenging but fun parts of teaching for her is that every day is different, and you do not know how the day will go or what you will learn. One thing that has helped her become a better teacher is her CPI training, which stands for crisis prevention interventions. She was a trainer in her last district, and she still holds that certification.

 One of her current and favorite memories with her family is when her oldest daughter met her youngest sister for the first time.  When she is not teaching, her favorite activity is camping with her daughters, along with doing crafts; some of her hobbies include crafting, camping, baking, and gardening. 

Growing up, Mrs Bourdon has been to a lot of states.  She has traveled to England since her sister lives there and got married there a few years ago. Over spring break, she went to Florida with her girls on their first big trip. Her favorite board game to play with her family is Sorry, however, growing up her favorite game to play was Sequence

Back when Mrs. Bourdon was in junior high, her favorite genre of music to listen to was country music and her music taste has changed a bit. Currently one of her favorite artists is Jelly Roll. One thing she found challenging looking back at her junior high years was navigating through that awkward teenage phase.

Mrs. Olendorf shares her love of teaching

By Leah Taylor

Staff Writer 

CJHS students and staff welcomed Mrs. Alexis Olendorf,  the new science teacher at Concord who has prior teaching experience at two other schools. 

Mrs. Olendorf went to college at IU Bloomington and majored in Elementary Ed. In college, she had taken geology and physical science.

Before coming to work at Concord Junior High School, she had worked at Waterford Elementary School in Goshen for two years and then transferred to West Noble Elementary for a year. She then took a year off of teaching to work for the Boys and Girls Club.

A coworker in her department, Mrs. Ortiz stated, “Mrs Olendorf will do anything for her students and always goes above and beyond.” 

Mrs. Olendorf was inspired by two teachers in high school to make science more fun and enjoyable. She loves being able to watch the changes happen in each of her students' lives and to be there for support when times get hard.

Rylee Stier, a 7th grader in one of Mrs. Olendorf’s classes stated, “Mrs. Olendorf is a very kind, respectful teacher who helps me with math work outside of class.”

Mrs. Olendorf loves the humor that she is able to share while also being able to have important conversations with her students. She believes that there isn't a challenging part of her job. She believes since her job is so fun, nothing can be that difficult to accomplish. 

Mrs. Olendorf lives with her husband of two years and her dog, Fletch.  Fletch is 10 years old and Mrs. Olendorf adopted him from a former family member who had recently passed.

Passion leads Ms. Espinoza to Concord

By Jenna Latif

Staff Writer

 In August, CJHS welcomed a new ELL teacher, Ms. Espinoza, who is new to the teaching profession.

Ms. Espinoza attended Goshen College where she earned a secondary education degree. In the future, if she wants to pursue another degree in linguistics. 

Her past occupations helped lead her to the job she has today. Before Covid, she worked in a restaurant as a waitress, and she was a makeup artist. Although enjoyed doing makeup, she had other  aspirations: teaching.

There were many things that helped push her to pursue a career in teaching, but her middle school English teacher is what encouraged her the most. Although middle school was a challenging experience for her, such as making friends and getting out of her comfort zone, Mrs. Pippenger made Ms. Espinoza’s middle school experience more enjoyable. She helped her with many things outside of English; she was very relatable and that affected Ms. Espinoza. 

As a child, she herself was an ELL student, which was a major reason why she was so determined to teach ELL. She also felt as if she can connect with kids easier and understand their perspective better because learning English isn’t always easy.

Throughout Ms. Espinoza's short teaching experience, she’s had many first moments that made teaching worth it, such as her first drawing she received from a student. The drawing which displayed her was so heartfelt because it showed how her students view her and it stuck out to her.

Although there are many upsides to teaching, there are also some downsides. Things that come with teaching this age group are the different views of their needs. Some students believe that they are required to have more freedom than needed which can be difficult.. Something that teaching also comes with is waking up early, which Ms. Espinoza is not a fan of.

Despite the fact that teaching takes up most of her days, she also has hobbies outside of school. She attends church, teaches Sunday school, and organizes fundraisers and food sales. On top of that, she spends her time doing hair, makeup, and music. Some of her favorite music artists include Drake, Future, Bad Bunny, and Jazmine Sullivan.

Even though Ms. Espinoza is unfamiliar with the building, students are quickly making connections with her. “She helps us learn and have fun at the same time,” Idalis Guerro said.

