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Welcome to the Raider Family

New Staff Members for the 2019-2020 School Year

Dana Epley on June 10, 2019

Kellie Feistner, LN Elementary Para

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Kellie Feistner, LN Elementary Para

The Raider Family is changing in 2019-2020, but only just a little!  We want to welcome our newest staff members, most of which are at the Lawrence site, to our Lawrence/Nelson family.  Many of these are familiar names in our community already!

• Kellie Feistner.  Mrs. Feistner will be an elementary para in Lawrence.  Mrs. Feistner graduated high school from Clay County Community High School in Clay Center, KS before attending Cloud Community College in Concordia, KS and Johnson Community College in Overland Park, KS.  She is married to Pastor Ethan Feistner who is the Pastor for Heartland Shared Ministries (Pastor Ethan is also the FCA sponsor for Lawrence/Nelson High School).  Pastor Ethan and Kellie live in the parsonage next to Salem Lutheran Church north of Superior.  Their son Alex is a Farmer/Diesel Mechanic and lives in Lindsborg, KS, and his fiance (Sabrina) is also a special part of their family.  Sabrina teaches second grade in Salina, KS.
  • Other family members are scattered around the U.S. with Kellie's mom living in Irving,TX with Kellie's youngest sister. Kellie also has a sister and her family who live in Orange Park, FL; a brother and his wife in McKinney, TX; and another brother and his family live in Platte City, MO.  Her stepmother lives in Concordia, KS.
  • Kellie notes that she was working in a Kidney Dialysis Unit and worked rotating 12 hour days. Before her family moved to Smolan, KS, a teacher friend had suggested that apply to be a paraeducator.  Realizing that she could be home when Alex when he was out of school and make life less hectic for their family, she took the plunge, and is glad that she did!
  • Over the course of the past 17 years, Kellie has been very active with Youth, Youth Ministries and other activities in the church parish. She was a Special Needs Para in the high school setting for 8 years. During that time she was a driver for the students attending VoTech. She stated that she "got talked into" applying for the Assistant Director of Transportation, and held that position for 9 years until we moved to Nebraska. During the past year, Kellie has been a Para for the P.A.L.L.S. Preschool in Superior.
  • Among her favorites are spending time with her family.  Kellie states, "We have made so many special memories...whether we're just hanging out together or traveling around the U.S., it's always an adventure.The Rocky Mountains are my happy place. I wouldn't call myself a golfer, but I enjoy playing golf. I have always enjoyed photography." 
  • When I asked why LN was a change she wanted, Kellie stated that "I have heard great things about the Lawrence/Nelson School District, and I enjoy working with youth. I really look forward to getting to know the staff and the community."  They made the move here because Pastor Ethan and Kellie have always lived in rural America, and she believes that small town communities are the best.  Pastor Ethan grew up in Nelson and graduated from Nelson High School.

Michelle Janda, 1st Grade Teacher

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Michelle Janda, 1st Grade Teacher

• Michelle Janda.  Mrs. Janda was most recently teaching fifth grade at Sandy Creek before making the transition to the same school and building she graduated from just a few short years ago.  Mrs. Janda will be teaching first grade at LN, and will be taking Ms. Beutler's place.  Many of us already know Mrs. Janda as she and her husband both originated from Lawrence and have since moved back here.  She graduated from Lawrence High School in 1995, before graduating from the University of NE-Kearney in 1999 with her B.A. in Elementary and Middle School Education.  She went on to get her Masters in Instruction and Curriculum from Concordia University in 2016.
  • Mrs. Janda is the daughter of Wayne & Linda Kohmetscher of Lawrence, and a sibling to twin brothers Russell and Roger Kohmetscher. She married her high school sweetheart, Phil Janda. Together, they have four children: Samantha (18), Blake (16), Connor (13), and Kynslee (14 mos.).  Kids aren't the only things running around their house, as they also have two dogs, Miley and Murphy, and two kittens, Gus & Stella. Mrs. Janda and her family reside on the farm east of Lawrence in the home her ancestors built in 1902.
  • When asked what had the biggest impact on Mrs. Janda going into education, she answered with, "I worked in a factory the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college. At that time, I wasn't certain what I wanted to pursue in college. I had a lot of time to think, working in that hot factory, and ultimately declared my major that summer. In high school, I loved babysitting for several of my cousins, so working with children/teaching was a desirable and natural fit for me." 
  • Mrs. Janda has student taught or taught every grade from 2nd-10th, except for 3rd grade! Her first job was as a 4th grade teacher at R-7 near Holdrege, NE, where she also taught 5th and 6th grades. She then taught Language Arts for seven years at Sandy Creek Jr.-Sr. High School. The last eight years, she has taught 5th/6th grades at Sandy Creek Elementary.
  • Mrs. Janda looks forward to teaching at Lawrence/Nelson because, "My family and I moved back 'home' to Lawrence two years ago. Teaching in my hometown is very exciting to me! I love the feel of LN with its smaller class sizes, supportive communities, and the strong work ethic and accountability instilled in the kids. Lawrence provided me with a wonderful childhood and education, and I look forward to doing the same for our LN children." 
  • A lot of Mrs. Janda's "free" time is spent following the three older kids in their sports/activities. She states this is a lot of fun for their family, as well as her love of gardening, especially flowers! Running is also enjoyable to Mrs. Janda, and when she has the time, she enjoys bringing old things to life by painting and re-purposing them!

