Pierce High Welcomes New Teachers

August 23, 2010 by PHS Journalism Students

Mrs. Hernandez Is New Spanish Teacher by Matt Lukens

One of the new members of the Pierce High School faculty is Mrs. Esmeralda Hernandez.  Mrs. Hernandez is the Spanish teacher.  She will also be sponsoring Spanish club and the sophomore class. 

Mrs. Hernandez’s childhood was first spent in Guanajuato, Mexico.  She lived there until she was ten. Her family then decided to move all the way from Mexico to Madison, Nebraska.  She stayed in Madison for a few years and then settled in Norfolk.  She has four brothers and five sisters in her family. Her brothers and sisters all live in Norfolk. After finishing high school, Mrs. Hernandez completed four years of college at Wayne State College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She is married and has two children. Her husband is Francisco Martinez, and their children are Maria Fernanda, who is two and a half, and Bastian Gael, who is 11 months old.

Hernandez decided to be a Spanish teacher because she feels that students need to learn a second language.  She also believes that she is very well qualified to teach students not only a new language, but also the culture and beliefs of her native area.

She was interested in Pierce because she had heard many good things about the staff and the students.  She also liked smaller schools and block scheduling.

Kristine Muir Is New Teacher by Sierra Ronspies

Mrs. Kristine Muir is a new teacher at Pierce High School. She teaches English 8, Exploratory Speech (a shorter class to introduce seventh graders to speech), and Adventures in Discovery. Muir also is assistant coach for one act play and speech.

Her husband is Nick Muir; they live in Wayne. She is a graduate of Wayne High School and Wayne State College.

Mrs. Muir is the daughter of Erika and Jay Fink of Wayne; Jay graduated from Pierce High. She has two younger brothers: Bryan trains college and high school athletes in Sioux City, and Josh attends UNK.

Muir was inspired to be a teacher because of a “great English teacher” whom she had. She applied at Pierce because she had heard good things about Pierce, and she considered it “a better opportunity.”

Mrs. Muir’s hobbies include running, reading, and watching movies.

Dean Sullivan Is Student Teacher by Zach Halsey

As the school year begins for high school students, it also begins for teachers and student teachers. Mr. Dean Sullivan is a student teacher this semester at Pierce High.  Mr. Sullivan hales from Mokena, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, which is much different from Pierce. 

Mr. Sullivan graduated from high school knowing only a quarter of his graduating class.  He went to a high school of over 4,000 kids, unlike Pierce, a small community where everyone knows everyone else. 

Sullivan graduated from UNK. He now lives in Norfolk, works in Pierce, and keeps close ties with friends at Wayne. He has an older brother and a younger sister who is still in college. 

He is currently studying with Mr. Gary Shada and Ms. Angie Schroder and helping with their history and physical education classes. He has always had a passion for history and he enjoys physical activity, which goes hand in hand with his hobbies.   He loves cross country and track.  Mr. Sullivan said he wanted to be a teacher because “Seeing someone learn is cool, but being a part of that is way better.”  His favorite aspect of being a teacher is that “it’s interesting seeing things from the other side.”