Ms. Espinoza is a great addition to our CJHS and she definitely belongs here.

Mr. Parpart connects with students through humor

By Maggie Bean

Staff Writer

After graduating from Ball State with a degree in Secondary Education and a Concentration in Government, Mr. Austin Parpart joined the CJHS staff as the new social studies/pre-engineering teacher.

He did not always want to be a teacher. His first job was at Home Depot and Aldi’s but that soon led him to decide to major in business. However, he quickly discovered he did not want to stay in business. He changed to education.  Mr. Parpart soon realized that he really wanted to be a teacher. After working with kids at a church camp, he noticed how he enjoyed helping people. He said, “I want to inspire the next generation.” 

Mr. Parpart grew up in Osceola, IN and went to Penn High School. He has always loved sports and dreamed one day to play in the NFL, even

though he played rugby. In school, he always liked history, but despised math class. it is important to know what happened in history and make connections

to the past. His favorite time period to teach is the China Dynasty.

According to Mr. Parpart, pre-engineering is fun to teach because it is hands-on. He really enjoys seeing the creative designs students come up with. The AFO project is his favorite group project to teach.

Sam Rodriguez, a 7th grade student, said, “Mr. Parpart is a humorous teacher and his class is very welcoming.”

Besides creating a welcoming environment, Mr. Parpart encourages students to be themselves. His favorite quote is from Oscar Wilde. It is “Be yourself. Everyone Is already taken.” He went on to point out that everyone is unique in their own way.

Personally, Mr. Parpart enjoyed the freedom of junior high as a student which is why he likes working with this age group. He realizes students need to learn how to balance their busy schedules from sports to homework. 

He loves traveling. He’s been on cruises, gone to the Bahamas, Mexico, and the Siesta Keys in Florida.

Mrs. Knouse shares her love of music with Concord students

Bethany Saavedra

Staff writer

CJHS students and staff welcomed Mrs. Nicole Knouse, who had previously taught music for two years in Plymouth, as the new woodwind teacher.

Mrs. Knouse was a former student of Concord and graduated salutatorian. She had opportunities in high school that helped her prepare for leadership, such as being a drum major for two years and being captain of the basketball team. During her college years, she attended Indiana Wesleyan and received a Bachelor's degree in Music Education.

Mrs. Knouse recently married in June 2022 to her husband, a brass teacher in Warsaw. They can relate to each other when making plans for their students. She enjoys traveling with her family and the band. 

Her previous CHS band directors influenced her to become a teacher and pushed her to become a better player. She saw the impact they had on students and wanted to do the same.  Mrs. Knouse loves the energy of her students and how much they laugh and have fun. She also considers herself a kid at heart and can relate to her students.

“Mrs. Knouse is the best. She has patience and builds this trust with you that you're not afraid to go up to her and ask questions or concerns,” said band student Ailen Antunez Alvarez.

According to Mrs. Knouse, she believes the biggest challenge of teaching this age group is that they are still learning. She is in a room full of students who are dedicated and practice all the time while she has other students who are still struggling to figure out notes and rhythms. Her advice to all teachers is to “Stick with it [teaching] because it will be rough at times, but it is so rewarding in the end.”

When Mrs. Knouse attended CJHS as a teen, she found that adjusting to new people and navigating friends was a challenge. What helped her connect to kids today is that she also went through band class as a kid and understands the struggle. “You can do it and it is so much fun.”

She describes her junior high years as an enjoyable experience. As a student, she struggled in science class, yet she considered herself to be a math nerd and had Mr. Rach as her math teacher. 

Mr. Rach said, “I met Mrs. Knouse when she was a seventh grader. She was called one-eyed Willie back then, a nickname given to her by her favorite teacher. Mrs. Knouse was in my math class for two years. She took Algebra 1 & 2 with me.”

Mrs. Knouse was also a member of the track team and played the saxophone. She was the first person to win a race on the CJHS track, reaching the finish line first in the 100-meter hurdles.

Mrs. Knouse’s favorite genre of music is jazz and her hobbies include traveling and exercising. Her preferred board game is Sorry. She plays many different instruments, such as saxophone, flute, and clarinet.

