Hunter Ashburn--High School Science Teacher
My name is Hunter Ashburn and I am a 7-12 Science teacher. I grew up in this small town of Plainview and graduated from Plainview Public Schools. I recently graduated from Wayne State College. Science has played a role in my life. It is my favorite subject and I grew up around it. I grew up around it because my dad is the local mortician here in Plainview. I chose Plainview Public Schools for multiple reasons; the school's energy is positive and easy to work with, the staff and students are positive and welcoming and lastly, I bleed red. This was my goal to return to my hometown and to my home school. I hope I can help better the students, co-workers, and Plainview in general with great experiences, positive energy, and life lessons. This is because when I was young Plainview and Plainview Public Schools gave me these life experiences which I will never forget. Now it's my time to return the favor. I can't wait to start the school year and get to know the new staff members and my students. GO PIRATES!!!
Abbi Kush--7th-9th Grade Science Teacher
Hey Plainview Pirates!
I am Abbi Kush and I'll be the 7-9 grade science teacher this year. Some of you may remember me from a few years ago. I taught 3-6 grade math in the elementary school from 2015-2018. Since I've left I spent some time teaching 7-8 grade science in David City and 8th grade math in Grand Island. I'm absolutely thrilled to be back in Plainview! I think that the school is amazing and the staff is very dedicated to providing the students with the absolute best educational experience. I also enjoy the energy from the students! I can't wait to spend the year building relationships and exploring science with them this year.
My husband Nathan and I have a 4 year old son Charlie and a 1 year old daughter Alilya. We love spending time as a family. Some of our favorite activities include: golfing, fishing, biking, snowboarding, movies, and hunting. This fall I will graduate from UNL with a Masters of Arts in Teaching Degree. I'm very proud of myself for this great accomplishment and I look forward to continue to learn from the staff and students in Plainview as well!
Go Pirates!
Jan Krause--K-6 Vocal Music
I am back to teach music at Plainview Public Schools for the 5th time in my career of teaching. (I know there are those out there who really want to know how many times I've taught here, so here's the info!!) I taught Vocal Music grades 4-12 full-time back in the late 70's for 2 years as a newlywed. With the Brunswick annex, the school at that time had 3 full-time music teachers. During the next 15 years, I took time off to raise our 4 sons, with my husband Jim, on the family farm NW of Brunswick. During those years, I taught elementary music part time at the Brunswick site, off & on as needed.
I came back to teaching full-time in 1995 - 2002 and built a solid K-12 vocal program during that time.
However, with the demands of being a farm wife and our boys being jr. high through college age, I felt the need to step back and had hoped for a part-time position. But it was not to be. However, in 2005, I was approached by administration, to come back and take the vocal music 4-12 program part time. This stint ran from 2005-2013 when I "officially" retired!
5 years later, with the lack of music teachers already evolving in 2018, I came out of retirement to teach full-time again! Thankfully, there was a December college graduate to take over the program that year. Which leads us to this school year - Plainview Public Schools chose me, I did not choose them!
But I am happy to finally have my "dream" job - teaching just elementary music! It just arrived a few years later than expected!
I look forward to the challenge of stepping back into my teaching shoes, to share my love of music with all the students of Plainview elementary. "Music washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life".
Sage Wortman--Kindergarten
My name is Sage Wortman and I will be one of the kindergarten teachers. I am married to Brady Wortman and we have a four month old son, Sly. I chose Plainview because I enjoyed my time here as a para during the 2020/21 school year and I am glad to be back! I am excited to get more involved in the school and community.
