What's new New teachers and staff for the year 2004-2005
Jake Brookshire
Former Willow Springs
high school football player and student Jake Brookshire,
returns back to his hometown to get back into the Bear
Spirit. Known as Mr. Brookshire or Coach Brookshire, Jake
monitors In School Suspension (ISS) during the day and
helps with the Bear Football after school. He attended
Missouri Valley and is now currently enrolled at SBU in
Mtn. View, MO. Jake is married to former alumna, Tiffine
Collins, and together they have a new 9-month-old baby
girl, Malachi Grace. Though it’s only been a couple
of days of being a part of the Willow Springs school staff,
his favorite thing about it would have to be coaching
his favorite sport and returning home.
Tammy Clary
Tammy Clary is one
of the many recent additions to the Willow Springs school
district. She took the position as middle school counselor
because she heard many positive things about Willow Springs
and looked forward to being a part of the district. Mrs.
Clary received her Bachelors Degree at SBU and her Masters
Degree at SMSU. When she is not spending her time at work,
she enjoys being with her husband, Kevin, her daughters,
Allison and Audra, and last but not least, her beloved
great dane named Miles.
Casey Daugherty
Ms. Casey L. Daugherty
has been a high school English teacher for 10 years. She
started out in Willow Springs for her first three years;
she then traveled to Nevada, Mt. Vernon, Butler, and Liberty
before landing back at Willow Springs. In addition to
teaching English this year she will also aid the high
school volleyball team by being the Assistant Coach. Ms.
Daugherty was a Gainesville High School graduate who furthered
her education at York College in Nebraska.
Christy Graves
Christy Graves is
the new secretary in the middle school office this year.
Both she and her husband, DeWayne, are Willow Springs
alumni. They have two children, Davin who is four, and
Garrett who is three. Christy worked as a secretary for
ten years in the past; she then stayed home for four years
with her kids, and they moved back to Willow Springs from
Galesburg, IL this summer. DeWayne works at Burlington
Northern. Her favorite memory was when "Her boss
drove to lunch, forgot his car, and walked back to the
office."
Crystal McGinnis
Crystal McGinnis was
recently hired as an aide for Mrs. Cox's Pre-School class.
She was raised in the heart of the small community of
Willow Springs. After graduating from Willow Springs High
School, she stayed in the area and enrolled in Southwest
Missouri State University-West Plains. Mrs. McGinnis recently
graduated in May as a Paraprofessional. She chose to work
for the school system because she grew up in the area
and knew Willow Springs was a great school in which to
work. She lives in Pottersville with her husband Eric
and their two children, Derek and Kara. Her favorite adage
is, "The children of today are the future of tomorrow."
Melanie Pitts
Mrs. Melanie Pitts
is a new teacher joining the Willow Springs School district,
although she is not new to the profession. Mrs. Pitts
graduated from Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge,
AR. She has taught at two other schools previous to Willow:
Oregon Howell R-III and for the past two years, Koshkonong
High School. At Koshkonong, she was the FACS teacher as
well as the Cheerleading coach. This year Mrs. Pitts will
be joining us as the new Health education teacher and
the new Cheerleading coach. Mrs. Pitts is married to Marc
Pitts who is a Business education teacher at Alton high
school and they have a new baby boy.
Shannon Smart
Shannon Smart is one
of the many new teachers' aides in the elementary school.
She teaches Special Education in the Elementary. Her family
consists of three children: Melissia in 3rd grade, Shawn
in 5th grade and Ryan who is currently in the 8th grade.
Shannon attended high school in Mountain Grove and later
went to college at Drury University in Cabool. When asked
what her favorite thing about teaching at Willow Springs
was, Shannon replied that everyone is so friendly and
welcoming to new teachers. Advice she gives for new teachers
is to have a good sense of humor, to be able to be flexible,
and to possess a lot of patience.
Casey Titus
Casey Titus is a new
elementary aide in the Willow Springs school system this
year. She is married to Steven Titus. Casey attended high
school at Winona and took dual enrollment classes while
there. She then focused on school at SMSU in West Plains.
Currently, she is taking classes at SBU. A quote she shared
was to "Never settle for less than what you're worth".
She chose the Willow Springs school district because she
had heard great things about the faculty and staff.
Nikki Wake
Nikki Wake, who prior
to this summer was known as Miss Nikki Stuart before marrying
alumnus Nathan Wake, isn't new to Willow Springs Schools.
She attended Willow Springs' schools for thirteen years
and is now serving on the faculty as an aide in the pre-school.
Nikki is currently continuing her education at SMSU in
West Plains to receive her degree in Elementary education.
She looks forward to working with both the faculty and
students of Willow Springs.