Having read the Harry Potter book series, Mrs. Knouse noted that the quote by Sirius Black was her favorite: “If you want to know what a man is like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

Focus on the positive

By Ella Bloss

Staff Writer

Concord Junior High students and staff welcomed a new teacher to the building: 7th grade science teacher, Mr. Corbin Bate.

 Attending Olivet Nazarene University, Mr. Bate pursued and graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications. While in college, Mr. Bate substituted at his old middle school for a semester. He additionally spent some time as a marketing representative for Milwaukee Power Tool.

Personal memories of anxiety/panic attacks allows Mr. Bate to show empathy and acceptance towards students. He is very understanding and always tells students to focus on positive things.  “This too shall pass” is a quote that Mr. Bates uses to remind students to focus on all of the positive things happening rather than all the negative. 

Mr. Bate reflected on his junior high years as tough. He described it as one of the most difficult times in his life as he tried to fit in. Navigating "right and wrong" was a struggle as he experienced all types of new things, especially when trying to find a group of trusted friends.

Although Mr. Bate is new to Concord Community, he has quickly made friends with his coworkers.  “He helps students even when it is inconvenient for him,” said pre-engineering teacher, Ms. Mary Reddy.

While there are amazing things about teaching, Mr. Bate considers one of the most challenging part of his job in finding fun and engaging ways for students to learn the material. 

“Mr. Bate explains science in a really great way for us students to understand,” said Lesli Sacor Ixcot 

     Over the past few months, Mr. Bate has said that his most memorable teaching moment was singing “Diamonds” by Rhianana with his 5th hour.

Outside of school, Mr. Bate likes to play video games, listen to rap music, collect vinyl records, and play golf. His favorite games include Life, Codenames, and Taboo. 

He also enjoys traveling to Boise, Idaho where he loves looking at the mountains.  

Compassion for kids guides Mrs. Johnson to CJHS

By Leila Barron-Vergara

Staff Writer

    Concord Junior High staff welcomed a new 7th grade language arts teacher, Mrs. Sarah Johnson, to the Blue Team. Before becoming a teacher, Mrs. Johnson attended Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  According to Mrs. Johnson, she was inspired to become a teacher because of her 6th-grade teacher who made learning really fun. This experience inspired and launched her career of also wanting to make learning fun. 

   Prior to coming to CJHS, Mrs. Johnson worked 11 years at Elkhart Christian Academy and other years at Goshen Intermediate and Middlebury schools. Mrs. Johnson mentioned that her favorite thing about teaching is “Being able to see how much my students change throughout the school year both academically and socially; also, they can also be really fun.” 

   “Mrs. Johnson tries to play games and gets to know everybody at the same time. She, is also understanding and kind,” said Alyssa Mascola.

    When Mrs. Johnson was younger, she had to change schools a few times which has helped her connect with kids, especially those who have had to change schools. Mrs. Johnson mentioned that the hardest part of teaching is getting to know everybody individually and getting to help everybody. 

“It’s difficult to find that balance of building relationships while also maintaining classroom management,” said Mrs. Johnson.

    Mrs. Johnson said that she would love to meet Robert Frost because she really likes his poetry and the overall messages that he puts in his poetry. Attending middle school, Mrs. Johnson mentioned that her favorite subjects were language arts and social studies, and her least favorite subject was math.  

“My junior years were a time of growth for me and trying to push myself to do sports,” said Mrs. Johnson.  

    In her downtime, Mrs. Johnson loves spending time with her husband Ryan, and two daughters, as well as her 4-month-old grandson. Mrs. Johnson is involved in many community organizations including Sugar Grove Church in Goshen, bible school, and a lot of kids' programs.

   Mrs. Johnson’s favorite hobbies are spending time with family, walking, going to sporting events, reading, and flower gardening. Her favorite board games are Apples to Apples and Sorry.  If she had to pick her favorite movie it would be The Greatest Showman.  

By Rylee Reser

Staff Writer and Photographer 

Concord Junior High staff welcomes a new teacher to the building, incoming 7th grade math teacher Mrs. Heather Cline.

Mrs. Cline has been teaching for 18 years in many different places. She had gone to two different colleges for teaching. She went to Central Michigan and then went to Walden University. 

In college, Mrs. Cline earned her Bachelor's Degree in education, and she earned her Master’s in curriculum. While in college, she was a member of the National Council of Mathematics. 

