Ariana Kilgore ‘27
With summer coming up, some of our staff members are working on their fitness goals.
Ms. Royer has been on her fitness journey since she was 13 years old. There have been lots of ups and downs over the years. She loves to work out and always has. “If I have to take a rest day, I go crazy!” Royer is currently trying to eat between 1,600 and 1,700 calories a day. She states it's hard to maintain her goals on weekends. “Do you know how many calories are in a cheesy Gordita Crunch?!?!” Regarding her eating, she has learned not to deprive herself or cut out certain food groups. Royer tracks her progress on the MyFitnessPal app: “It has been very helpful.” She currently works out with a trainer to start spending more time doing strength training and less cardio. During her fitness journey, Royer has run seven half-marathons. She mentioned that it's harder to reach her fitness goals because she is in her 40s, “but I am now down 15 pounds since January.” Royer's end goal is to feel fit and more confident.
Mrs. Rzepka states that with having cancer and being postmenopausal, she has gained some unhealthy weight. She joined WW (Weight Watchers) to stay accountable. The point system has been easy for her and is understandable. She gets 21 points a day. She also gets to eat foods that don't cost me points. (They are called zero-point foods). She states she would like to weigh around 150 pounds. Rzpeka makes progress each week, but states it's so easy to put on pounds and difficult to take them off. She learned that you are not alone if you need help with losing weight. She states that many organizations and apps can help you lose weight or get healthy. “It's a struggle that we all, at some point in our lives, must overcome.” She tracks everything that she eats on the WW app. She scans the QR code, and it assesses points to my foods, and then it will record it for her. Rzepka states that it is very difficult to stay on track on weekends. She tries to give herself one day a week to eat what she wants, and that will help her stay focused the other days. Her workout routine doesn't contain much besides daily work and walking when she can.
DeeAna Black ‘28 & Hunter Anthony ‘27
Mr. Boyd has been teaching at PHS for 26 years. He completed his undergraduate work at Eastern Michigan University, earning a history degree and a major in African American studies. He then went to WMU and KVCC to get his English minor. “I like connecting with my students and seeing them open the door to learning.” Mr. Boyd had just finished reading “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck with his 9th-grade class. He likes to read this book because he likes seeing the realism and honesty that the book has with both easy and difficult topics. Mr. Boyd wants to change how much technology is involved with school because it takes us away from each other. Outside of school, he has 3 kids, and he spends a lot of time going to their athletic events and visiting his kids in college.
Mr. Grennes is a history teacher. He has been teaching for 27 years. Mr. Grennes went to Purdue University for his Bachelor's degree and WMU for his Master's degree. “I enjoy teaching the 10th and 11th graders, my favorite class to teach is economics and civics.” Mr. Grennes wishes there were more hands-on learning opportunities with an emphasis on work-based learning. Outside of school, he travels, golfs, and works in his yard.
Emma Rodriguez ‘27
Mr. Grennes loves to travel around the world. He has been to 32 out of the 50 states in America. He has loved each one he has been to, but Colorado and Wyoming are his top favorites. Grennes has also traveled outside of the country. He has been to 12 countries! All of those countries gave him a great experience, especially Italy. For Grennes, the food in Italy can be better than anything here in the United States. “You can’t beat authentic Italian food!” Grennes plans to continue traveling. He would love to return to Europe and see Ireland, Croatia, and Hungary. Some other spots on his list are Thailand, Australia, Egypt, and a cruise around the Greek islands.
DeeAna Black ‘28 & Hunter Anthony ‘27
Mrs. Fleisher is a teacher here at Pennfield High School and has been teaching for over 25 years. She started teaching because she loves science and wanted to share her excitement about it with her favorite group of teenagers. Mrs. Fleisher has made a lot of memories from staff and students to her telling her current students stories. “My favorite part of teaching is the students and the relationships I form with them, staying in touch with them over the years, I like seeing what they have been doing after graduation.” Mrs. Fleisher just went on retirement and now is a substitute teacher. While she was gone on retirement, she reconnected with a lot of old friends. “I came back as a substitute teacher because they were unable to find a teacher to take my place and they needed to make sure the students received instructions from a qualified teacher.” Mrs. Fleisher said she was excited to be asked to come back to sub for her class. “Retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be, I was pretty bored and I missed my students.”
