Introducing Our New Teachers

By Santiago SerranoWelcome to this year’s teacher thunderdome, where 3 new teachers will enter and…..I guess all three can leave, since you know violence is a no-no on campus, but regardless, I have the utmost pleasure in introducing some of Jenks’ newest teachers, because believe it or not, there are people behind the homework and pain. For they are the new teachers of Jenks, uncorrupted by our student body, ready to educate, and prepared to start their time here off right.   Shelley Olds: The artist, who's the smartestShe may come from Broken Arrow,  but this new art teacher is positively guaranteed to twist you the right way and that’s not just because she happens to be a personal trainer. While she has been teaching for over 20 years, this is her first time being a teacher at the high school level.“I want to see kids succeed, grasp a concept, and for them to find success” says OldsWith being able to see her students take the skills they have learned and apply them to college and beyond, highschool is a perfect fit for Olds.“[I]Put in all of my effort, to see my [students] do well,” says Olds.And she has a lot of effort to give, because outside of teaching she loves to waterski on the lake, run constantly, and I was not kidding about being a personal trainer, she is NASM certified, meaning that if she wanted too, she could quit teaching and be a professional trainer . So if you want your art skills to be whipped into shape just go to room 5096  to see Olds, out newest art teacher. Braden Murphy: The master of both school and field, whose prowess will soon be revealedBranden Murphy is a man who knows what he wants, since 7’th grade he has planned to be a teacher, a decision shared by most of his close family, and out of everywhere in the world he chose to come to Jenks,“Jenks has a reputation for being a good place to teacher and coach” says MurphyWe are glad to have the chance to be able to live up to this reputation, both on the field where he coaches and in class where he teaches world history, but when I said out of everywhere I really meant it, because Murphy happens to be infected with the travel bug.“[I] travel the world a lot.. [I] traveled two weeks from Sao Paulo to Natal, got to see the Olympic building being built,” says MurphyOutside of traveling the world Murphy happens to be an avid waterfowl hunter, and the owner of a very very strong handshake. So if Murphy sounds like your kind of teacher you can visit him at room 5103. Richard Breig: Teaching about earth, through the use of mirthA teacher of chemistry and earth science, Breig makes a big splash in Jenks. With over 15 years of experience under his belt, Breig has realized that to have any chance at really making sure kids learn, he needs to build a community full of strong relationships.“You need to know [kids] on a personal level to help them learn on a personal level,” says Breig.To accomplish this arduous task he has employed the strongest weapon on his arsenal: doughnuts. Every week during homeroom, Breig brings in doughnuts and chocolate milk for his students to enjoy. He makes sure that as his students study and prepare for school they do so with full stomachs.“You have to feed their bellies to feed their minds,” says Breig.But outside helping kids beat the horror that is an empty stomach, he manages to maintain the community that he built at his old school, Riverfield, through some games that include basket ball, volley ball, and even Ultimate Frisbee. So if you want hang out with the master of doughnuts, go to room 204 at the math and science center.