After finishing college, she taught in Virginia, Michigan, and Indiana. For the past eight years, she taught math for Elkhart Community Schools. While teaching, Mrs. Cline has been nominated for teacher of the year two different times. 

Growing up, Mrs. Cline considered junior high to be a good time in her life. She had a great friend circle. She also enjoyed being a kid and getting to experience new things.

While she did enjoy school, she still had trouble with some relationships with friends. Some classes of hers were more difficult than others as well. During school, Mrs. Cline considered language arts to be her favorite subject while math was her least.

In school, Mrs. Cline grew up in a lower class area. Going through this allows her to connect with kids, and support the ones that have been or are going through the same thing now. 

Mrs. Cline was inspired to pursue teaching because of her second grade teacher. Her teacher at the time was mean, and she didn’t want kids to go through the same thing. She wanted to create an environment for kids to feel safe and welcomed.

While teaching, Mrs. Cline most enjoys being able to do more things with her students. While grades below are limited to certain activities since they can’t always handle it. Mrs. Cline uses projects, notes, and games as a way of teaching math. 

“Mrs. Cline helps guide us, and gives good practice for math equations,” said Jahwon Jackson. 

  Mrs. Cline's most memorable moment as a teacher was last year's graduating class at Northside. These students were the first kids she had ever taught at Northiside to see graduate. 

While there are great things about teaching, Mrs. Cline believes that one of the challenges involves technology. She feels as if it's beneficial but still causes students to not do the actual work. Students tend to look up answers on their chromebooks instead of doing the actual work.

Even though Mrs. Cline is new to the Concord Community, she has already started to make some friends with her coworkers. “Mrs. Cline is creative, fun, friendly, and kind. She also shares her goodies with me in the morning. She often encourages me,” said Mr. Myers. 

Outside of school, Mrs. Cline does more than just teaching, believe it or not. Mrs. Cline has a husband with whom she's been married to for 8 years. Mrs. Cline also has three sons. 

Mrs. Cline enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her family. 

She also enjoys traveling. She's been to 15 states and has traveled outside the country to Canada and to the Dominican Republic. Mrs. Cline is very happy to be a part of the Concord community and can’t wait to see where it takes her. 

Mrs. Sponseller connects with students in a positive way

By Maycie Holden

Staff Writer

After nine years Mrs. Courtney Sponseller returned to the Junior High teaching 7th and 8th grade resources. 

Mrs. Sponseller started teaching in 1997, and she came to the Junior High around 2013 as a volleyball coach. She did this for about 14 years for 7th and 8th grade varsity and JV. In addition, Mrs. Sponseller coached tennis at the high school and Junior High. 

According to Mrs. Sponseller, she prefers teaching the older age groups after having experience in the younger range throughout her earlier years. Her experience roots from Manchester, where she went to college and graduated with an elementary education degree, a kindergarten endorsement and a Special Ed minor. 

One reason why, she explains, that she likes teaching at the Junior High school is because of the variety of classes for which she teaches.  She said, “Everyday is a little bit different, and not only everyday, but every hour. You just never know what you’re going to get.”

Mrs. Sponseller said that her previous struggles in school helped her connect to kids today, stating that school did not come easy for her at all. She said, “I was very athletic; loved to participate in sports, but it was really hard for me to keep my grades up”.

Mrs. Sponseller is a mother of three daughters, which she explained is also beneficial when it comes to her experience with helping kids and understanding them, while staying in the present occurrences.

CJHS students and staff welcome new math teacher

Landon Schrock

Staff Writer

Concord Junior High students and staff welcomed a new teacher to the building, 8th grade math teacher, Mr. Ethan Blank,

Graduating from Trine University, Mr. Blank earned his bachelor's degree in science. Before teaching, Mr. Blank worked as a jail guard; additionally, he spent some time teaching at Bashor Children's Home for two and a half years. 

At his previous job, Mr. Blank helped people stay sober. Some of the training that helped him become a teacher included TBRI, TCI, UKARU, and addiction counseling. 

Mr. Blank said that the hardest part of teaching is getting grades in on time; additionally, he enjoys teaching junior high students because “they have good sense of humor. His favorite thing to teach about is geometry!

Student Colton Ross said, “He is pretty chill while teaching but he will go over stuff. Most of the time he is a funny guy and mostly gets straight to the point.” 

