My Mehlville Story

This is Aaron Poe’s fifth year working as a substitute teacher in the Mehlville School District. Poe has primarily served as a long-term substitute at Buerkle Middle School and Mehlville High School, and also works as a coach at MHS. His favorite part of his job as a substitute teacher is building relationships with colleagues, students and families. Poe also likes that Mehlville is a melting pot that allows him to meet people from different backgrounds. After he started subbing, Poe began pursuing a degree in education and will graduate this spring.

“Anyone looking to make a change in their career that wants to give back, working as a substitute is a great way to get started. The kids need to see our faces and hear our stories,” said Poe. 

This is Alyssa Fraher’s second year as the counselor at Point Elementary School. In her role, Fraher pushes into the classroom to lead lessons and does anything she can to help students be successful academically and socially. She loves helping students develop strategies they can use to solve problems they face each day.

“There was so much support from my counselor group and from Central Office when I first started, “said Fraher. “I love going to work every day and this is a place that feels like home.”

Anissa Quilling began her career at Mehlville High School as a long term substitute teacher in choir before taking over full-time the following year. She says she immediately felt welcomed into the school community. Quilling says she has felt supported by her principals to provide her choir students with new experiences and to grow the program into a thriving, diverse community.

“I love what I do, I feel appreciated here, and I feel accepted here,” said Quilling. “If you apply to work in the Mehlville School District, that’s what you can expect.” 

This is Dajana Djukic’s second year as a Mehlville Early Childhood paraprofessional at Point Elementary School. She says her role as a paraprofessional is to be an extra set of eyes and hands to help the teacher create a safe learning environment for students. Her favorite part of her job is working with children. Djukic, who is a parent with children who attend Mehlville School District, also likes that her schedule and days off are identical to her kids’ schedules. 

“Mehlville School District stands out to me because it’s diverse,” said Djukic. “I feel like there is so much diversity here that everyone feels included and like they belong.”

Dan Wright previously worked as an English teacher in another school district. Wanting to change things up, he came to the Mehlville School District six years ago to work as a librarian. Wright says one of his favorite things about working in the district has been feeling like colleagues and administration are interested in what he has to say and are receptive to new ideas and trying  new things. 

“It is tremendously diverse and an incredibly unique group of people," said Wright. “This is a place that everybody fits in because there are so many different types of people and we have so many students from various backgrounds."

Jennifer Garrison Brown has worked as the band director at Washington Middle School for the past 26 years. After graduating from Mehlville High School, Brown attended college in Texas, where she planned to stay to start her career. But when asked to interview for a job in her home district, Brown couldn’t pass up the opportunity and has now spent nearly three decades working tirelessly to grow the MHS band program where she fell in love with music.

“My favorite has been the connections with families,” said Brown. “I feel like our families are appreciative if you’re trying to help their child, advocating for their child or giving them that push when they need it.”

This is Jennifer Nonnenkamp’s fourth year working as the school nurse at Oakville High School. In her role, she sees between 70 and 120 students each day, supporting them with daily medications, health checks and other needs to keep students healthy and learning in class. Nonnenkamp loves helping students feel comfortable while they’re at school.

“I think the Mehlville School District is a fantastic place to work because the students are amazing and the administration is supportive,” said Nonnenkamp. “It’s been a key part of me loving where I work."
 

This is Kathy Stowers’ third year as a school food technician at Bierbaum Elementary School. In her role, she helps to serve food, clean dishes and runs the register. Stowers’ favorite parts of her job are her coworkers and having the opportunity to interact with the students. She is raising her grandchildren and likes that she’s able to put them on the bus in the morning and get them off the bus in the afternoon.

“It’s fun to work here and gives you enough hours to be busy and active,” said Stowers. “It works because if you have kids, you’re off when they’re off. To me, that’s a big bonus.” 
 

This is Katie Jennings’ first year working as a school bus monitor in the Mehlville School District. In her role, she assists students with getting on and off the bus and makes sure they are buckled in safely. Jennings enjoys being the first person to greet students each morning.

“Having a son who attends Mehlville School District, I wanted to be a bigger part of the community by working here,” said Jennings. “Seeing how excited the students are to get to school each day is very rewarding and gives you a new perspective.”

This is Katrina Woodard’s first year as a school bus driver in the Mehlville School District. Woodard always tries to have a positive impact on students as the first person to see them each morning and the last to see them in the afternoon. 

“Seeing the students reminds me of what it was like when I was going to school,” said Woodard. “It’s very rewarding, everyone here is so welcoming and they help you out a lot.”

Laura Malik spent the first nineteen years of her career in the Mehlville School District as a fifth-grade teacher at Rogers Elementary School before transitioning to her current position as an English language development specialist at Point Elementary School. In this role, she works with classroom teachers to support students who speak languages other than English. She believes the diversity of our students and families is what makes the Mehlville School District special.

“Having so many students that speak multiple languages is an asset to our district and our students,” said Malik. “It’s a valuable experience to be in the Mehlville School District. Our staff is student-focused, and we collaborate to support students the best we can.”

Leah Byrd has worked as an administrative assistant at Bernard Middle School for the past four years. In her role, Byrd processes student attendance each day, greets visitors as they enter the building and assists teachers with anything they need. A parent herself, Byrd says her favorite part of the job is the interaction she gets to have with other parents and the stories she hears from them.

“The people here have been so welcoming, and I’ve received tremendous support from my administrators, co-workers and teachers,” said Byrd. “Seeing how supportive the community and parents are makes a huge difference in how the district flows, and I love that.”

Marc Raines previously worked in sales and marketing, but he was laid off in 2018 when his department was eliminated. Raines’ friend who works in the Mehlville School District encouraged him to apply for a job, and he’s worked in the district ever since. He loves the excitement of working in an elementary school because no two days are the same, as well as the staff he has the opportunity to work with. 

“This district is a good district that treats their people very well,” said Raines. “Whether you work as a custodian or in transportation, maintenance or as a teacher, everybody in the district has the ability to work together as a family.”

This is Tim Klott’s third year as a cafeteria recess monitor at Rogers Elementary School. In his role, Klott and his team of CRMs supervise students in the cafeteria during lunch and on the playground at recess. His favorite part of the job is interacting with the kids and learning from them, as well as the partnership he has with the teachers.

“Whether you’re the superintendent, a principal, the office staff or a teacher, we’re all interconnected,” said Klott. “Each layer looks at a student and determines the best way to help them succeed and grow. Knowing that I fit into that in some way has helped me see that this is a really amazing school district.” 
 

Dr. Whitney Maus began her career in the Mehlville School District as a third-grade teacher before transitioning into administration. A graduate of Mehlville High School, Dr. Maus now serves as the principal at Forder Elementary School, a place she once walked the halls as a student. Dr. Maus believes the district does an excellent job of providing its teachers with the support needed to help students be successful.

“The Mehlville School District has very dedicated employees and teachers,” said Dr. Maus. “If you look at the longevity of the staff within our district, people really come and stay. We’re becoming a destination district where people want to come to work.”