Welcome Back to School! New And Returning Faces at MSD

By Chris Selle | MSD Superintendent

MEEKER | I am proud to be a Meeker Cowboy! Much of that pride results from the excellent educators who work in Meeker School District RE-1. As with any school year, we have made wonderful additions to our staff and are excited that the following individuals have chosen to work in our schools.

Michele Cheesman is the new Meeker Elementary School principal. Cheesman has spent the majority of her career working for school districts in or around El Paso County, Colorado. Most recently she served four years as the principal at Prairie Heights Elementary school in the Hanover School District. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State and a master’s degree from Colorado State University, and will be a great asset to our school district.

Kaila Carroll will be teaching preschool through second grade special education at Meeker Elementary School. Carroll previously worked for the school district as a paraprofessional and now returns after taking a few years off to spend time with her daughter and to earn her bachelor’s degree from Grand Canyon University. We are glad to have her working in our school district again.

Becka Yarbrough will also be teaching second grade at Meeker Elementary School. Yarbrough has several years of experience working with children in an educational setting outside of public schools and will be completing an alternative licensure program. She possesses a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado and we are grateful for her willingness to embark on a teaching career with the Meeker School District.

Molly Doan will be working at Meeker Elementary School as a special education paraprofessional. Molly and her family moved to Meeker approximately two years ago and she has a work and volunteer history that demonstrates a deep love for children. She will make an outstanding addition to the Meeker Elementary School staff.

Miranda Carroll will be taking over as the Meeker Elementary School head secretary. Miranda emerged from a field of incredibly talented applicants as the top choice to fill some big shoes at the elementary school’s front office. Her demonstrated work experience and warm personality made her the right choice for this role.

Nathan Lee joins the Barone Middle School staff to teach social studies and English/language arts. Lee earned bachelor’s degrees at both Boise State University and the University of Northern Colorado. He previously taught in Norwood, Colorado, for a year and Rawlins, Wyoming, for seven years. We are grateful to have his expertise and fresh perspective at Barone Middle School where he will be an excellent addition to that school’s staff.

Krista Benner has returned to Meeker and will be filling a special education paraprofessional role at Barone Middle School. Benner helped the middle school tremendously last year as a long-term substitute when a vacancy was created. We are looking forward to experiencing the positive energy and focus on student learning on a full time basis that she displayed as a long-term sub.

Raquel Neesham is the new band and choir teacher at Barone Middle School and Meeker High School. Neesham previously taught at Sleeping Giant School in Steamboat for two years and in Greybull, Wyoming, for six years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in K-12 vocal and instrumental music from Black Hills State University. We are excited about how Neesham will be able to grow the opportunities in music education for our students.

Michaela Jones will be teaching science at Meeker High School. Jones returns to our school as a graduate of the Meeker School District. Jones’ bachelor’s degree will be from Western Colorado University and she will complete an alternative licensure program to obtain her teaching license. We are thrilled to have another Meeker High School graduate as part of our instructional staff.

Jenna Holt will be working in our food services department to help prepare nutritious meals for all students. Holt has demonstrated success in public school food service as well as private restaurants. Her experience will be a great asset to our food service program.

Kaleyne Turner has moved from the preschool through second grade special education teacher to our elementary reading coach as we continue to work hard ensuring elementary students receive high quality reading instruction.

April Allen has moved from her special education paraprofessional role into the Title I paraprofessional job at Meeker Elementary School.

Bob Lancaster will be driving a school bus route for students this year. We are deeply grateful to those individuals who are willing to take on the tremendous responsibility of transporting our students.

Roy Wedding returns to our school district as a school bus route driver. Likewise we are grateful for his willingness to transport students in addition to the significant transportation department experience that returns to our school district with Wedding.

Kaitlin Pollock will also join our food service staff. We are looking forward to the positive outlook she brings and we deeply appreciate her willingness to engage in the hard work necessary to provide healthy meals for our students.

Meredith Deming will be leaving her head secretary position at the elementary school to become the new finance director for the Meeker School District as Janelle Urista transitions to retirement.

Jordan Brown is moving from the Title I paraprofessional job to take a position as the third-fifth grade special education teacher at Meeker Elementary School

Rachel Todd has moved from the third-fifth grade special education teaching position into the classroom as a third grade teacher.

Danielle Zollie will be teaching second grade at Meeker Elementary School. After providing outstanding childcare for numerous families in our community, Zollie has chosen to begin working in public education while obtaining a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education from Grand Canyon University. We are fortunate to have Zollie’s deep understanding of child development working in our school.

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