Not doing well in school, Mr. Blank wanted to help students do well in his class. Mr. Blank goes by the quote, “Wish not for easier times, wish simply to be better men.”

Mr. Blank has received a nation's society award. Math helps Mr. Blank by making finances easier in life. 

Mr. Blank has been to many places such as Ireland, Scotland, and England. While in junior high, he enjoyed listening to heavy metal. He has recently got a new dog, Cassie, a Siberian husky. 

Although he enjoys teaching math, his favorite subject in school was really social studies. His least favorite was math. Completing homework was deemed difficult during his junior high years. 

He enjoys playing board game DND (dungeons and dragons) video games, reading and teaching. Mr. Blank stated that if he won the lottery of one million dollars, the first thing he would invest in is bitcoin! He loves the story problems with absurd stories such as “why does timmy have 86 bottles of soap?”

By Kalea Braddock

Staff Writer

After teaching for sixteen years at Elkart Central,and teaching football at Elkart Central and Memorial, Mr. Daniel Loth has joined the staff at CJHS teaching 7th-grade science. 

Mr. Loth earned a bachelor's degree from Wabash College in biology and science, but later on, he went to IUSB college to receive a master's degree.

Mr. Loth’s career started with an opportunity to coach football in 2003 at Wabash College . The following year a friend encouraged him to coach at Elkhart Central friend encouraged him to join the community in coaching his local team to victory. Although he may not have been known in the teaching realm, Mr. Loth still finds ways to encourage all his students to succeed.

While teaching science, Loth has dissected organisms comparing sharks, bullfrogs, and a fetal pig. Loth stated that dissecting the shark was his favorite because it was something new to him and was definitely more of a challenge than the others.  

According to Mr. Loth, coaching football has helped him learn how to get people to work together. In his years of coaching, Mr. Loth indicated that he had received the athletic “ace” award for his time and effort put towards coaching the Elkhart team.

Outside of school, Mr. Loth engages in many hobbies including coaching strength and conditioning in soccer, driving his three children around, and reading historical books. In addition, his favorite board game was chess because of the strategies one needs in order to be able to win. He also enjoys listening to rock music because his brother listened to it so he slowly started listening to it. 

Mr. Loth has three children— his oldest graduated from Elkhart High School, his middle child is a sophomore at Elkhart, and his youngest attends Concord as a seventh grader. 

On top of his teaching career, his favorite subject at Concord Junior High School was math, while he also enjoyed art with Mrs. Amador and English with Mrs.Klopfenstein. 

His junior high years consisted of making new friends while traveling among many schools in the district.

Mr.Loth has traveled to Canada, Mexico, Europe. In college, he traveled to Germany, and Austria, with his football time while in competition. Although the school trip toToronto  may have been by bus, Mr.Loth stated he had a pleasant time. 

Mr. Loth enjoys teaching science because he like the enthusiasm his students have, and he adores teaching new information to 7th-grade students. The biggest challenge Mr. Loth has found is that his students don't have much experience in labs, so his students need specific direction. Mr. Loth is delighted when he sees how his class has impacted his students.

“Mr. Loth is an excellent teacher, and he helps students when they need help he is there for them when they need him,” said 7th grader Abbigail Simpson, one of Mr. Loth’s formal student.

 “Mr. Loth is a great addition to our staff and for our blue Team,” said Ms. Shannon Sheely.

By Mylah Bryant

Staff Writer

Concord Junior High School staff and students welcomed the new Dean of Students Mr. Timothy Bowyer.

 Mr. Bowyer worked for seven years before taking this position as the dean of students. Mr. Bowyer got his Bachelor's degree at Michigan State University and recently received his master's at IU. He has always liked helping students and thinks that communication is the key to building a positive and healthy relationship with a student.

 Before becoming dean of students, Mr. Bowyer taught a STEM course for seven years, and during one of his last years as a teacher, he decided to help the community during the COVID-19 years by having his students print out face shields that he later donated to Saint Joe Hospital in Mishawaka. According to Mr. Bowyer, the most challenging part of his career is dealing with negative student relationships and trying to put himself in their shoes to relate to them more.

 When talking to students in this age group, Mr. Bowyer tries to think back to his middle school career to relate to their problems. 

Gabriella Villismal said, "What I like best about him is that he listens and understands our issues instead of treating us like children.'' 