• Jaycee Schroer.  After graduation from Lawrence/Nelson High School, Nurse Jaycee graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center with her RN-BSN.  She lives south of Lawrence with her husband Ryan, and they have two children:  Blaine (3 years old) and Nash (1 1/2 years old), and are expecting a third in October.  Nurse Jaycee says that her parents (Dan and Micki) had the biggest impact on her choosing to be a nurse. Growing up, she learned that having a good work ethic and compassion were both values of her family, so a career in nursing came very natural.  This is Nurse Jaycee's first position in education.  She states that she is "excited for the new transition in learning all the ins and outs of school nursing.  I am excited to begin working in the community we live in. I look forward to getting to know all the students and staff."  In what little free time that she does have, Nurse Jaycee enjoys spending time with her family, as well as anything outside.  She also enjoys running, golfing and reading as well.  Nurse Jaycee is in good hands, as Nurse Kristi Wehrman plans to not only train her, but cover for her when she is on maternity leave during the first semester.  Thank you, Nurse Kristi, and welcome Nurse Jaycee!

• Jeannine Schendt.  Mrs. Schendt is no stranger to education, as she taught for many years at Sacred Heart Schools.  After graduation from McCook High School, she attended Kearney State College where she earned her BA in Elementary Education with a minor in English.  Mrs. Schendt was married to her late husband Steve, and has two children:  Jared (lives and works in Wisconsin) and Molly (working and attending college in Hastings).  She has one granddaughter, Mia, who is three months old.  Mrs. Schendt comes from a large family, with five older brothers and five younger sisters.  Mrs. Schendt went into teaching because of her mother, and has taught nearly every grade in the elementary.  She first student taught and substituted in McCook before teaching for 36 years at Sacred Heart School in Lawrence.  Mrs. Schendt states that she is "looking forward to working with students in school again.  Teaching has always been a love of mine ever since I taught my five little sisters while playing school when we were growing up."  In her spare time, Mrs. Schendt enjoys reading, sewing, gardening, and watching classic movies.  There is no doubt that Mrs. Schendt grew up knowing the value of hard work on the family farm north of Culbertson.  It was here that Mrs. Schendt grew her love of rural life, where she was responsible for a lot of chores, including milking cows, feeding chickens, gathering eggs, hauling bales, and moving irrigation pipe.  Welcome back to the school system, Mrs. Schendt!  We are excited to have you!

• Montella Faimon.  Montella will begin in late August, as she and her husband Josh just had a baby!  Mrs. Faimon attended Peetz High School in Peetz, Colorado where she was very actively involved in FFA, and the National Honor Society. She played Volleyball for one year, basketball for 3 years, and ran track for 3 years. She went to college at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Nebraska where she majored in Animal Production Systems and graduated with an Associates of Applied Animal Science degree.  

  • Mrs. Faimon's parents and siblings live near Sterling, Colorado. Her parents, Mark and Lorraine Foreman, and youngest brother Wylie (17) live on their family cattle ranch while her brother Crae (23) and sister Tyra (21) have jobs and homes outside of the ranch.

  • Husband Josh works for the Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska and is well known in the Lawrence community as he is a native and graduate from here. The Faimons have two children, Taya Marie (2) and Wyatt Alvin (born June 13th, 2019), and she states that "they are the light in our eyes and the reason we hurry home after work every evening!"

  • Mrs. Faimon is excited to be working at Lawrence/Nelson Elementary, where she will be both a custodial aide and a kitchen aide.  Why LN?  Because she is looking forward to working at the school where her children will attend and become more involved in the community.

  • With two young ones at home, Mrs. Faimon doesn't have a lot of spare time for hobbies, but when she does find the time, she enjoys spending time with her family.  Among their favorites...Taya and her mom like to bake cookies for Daddy and we all enjoy doting over Wyatt and watching him smile. "As a family, we enjoy spending time on the farm working cattle and putting up hay...so far, Taya seems to enjoy all aspects of the outdoors. We also try to slip away to my parents' house in Colorado where we ride horses, go on hunting trips, and just relax a little bit from our everyday life." 

  • Mrs. Faimon really hopes people introduce themselves to her as she is still somewhat new to the community, and really wants to get to know everyone a little better!  Welcome to our Raider Family, Montella!  We can't wait to work with you!

Jaycee Schroer

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Jaycee Schroer