Mr. Hubbard, an 8th-grade teacher, has been teaching for 8 years. He taught for 2 years in Battle Creek Public Schools and has been at Pennfield since then. He says “My favorite part of teaching is the opportunity to be a positive and reliable person for so many people. I love teaching 8th grade - shout out to the 8th graders! They bring awesome energy every day.” He enjoys it when he feels the importance of what he's teaching. With some of the heavy topics they cover and how they often directly connect with things happening today, “I feel very proud to lead the discussion about those things.” One reason that he wanted to teach is because it's something where you can always get better. Teachers can make a million adjustments and continue to grow throughout their careers by helping students as learners, helping students as people, being better coworkers, and more. He says, “I want activities and assignments to be engaging. I want students to think deeply and to hear each other's opinions. I also like to give them choices in the way they present their learning whenever possible.”
Brody Thurman ‘27 & Destiny Crumb ‘27
Mr. Kirkland has been teaching at Pennfield since 2006, teaching elementary art at Purdy, North, and Dunlap (Central), then he was a principal at North Penn and finally ended up here at the high school. Before teaching he was a lifeguard when he was a teenager. He still manages lifeguards at a camp every summer. Kirkland has also worked as a bike mechanic, in outdoor education, taught drum lessons, and sold musical instruments. Kirkland has always loved art and really wanted to illustrate comic books. “ An art teacher came to my high school who had done a lot of work with comics, so I decided to take his class. He taught me so much more than just drawing comics. I was amazed at how much there was in the world of art.” That is when he decided he wanted to go into the art field in college. Kirkland wanted to inspire kids the way his teacher inspired him so he became an art teacher. Kirkland's favorite thing about teaching is when a kid creates something that they never thought they could. Kirkland states that it is always amazing to see the look on their faces when they are using a technique he taught them and all of a sudden it turns into a piece of art. Kirkland’s favorite project that he has done with his class was some pretty awesome paper mache snowmen with 2nd graders. They had little cloth scarves, wooden arms, and fuzzy hats. It was a super messy project, but the kids loved it.
Amber Draper ‘27 & Emily Vincent ‘27
Every Friday our sacred English teacher Mr. Lessnau has pizza for dinner. This tradition started back in 2020 during Covid when he got a propane pizza oven for a good price. Lessnau states how his kids have come to enjoy the quality time that comes with making and eating the pizza. “I enjoy the process of making the dough and sauce while choosing my own toppings. It's a lot of fun to have music going in the kitchen and making pizzas on a Friday evening.” He states how his favorite is generally medium-thick pan-style with a chewy crust and lots of toppings. He normally makes a style called “neopolitan-style” which is thinner. Mr. Lessnau said he’s known to take whatever that came out of his wife's garden to put on pizza. “I've made Thanksgiving leftover pizza, sloppy joe pizza, taco pizzas, egg pizzas, arugula salad pizzas, and all kinds of chicken pizzas.” The weirdest part is he doesn’t think sweet things like pineapple belong on pizza. Close to home, he thinks that Steve’s Pizza and Home Slice over in Marshall are pretty great. Lessnau thinks there's a place for both thin and thick crusts. He prefers thick crust but states some of the best pizzas he’s ever had have been thin crust. Take a breath, because the next few steps from the pizza king himself, are crucial. This is how you reheat pizza. Lessnau would like to take this time and encourage people to reheat their pizza in a pizza oven, an air fryer, or in a skillet. “The extra few minutes make a big difference in making sure that your leftover pizza experience isn't soggy. He states how pizza is delicious, affordable, social, fun and there’s an entry point for everyone which is why there’s no doubt to why it’s so famous. “I really, really like pizza and I don't discriminate too much in terms of quality. Even bad pizza is pizza!”
