• Teacher Features •

For May 11th

For May 4th

For April 27th

Billy Jo Bonar is completing her first year of teaching at Abilene High School. She graduated from AHS and earned her bachelor's degree from Bethany College. Before returning to Abilene, she taught for a year in Clay Center.
Her job includes teaching sciences courses and debate. She also coaches middle school basketball and high school softball.
In her spare time, Bonar enjoys spending time at nature trails, reading, spending time with family, sports, and interior design.
One of her favorite projects to teach is a volcano project. Students recreate a volcanic eruption and explain with visuals what happens to cause the eruption and the destruction it causes. Another one of her favorite lessons is on pollution. Students debate the topic and try to attain goals to reduce pollution.
She finds teaching very rewarding, especially "the look on a student's face when they learn something new or are able to relate something they learned with something they didn't understand."

For April 20th

Abilene Middle School science teacher, Molly Burton, is completing her eighth year of teaching. Before coming to the middle school, she taught at AHS and Salina South.
She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees at Kansas State University. Burton was selected as Abilene's Teacher of the Year for 2005-06 by her peers and is also the president of Abilene's National Education Association.
She and her husband, Will, have two children, Sydney and Samuel. Will is the Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at AHS.
Coaching tennis, reading, exercising, and spending time with family and friends are favorite ways for her to spend free time.
One of the projects her seventh grade students enjoyed the most was writing books about the human body. Those books were then used in the district's elementary school classrooms. Her favorite unit to teach is genetics, although she loves any science project.
"I can't imagine doing anything else", commented Burton. "I love science and I love working with Abilene's youth."

For April 12th

Over the past several years, hundreds of Abilene children have had the privilege of being in Mary Russell's first grade class. Russell, who has over 30 years experience, has been teaching first grade in Abilene for 24 of those years. Prior to this position, she taught preschool in Abilene and also taught in Fort Riley and Bonner Springs. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from K-State.
Her husband, Ken, is retired from teaching in the Abilene School System, but still coaches cross country and track at AHS. They have three grown children, Renee, Scott, and Bryan.
In her spare time she enjoys sports, reading, shopping, as well as fitness and nutrition.
One of her favorite activities in the classroom is having her students read and perform plays.
"This is a highlight, but I must say that I enjoy teaching the daily lessons and watching students learn every day," she comments. Russell adds that she chooses to teach because she loves being around kids.

For March 30th

Abilene High School teacher, David McClain, is completing his 27th year of teaching in Abilene. He initially taught at the middle school for 23 years and has taught government at AHS for the past four years.
 He and his wife, Lorraine, have two children. Their daughter, Sarah, lives and works in Chicago. Their son, Sam, is a senior and is planning to attend college in the fall. In McClain's spare time he enjoys running, weightlifting, golf, yoga, reading, and gardening. It is also known to many of his acquaintances that he is an excellent cook.
 In the classroom, one of his favorite units involves having the students act as senators and go through the process of passing a bill. Also, they have an election in which students support one of three candidates and simulate the election process. His students also like the stock market project that is part of his curriculum.
 A major change he has seen over the years is the increased use of technology. "The use of technology in the classroom has affected how teachers teach and students learn. It has been enjoyable for me to see the impact technology has had on student interest and learning."

For March 16th

Linda Cook has made Abilene her home for the past six years. She currently teaches second grade at McKinley Intermediate School. Her career includes teaching experience in Pleasanton, Oakley, and North Lyon County Kansas, as well as Indiana. Cook earned her bachelor's degree from Emporia State University. She has completed graduate hours at Kansas State and Pittsburg State.
Being with family is one of her favorite pasttimes. She and her husband, John, have four grown children who are married. They have seven grandchildren. Her son, Andy, and his wife, Kristi, also teach in the Abilene School System.
She enjoys going to K-State sporting events, visiting lighthouses, sewing, gardening, and being on her church's Praise Team.
What Cook likes most about teaching is the opportunity to be with children. "I love children! They are the future of our country.", she says. Her goal is to build a relationship with each child and encourage each one how to be a part of their class team so that they can each have skills to be a part of a bigger team in our country as an adult.

For March 9th

After 31 years of teaching elementary music in the Abilene School District, Anna Gugler will be retiring at the close of this school year. Her new schedule will most likely give her more time to further pursue her hobbies. She enjoys attending live music concerts and festivals, traveling, reading, and restoring the Gugler family homestead.
 Gugler is a graduate of Pratt High School and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Fort Hays State University. She and her husband, Loren, have two college-age daughters, Elizabeth and Rachel.
 One of her favorite themes to teach is Kansas Day. "Much of our cultural heritage is passed to us through the music of our ancestors," she comments. She also enjoys the challenge of integrating math, reading, science, social studies, and visual art into the music curriculum. "I like to say that I don't teach music but I teach with music," Gugler concludes.

For March 2nd

Hallie Winters is completing her fifth year at McKinley Intermediate School. She is a Title 1 Reading Instructor. She graduated from Manhattan High School and Kansas State University. She also earned an ESL (English as a Second Language) endorsement from Wichita State University and has completed graduate hours at Emporia State. Before teaching in Abilene she taught for five years in Derby.
She and her husband, Mike, have two children, Natalie and Nathan. Exercising, shopping, and spending time with friends and family are some of her hobbies.
She enjoys working one-on-one with students to improve their reading skills. "I have the opportunity to really get to know my students and watch their reading ability flourish." she comments.

For February 23rd

Physical Education teacher, Diane Wyatt, is completing her 6th year at Abilene Middle School. In addition to her classroom duties she also coaches track. Previously she taught in Hutchinson for two years and after moving to Abilene has substituted, coached various sports, and been a parent’s educator for the Parents as Teachers program. She is a graduate of Lyons High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from McPherson College. She and her husband, Kent, have two children. Their son, Shawn, is a student at Emporia State and their daughter, Emily, is a sophomore at Abilene High School. Her interests include golfing and spending time with family and friends. You will often see her out walking with her dog, Mamie. In teaching, one of the things she utilizes is the use of pedometers. Students wear them for various activities, recording their distance and steps. She encourages students to try different types of exercise, be active, and follow healthy eating habits. Wyatt concludes, “Middle school students are great to work with, as everyday is different. I really think it’s rewarding to see kids enjoying themselves and working together.”

For February 16th

First grade teacher, Jessica Smith, is completing her first year at Kennedy Primary. Before coming to Abilene she taught a year in Dodge City. She grew up in Downs, Kansas and earned a bachelor's degree from Kansas University. She and her husband, Jed, were married this past July. Her hobbies include reading, volleyball, walking, traveling, and touring. In the classroom, her favorite activity is centered around the 100th day of school. Students complete several activities relating to the number 100. For example, they predict whether it will take more than 100 licks or less than 100 licks to eat a popsicle. After eating the popsicle, they make a graph with their predictions and actual results. Smith chose to become a teacher because she wanted to help children learn to love reading as much as she does. "Although we might not all love reading now, at one time there was a special teacher in your life that with their enthusiasm, inspired you to at least pick it up and try it.", she concludes.