 Mr. Bowyer remembers his fun middle school experience, hanging out with friends, and joining after-school clubs and activities. He had tons of homework and understands the struggles that middle schoolers have and can identify with them in that way.

 While attending Michigan State University, he met his girlfriend of ten years, and they live in Mishawaka where he runs his small business sorting through and selling Legos online. 

His opinion on becoming a dean has changed since joining the CJHS staff. '' I thought the day ended when the bell rang, but there is a lot more that happens behind the scenes.'' 

His advice to any incoming CJHS staff is that they should try to build healthy relationships with their students. 

By Ava Dixon

Staff Writer and Photographer

Updated 5/23/22

Incoming Assistant Principal, Mr. Scott Garner, was welcomed by the CJHS students and staff after working as a band director at Fairfield for 10 years, later moving to Elkhart for 2 years, and then being in administration for 8 years at Concord Schools; this finally led him to become the new CJHS assistant principal this year.

Mr. Garner attended college at Ball State University where he majored in Instrumental music and education, education leadership, and elementary education.  With this degree, he was able to pursue his love for music and teaching when he was hired as a band director.  Through the years, he received several awards including the John Phillips Sousa Award in high school, two music scholarships in college, and the Outstanding Educators Award as a teacher.  

His love for music and students has been an important part of his journey.  

Mr. Garner reflected on one of his most memorable moments as an educator.  After being the Assistant Band Director at Fairfield High School for eight years, he then accepted the position of Lead Band Director.  Under his leadership,  the marching band made it to the State Finals.  Having this leadership role and working with a variety of students helped him decide to move into a more administrative role. 

Talking and interacting with junior high students is a highlight for Mr. Garner; he really enjoys trying to help young people navigate social interactions.  His most challenging part of the job as Assistant Principal is the extra business type of things that have to be accomplished but can get in the way of what one really want to be doing—that is being with the students.   Within the education system, he often underestimated all the external things that teachers have to deal with on a daily basis, but he would advise incoming teachers to “try to remember that you are here for the kids.”   

Believe it or not, Mr. Garner was once a junior high school student, and he recalls that it was a struggle to find the right group of friends at that age and the one thing that helped him connect with other students was being involved in the band.  Band was definitely his favorite subject and math was his least favorite. 

Shelby Emerick said,  “I feel as if Mr. Garner makes every student feel included, and makes it feel like a safe environment to learn in.”

Mr. Garner met his wife at Ball State University, and they have a daughter named Nora who is ten years old.  In his leisure time, he likes to play guitar and cook.  If  he had to choose a favorite board game to play it would be Monopoly.  He likes to travel when he has the opportunity and has visited both New York and California. 

 His favorite quote comes from Stephen Covey, “ I want to communicate someone’s worth and potential so clearly that they see it in themselves.”  Mr. Garner tries to live by this as he works with the students of CJHS every day.

Inspiration guides new science teacher to CJHS

By Collin Craig

Staff Writer

Updated 12/01/21

Concord Junior High staff welcomed a new 8th grade science and robotics teacher Mrs. Kelsey Gipson to the Yellow Team. 

Mrs. Gipson has a bachelors of science degree in human biology from Michigan State University. She also has an education degree from Taylor University; additionally, she was a certified Emergency Medical Technician. 

As an EMT, Mrs. Gibson was an assistant to a pathologist, where she helped perform autopsies on humans. She also worked in the hospital when they were short staffed. Mrs. Gipson has prior experience working in a science lab examining microorganisms in the Red Cedar River to see if pesticide runoff from farms upstream were affecting the fish population.

This is Mrs. Gipson's first year as a full time teacher although she was a substitute teacher for four years. Last year she taught at West Goshen for half of last school year as a substitute for a second grade class. Mrs. Gipson stated that one of the reasons she decided to become a teacher was because of her eighth grade science teacher, Mr. Wright. “He always had so much fun in class and introduced me to science.”

According to Mrs. Gipson, one thing she likes about teaching eighth graders is that every student around this age is “trying to find their footing and evolving into the humans they are going to be.” One of the most challenging things about teaching this age group is realizing that she won’t be able to see her students all year next year. 

“Mrs. Gibson makes the volume and mass activities fun because she lets us do labs and labs are more fun than working in our notebook.” said eighth grader Jacob Moore. 