Alex Miller ‘27 & Lorenzo Willis ‘27
Mrs. Gailbraith teaches Intro to Business, Personal Finance, Algebra II and Advanced Algebra II. She realized she wanted to become a teacher after running an in-home daycare. Galbraith already had a bachelor's degree in business but one challenge for her was that she had to return to college to earn her teaching certificate and major in mathematics. She hadn't thought about becoming a teacher when she was in high school so once she became one later in life her perspective on education changed to “a more holistic and personalized view.” She said, “The fact that I ran a daycare before becoming a teacher made the transition easy. Already being able to multitask and adjust to ever-changing situations is extremely helpful in teaching.” Galbraith loves teaching and thinks it's a great way to earn a living, she also feels that being a teacher is a career that can be consuming so it's best to set boundaries with the time one has.
Mrs. Gammons teaches Geometry, Pre-calculus, and AP Calculus. Gammons says she has always wanted to be a teacher for as long as she can remember, “My mom said I came home after preschool when I was three and informed her that I was going to be a teacher when I grow up.” She feels that the process of getting into the classroom to become a teacher wasn't challenging but the classes she had to take to teach high school math were. She was also challenged by being one of the few females in those classes. Gammons made observations as a student such as recognizing people learn differently and class shouldn't be only notes and traditional tests or quizzes. “Doing other things for assessments helps show other strengths.” Her perspective changed once she became a teacher which allowed her to see how much the school has to provide students besides learning math and testing them. “As I hate to say it, COVID really showed me that I have to say no and how to better manage myself during the school day.” Gammons says if one is thinking about becoming a teacher they have to be prepared to teach things outside of their content and some of those things are rough to teach and help students navigate through.
Ryleigh Mix ‘26 & Emma Rodriguez ‘27
Teacher Mr. Kuhse says that his New Year's went well. On New Year’s Eve, he spent time with his son and watched the ball drop. He made resolutions to improve things such as managing his classroom better and keeping students engaged. He also wants to improve his golfing skills and get more in shape this year and more to come.
Teacher Mr. Lessnau also shared how his New Year went. Just like Kuhse, he stayed home with his family for New Year’s Eve. They all sat down and created a bingo sheet of things they plan to accomplish and do in 2025. Lessnau plans to work on accomplishing 50 pushups and home projects he’s been putting off for a while. New Year’s Day didn't go as planned, since his wife was sick. He plans to follow through with his New Year's resolutions and improve himself mentally.
Julian Bennett '26 & Julianah Stenge ’26
History teacher Mr. McCafferty’s favorite part of break was Christmas morning with an old eggs benedict recipe his wife made for breakfast. McCafferty’s happy to be back at school. Saying he enjoys the structure it gives and the people he gets to see every day. For his New Year's, he says “I watched a lot of football, there were lots of good games and I enjoyed watching the small ones too.”
Yearbook and Newspaper teacher Ms. Royer had a fantastic break, spending time with her friends and family and doing all sorts of activities with her extra time. She enjoyed working out, reading, binge-watching Fire Country, and doing some extra work on her Duolingo. Royer's favorite thing about the break was finally getting to sleep. She’s happy to be back with some of her favorite people and having a routine again.
English teacher Mrs. Treadway said her break was excellent. She spent time with her family in Michigan and her husband’s family in West Virginia. Her favorite part was spending time with all the family and the gift-giving. Treadway is glad to be back but would’ve liked another week.
P.E. teacher Ms. Collins says she had a great break spending time with family and friends mostly out of state. “It was a great reset from Battle Creek,” she said. Collins spent her break with her lifelong friends and family in her hometown, playing games and spending time with her dog Brody at their old high school. Her favorite part of break was living everyday life and teaching her nephew how to bench. “Hahaha” is how she feels about being back.
Destiny Crumb ‘27 & Ariana Kilgore ‘27
Mrs. Gammons has been teaching for 6 years but has been at Pennfield for 2 years. Gammons states that growing up she had speech issues that affected her reading, writing, and communication skills from a very young age. She says that since math did not require a lot of those things, but she just took off with it. Gammons states “I always wanted to be a teacher but it wasn't until eighth grade when I had my Algebra I teacher, Mr. Robinson (we called him D-Rob), that's when I decided that I wanted to be a math teacher.” Before Gammons worked at Pennfield, she worked at Colon Jr./Sr. High School, where she taught both math and English to 6th-12th graders. Her favorite thing about working at PHS is making connections with every student she gets the opportunity to interact with. Gammons states “Everyone deserves to be seen and heard and I try my best to do just that with everyone that either walks through my classroom door, or when I'm just out and about in the hallways and cafeteria.”
