Bruce Powers is going back to the classroom this fall.

He will be teaching eighth-grade history at Montgomery County Middle School, continuing a teaching career that started in 1977. He was retired from teaching for two years before school officials asked him to come back this year.

“I’m one of the retired teachers who came back,” Powers said. “I retired a couple of times. I retired from the state and I retired from the public schools. I reported to DYS (Division of Youth Services) for about seven and a half years. I subbed here (at R-II) the last couple of years at the high school and middle school.”

Powers will be part of a large group of new teachers in the R-II school district this fall. There will be 10 new teachers at Montgomery City Elementary, one at Jonesburg Elementary School, five at the middle school and two at the high school. Also, there will be a teacher who will work at both the middle and high schools.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Powers, who is also the new assistant girls basketball coach at MCHS for the 2023-24 season. “I know most of the kids I’m going to have. It will be fun.”

A new teacher orientation was held on Aug. 9 at Montgomery County Middle School. Cary Anthes, who will be teaching seventh-grade social studies at MCMS, said he enjoyed meeting all of the new teachers.

“It’s fantastic,” he said. “There’s a lot of us. I think that’s going to hopefully build a school culture together. There are a lot of mentors here, too. We’re going to have a great new community.”

The first day of student attendance for all four schools in the district is Aug. 22. Keri Rhodes, who will be teaching special education at JBE after working as a paraprofessional for three years, said she is looking forward to the first day of school.

“I can’t wait for the kids to be in my classroom,” said Rhodes, who is working on getting a Master’s degree in special education at Missouri State University.

Anna Henke, who graduated from MCHS in 2019 and the University of Missouri-Columbia in May, is returning to the R-II school district to teach third grade at MCE.

“I’m really excited to see what this year has for me,” Henke said.

The other new teachers at MCE include Allyson Boone, Rebecca Caldwell, Courtney Eckenfels, Clare Eggering, Jamie Goring, Tylee Heredia, Michelle Maskey, Shelly Saladin and Zoe Smith.

Eggering, who is from Old Monroe, was hired to teach fifth grade at MCE this year after working in the Winfield School District.

“I’m really excited,” Eggering said. “This will be my first official teaching position. When I worked in the Winfield School District, I was a sub. So this will be my first real opportunity to have my own classroom and have my own students and really make a name for myself here.”

Besides Powers and Anthes, Stefanie Combs, Jan Hankinson and Jeanne Hudgens are the other new teachers at MCMS.

“I’m super excited,” Anthes said. “I actually got my official certification last year, so I had my own classroom last year with provisional certification. So it’s kind of an odd situation. But I had my own classroom before. I’m super excited to be with this district because I love the area around here. I can’t wait to meet my kids and get going.”

Tony Terry, Jr. and Bob Mitchell are the new teachers at the high school.
Terry, Jr., who worked at Hermann the past few years, will be teaching math at MCHS.

“I’m really excited,” Terry, Jr. said. “Working at a school the past few years showed that this is something that I have a passion about.”

Lauren Seifried will share teaching duties at the middle and high schools. Amy Neill is the new district process coordinator.