One of her most memorable moments this year was rapping to a Taylor Swift song in front of her class. Her opinion of teaching has changed since she started, because “it gets better and better each day.” Mrs. Gipson said that the most challenging thing about her job is not being able to solve every problem and kid might have right away. She hasn’t earned any awards for work, besides being the world’s best substitute teacher–long live Mrs. Gucci. She also earned many awards in high school.

Mrs. Gipson has been married to her husband Sam for seven years, and they have been together for eleven years. She also has a dog named Lauren who is “ the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

 Some of Mrs. Gipson’s hobbies include playing the piano, baritone, ukulele; she also likes cooking and hiking. One thing that helps her connect with kids today is she used to coach cheerleading, and she tutored people while in high school. 

Some things she considered hard in junior high was finding her place and making her own bubble. Her favorite subject in eighth grade was science, and her least favorite subject was language arts. 

Mrs. Gipson has traveled all over the United States; additionally, she has traveled to the Caribbean and some Central American countries.

Miss Spencer shares her love of science

By Christa Braddock

Staff Writer

Miss Rebekah Spencer joined the Minutemen staff this spring after completing her science education degree at Bethel University. 

After accepting her position at Concord for the fourth quarter, Miss Spencer said that she is balancing teaching while still going to college, which has been a challenge.

In addition to being a student, she also runs track at Bethel College. When asked how she feels balancing all these tasks she said it was no easy task. To her, the biggest challenge to overcome was realizing that she is on an adult schedule, working a real job, while living with six roommates at the same time. Miss Spencer also mentioned that this whole semester has been a challenge as she has had to learn how to navigate this “in-between stage.”

“The only way I’ve been able to thrive and enjoy this difficult transition is because I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be in life,” said Miss Spencer.

  According to Miss Spencer, the reason she enjoys her job is that growing up she saw how much her teacher made an impact on her life and wanted to be able to do the same for others. She stated that in middle school not only was it hard trying to figure herself out, but also it was difficult trying to see who her true friends are.

“Miss Spencer is a safe outlet to go and talk to about problems you may have at school. Not only that, but she takes time out of her lessons to help you better understand the assignments,” said Trista Cave.

During her time at Bethel, they offered her an opportunity to go to Thailand through a missionary trip. Miss Spencer described it as an eye-opening experience. She stated she was offered the opportunity to help teach and support schools and families in poverty.

“Going to Thailand gave me a whole new perspective on being a teacher. A new perspective on what servant leadership looks like in the classroom and how receiving an education is a blessing,” said Miss Spencer.

During these tough times, not only did Miss Spencer earn her education, but she also took up some new hobbies. One of those hobbies is crocheting and playing the piano. When she was young, she had tried taking piano lessons multiple times; however, during the lockdown, she realized that playing the piano is something that brings her joy.

Mr. Namisnak joins CJHS teaching staff

By Viviana Mendoza-Escamilla

Staff Writer 

After teaching three years of math in different schools and one year of social studies, Mr. Andrew Namisnak joined the CJHS as a new pre-engineering teacher. 

Mr. Namisnak was influenced by two of his teachers from North Side Middle School, Mr. Hague and Mrs. Eads. He enjoyed learning about history as well as participating in baseball. He was also greatly influenced by his coaches throughout college.

He attended Indiana University Bloomington, earning a B.S. in secondary social studies education. After graduating, he added math, engineering, and technology to his teaching license.  

One of the most challenging aspects that Mr. Namisnak faces as he teaches students of this age is “helping students transition from intermediate school and preparing them for high school, which can be quite an adjustment." He added that he enjoys teaching junior high students because he gets to know more about them and engage in conversations.

Some of his hobbies include spending time with his wife and dog, watching movies and shows, playing sports, and going out when the weather is nice. His favorite board game is Ticket to Ride. 

Mr. Namisnak has been to a variety of places. Some of the places he has visited include New York, Florida, South Carolina. 

“I really liked the band Lincoln Park. I would listen to classic rock, alternative music, and rap growing up.” he said. 

His junior high years were entertaining according to him, stating that he still has friends he made during that time. He had a few challenges thrown at him during junior high years as well.

“I think making new friends. I was kind of shy those years. I had a small circle of close friends,” Mr. Namisnak said.