Emily Vincent ‘27 & Amber Draper ‘27
English teacher Mr. Lessnau watches the Lions game while he enjoys his Thanksgiving dinner. Lessnau says, “Turkey seems like an obvious choice—I eat Turkey year-round.” That said, Lessnau thinks Pumpkin Pie should be year-round and not just a seasonal dessert. Lessnau would want to eat it weekly if he could. Mr. Lessnau himself is a big fan of canned cranberry sauce. He oddly likes it in the shape of the can. Lessnau states “My mom makes the best mashed potatoes and gravy, while my wife makes delicious pumpkin pie and I make a great turkey. A perfect team.”
Alyssa Brown ‘25
Mr. Kuhse has been teaching at Pennfield for seven years now. Early in life, he wanted to be a teacher and coach, so he got his degree and became a teacher. Mr. Kuhse has only taught math so that is his favorite thing to teach. His favorite part of teaching is watching his students finally understand his class and his least favorite part is grading tests. "I think that having pride in your school and who goes there, and the things that the students do is something to be proud of." Mr. Kuhse loves to watch sports and golf in his spare time, play games, and watch anime with his son.
Emily Vincent ‘27
Mr. Strozier is a Chemistry teacher who also has some Biology and Human Anatomy classes. This is his third year teaching. Strozier started here in the last two months of last school year. Strozier volunteered with the youth group at his church while in college for a cell and molecular biology degree. Strozier enjoyed working with them and watching them grow and develop as people and citizens, so he decided to do that sort of thing for a career. Given his chosen field in college, it was pretty straightforward to swap to science education. It's important to feel passionate about where you are and the people you spend your days with. Strozier thinks it contributes to an overall sense of belonging that is needed more than ever. His favorite part is having the opportunity to share his knowledge about the scientific process and seeing students pick up on key concepts. His least favorite part is all the paperwork, but it's important to document and give assessments and feedback, so he doesn't mind it too much. Strozier enjoys spending time with his wife and dogs. Strozier’s guilty pleasures are low-quality reality television and too much time on online video games. He likes teaching Human Anatomy and Physiology. As an elective, more students are interested in the topic and he gets to teach an exciting subject that is well placed at the intersection of biology and chemistry. Strozier is just hoping that more students elect to take it next year.
Ryleigh Mix ‘26
Mrs. O’Dowd has been teaching at Pennfield for 40 years, she was inspired to be a teacher from her love for helping students who are struggling and her teacher from 2nd grade who helped her when she was also struggling. O’Dowd thinks that the school spirit here is good. She says her favorite thing about teaching is that she teaches kids at a high school rather than middle or elementary school, because those grade levels are harder to teach. Outside of school, O’Dowd enjoys attending all of her 13 grandchildren's sports games including ice hockey, football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse. She says her favorite subjects to teach are history and English.
Ariana Kilgore ‘27
Mr. Bowen has been teaching since 1988 but has been at Penfield since the fall of 2003. He became inspired by his first voice teachers, Keith and Joann Drayton. He says Drayton inspired his love for singing at Jackson Community College. Bowen says a teaching job wasn't his first choice, he originally intended to be a Biomedical Engineer. Bowen wishes our student body embraced school spirit a little bit more, it's something that brings a school family together. His favorite thing about teaching is seeing a student finally understand something they have been working towards. His least favorite thing to do is all of the paperwork. Bowen’s favorite things to do outside of school are spend time by the pool, travel, thrift, and help his wife take care of their horses. Bowen has taught many different classes over the years such as acting, introduction to literature, 4th and 5th grade music, and more. He says that there is something to love about each one of those classes but his favorite by far is the 6-12th grade choir.
Layla Wesley´27
Mrs. DeLano’s favorite team is the Detroit Lions. DeLano tradition is to cheer on the Lions even if they win or lose. Her favorite player of all time is Barry Sanders because of his character on and off the field. DeLano states “I do think that the Lions will make it to the Superbowl this year.”
Mr. Lamb's favorite team is also the Detroit Lions. Lamb and his family always wear Lion’s gear for the games as tradition. Lamb's favorite player is Aiden Hutchinson because he went to and played for the University of Michigan and he never quits when he is on the field; always gives 100% on every play. He has high hopes that the Lions will make it to the Superbowl this year.
Mr. Collins's favorite team is the Detroit Lions. His favorite player is David Montgomery because he appreciates his work and consistency. Collins states “I think they may have a good chance to go to the Superbowl this year.”
Allie King '25 & Alaila Vandegriff '25
Ms. Collins is our Health and Fitness teacher here at Pennfield High School. In the morning she has 8th graders for health class, which is slightly different for her. Eighth grade is an age group she’s never had before other than subbing a few times. Collins states “The 8th graders bring a different energy to my class.” Ms. Collins doesn’t normally teach health class but was told by Mrs. Lemmer that she would be teaching it this year. Collins doesn’t feel that teaching health classes is more difficult than her regular fitness classes. She enjoys having a health class and loves all the aspects of health and how they work together for our well-being. Collins’ biggest challenge in teaching a health class is including everything because there’s a lot. Collins also states that it can be complicated to get everything done for the students. She enjoys having her own classroom in the academic wing she says that “It’s nice having a homebase.”
Ariana Kilgore ‘27 & Destiny Crumb ‘27
Assistant Principal Anthony Allen began working alongside children struggling with substance abuse, which opened his eyes to the profound impact that early intervention can have. Allen states that his experience naturally led him to work with students in foster care and those who had been involved in the juvenile justice system. Allen says that “the encouragement I received from my colleagues and mentors to consider the role of principal further solidified my aspirations.” He is excited about the prospect of working directly with students to help them navigate their challenges and develop the skills they need to succeed. Allen states that what he truly loves about his work is those "Ah Hah" moments when an intervention or a conversation positively impacts a student’s life. He states that one of the strongest factors in his decision to pursue this position is the support of individuals he knows who are dedicated to helping him become the best principal he can be. Allen says that the biggest issue at Pennfield is the way we treat one another. He truly feels we are all on the same team, striving for various levels of success. “No one achieves greatness alone; we rely on each other for support and guidance every step of the way.” He states that it wasn’t until someone seriously doubted him at a time he was wondering what his next career move should be. Allen became an assistant principal two months later.
Alyssa Brown ‘25
Mr. McCafferty graduated from MSU before working here at Pennfield. Part of the major he graduated with included psychology, which was in the course listings here. He has worked at Pennfield for over 30 years, and since then has had the chance to teach his students about psychology. Mr. McCafferty has noticed a connection between one student per year who takes the class and really pursues a career in the psychological direction. “I hope that if they are able to help people, they may find satisfaction in it for themselves.” The most pervasive theme he hopes students will take from the class is that “mental health should not be a source of fear or shame.” Mr. McCafferty lacks the needed certification to do hands-on clinical work but would not mind trying it out for a while.
Allie King ‘25 & Alaila Vandegriff ‘25
Mr. Lessnau is an English teacher here at Pennfield. Lessnau initially came to Pennfield because of the location. He liked that he was closer to family, and later realized that he loved the small-town feel of Pennfield School and wanted to teach in a school that was “A hub in the community.” Mr. Lessnau is also in charge of the Link organization here at Pennfield which apparently no longer exists. “Link Crew no longer exists at PHS due to the parent company of the program (The Boomerang Company) being unwilling to grant us the ability to use the program with 8th graders.” Lessnau does say that most of the work done by Link Crew is now being taken care of by Mrs. Simmons and the PBIS/PRIDE team. Lessnau says working with all ages and grades at the high school creates new and unique challenges. “What a 12th grader needs for support and what an 8th grader needs are not identical. I think our admin team has been doing an excellent job setting a standard for our culture.” Mr. Lessnau teaches many different classes and all different grades. His classes have varied over the years but his favorite class to teach happens to be AP Literature and Composition which is a senior class. Lessnau loves spending time with the seniors because it is such an exciting time and he enjoys being by their side as they experience their senior year.
Francesca Dunn ‘27 & Chelsea Hayward ‘27
Secretary Mrs. Crandall is starting her 14 years working here in the office at Pennfield. She states “The most annoying part of my job is being cold every day in the office.” Crandall was at North Penn for 9 years and then moved to the High School. Crandall’s short-term goal of how long she will be here is 4 years while her nieces are here. After that, if Crandall wants to work longer, she would want to work another 10 years to see all of the kids she was with at North Penn come through the high school. Crandall’s favorite part of her job is the students. Crandall enjoys getting to know students and seeing who they are and who they become.
Secretary Mrs. Fox has been working here at Pennfield since November 2010. She first started in the Media Center. Then in 2012 was asked to move to the main office because the previous secretaries retired. Fox’s favorite part of her job is the students. She likes getting to know the students and watching them grow and change. She says “The difference between a nervous 9th grader and a confident 12th grader is amazing.” Fox plans to work at Pennfield until her retirement, whenever that is. She states “The most annoying part of my job is repeating computer passwords and locker combinations over and over. Put that information in your phone. I know most of you have a phone!”
Emily Vincent ‘27
Mr. Hubbard is our 8th-grade history teacher at Pennfield. Outside of school, he loves spending time with family, seeing movies, and going to concerts. Since he just moved closer to the Grand Rapids area, he’s looking forward to exploring some new restaurants and stores nearby. Hubbard’s favorite subjects while he was in school were English and History. He said, “I just found that my high school English teachers were able to teach in ways that sparked my interest a little more.” He likes being in the high school and enjoys seeing the upperclassmen. He says, “As far as adjustments from last year, I think the 8th-grade teachers and students might feel a little more comfortable at the high school this year now that we paved the way and finished our first year here.” He feels ecstatic about becoming a father and says it will be life-changing with his new baby boy.
Alex Miller ‘27 & Lorenzo Willis ‘27
Although Mrs. Fleisher has taught for many years her retirement is close now. Fleisher has taught for 24 years and has had all 8th through 12th-grade levels within those years. She feels that teaching 9th grade was the best fit for her and she favors her 2022-2023 school year because “The building had a positive vibe and an administrator who was a bucket filler who went beyond the typical thank you.” She says she has never assigned an assignment that wasn't needed because she would get rid of anything that didn't serve any purpose. With Fleisher's retirement coming soon she plans on doing whatever she wants whenever she wants and she is looking forward to traveling and sleeping in.
Emma Rodriguez ‘27 & Ryleigh Mix ‘26
Did you know one of our science teachers Mr. Piotrowski takes an interest in Wu Shu and Tai Chi? He was put into martial arts by his own daughter because he forced her into it so it could boost her confidence… “It didn't work.” Piotrowski says it's good exercise and it helps with flexibility too. His favorite martial arts moves are kicking, swords, and spears. Tai Chi is more of a balancing act. He also mentions that Wu Shu is the same martial arts represented in the movie “Kung Fu Panda.” Some of his outside-of-school activities/hobbies include collecting books and rocks and translating old letters from different countries. He enjoys Michigan's mining history and the UP's history of iron copper mining. Piotrowski teaches physics, EC physics, environmental science, and astronomy.
Alyssa Brown ‘25 & Alaila Vandegriff '25
Mrs. Galbraith or as you may know her, Mrs. G, has been working at Pennfield for 15 years. If you didn’t know, Mrs. Galbraith wanted to be an accountant before she found her passion for teaching. Once she became a parent, her priorities changed. “I started an in-home daycare so I could stay home with my own child.” She learned how much she loved kids and decided that she needed to continue working with them. Mrs. Galbraith taught preschool in her daycare before coming to Pennfield and since then she has taught math and business classes here. Starting off the year, we’ve gotten some new rules and regulations. As for Mrs. G, she loves being able to start fresh every year and how many new opportunities there will be. Many students struggle with learning disabilities every single day. Mrs. Galbraith has struggled with dyslexia her whole life, making mistakes daily. Her students understand this and figure it out quickly, “For instance in Advanced Algebra 2 we are working in section 1.3 however I referred to it as 3.1 which confused us for a second but we figured it out.” She spends her Saturdays working in the yard and spending time with family, and believe it or not there are seven of them who eat dinner together every night.