Candace Coover--K-12 Para
My name is Candace Coover. I was born and raised in Neligh and graduated from Neligh-Oakdale in 2010. I moved to Plainview shortly after graduation and have lived here ever since. I live with my fiance Trenton, my two daughters Genesis(4th grade) and Aurora(kindergarten), and our many pets. I will be marrying Trenton in September after thirteen years of dating. I graduated from Wayne State College in November 2020 with my Bachelors of Science degree with a major in elementary education and counseling. Aside from rooting my children on at gymnastics meets, I enjoy camping, fishing and horseback riding. I chose Plainview Public Schools because I enjoy the friendly atmosphere and also see it as a way to advance my career and learn from the fabulous teachers within the school. I look forward to meeting and getting to know each student within this school and cheering them on through all of their academic endeavors!
Dawn Williams--3rd Grade
I am Dawn Williams and while I may be new to the Pirate staff I am not new to Plainview. I grew up here and graduated with Dr. Arlt and Mr. Sellin back in the day. I live on a farm outside of Plainview with my husband, Scott. We have a son, Seth and his wife Jocelyn that live in Plainview and their kids are Quinn, Reece, Wiley and baby #4 is due in Oct. Our daughter, Catie, lives in Chadron and will be starting her first year of teaching in Hemingford, NE this year. Caite will marry Colin Deines on Oct. 1 of this year. Our son, Micah, lives here in Plainview and works in Bloomfield. I filled in for Mrs. Meuret during her maternity leave and liked the staff and students here so much that I wanted to stay. Plainview Public School has so much to be proud of. Plainview has such a great group of administrators, teachers and support staff. I am looking forward to being a part of such a helpful and supportive team.
Abby Simpson--3rd Grade
My name is Abby Simpson and I will be one of the 3rd grade teachers. This year will be my sixth year of teaching. I taught 2nd grade in Schuyler for four years, and 3rd grade in Osmond for one year. My husband Trent and I have been married for about a year. On July 29, we welcomed our first son Maverick to the family. Being from Plainview, I am excited to be back and teaching here. I am excited to build strong relationships with both the staff and students and be a part of the tight knit community Plainview offers.
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Christalin Ginn--5th & 6th Band
I am Christalin Ginn. I have been the choir and band director for Osmond Community Schools for the last seven years. I am beginning my eighth year teaching music at Osmond and part-time in Plainview. I live in Norfolk with my husband Ryan, daughter Aria and cat Zoie. My husband is also a music teacher at Norfolk Middle School. My husband taught at Plainview, so I look forward to reconnecting with the Plainview community.
Jordan Leake--7th--9th Math
I am Jordan Leake, I am from Lakeville, Minnesota--which is a town with a population of roughly 70,000 people. I studied Mathematics education at Wayne State College, as well as played football during my time there. I chose Plainview Schools because Plainview is a small-town and from my experiences in Wayne, NE and I have grown to enjoy the small-town community. This year I am looking forward to new experiences that being a teacher brings, also excited to be back around school sports. Something I do in my free time is watch sports like college football and the NFL. I have a German Shorthaired Lab, named Bella. She is 4 years old now and still is as energetic as when she was a puppy. Looking forward to this next school year and getting to know all of the students and faculty.
Taylor Oestreich--7th-9th & 12th Grade English
I am Taylor Oestreich, and I will be the new English teacher this upcoming school year. I grew up in Pierce and graduated from Pierce High before attending UNK as an English education major. After spending several years living in Kearney while I attended school, I decided it was time to come home. I was fortunate to be able to return to northeast Nebraska to do my student teaching at Norfolk High School, and upon graduating from UNK this past spring, I jumped on the opportunity to remain in the area with Plainview Public Schools. In my brief 2 months living in Plainview, the people here have been nothing but welcoming, and I'm grateful to be a part of the Plainview Public Schools family. In my free time, I enjoy things like reading (an English teacher no brainer) and watching/playing sports. I especially enjoy basketball, and I'm excited to be a part of Plainview's basketball team this winter. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all over the course of this next year just as you get to know me.
Go Pirates!
Brittani Beegle--7-12 Vocal Music & Band
Hello I’m Ms. Beegle and I am a new graduate from Wayne state College! I will be teaching 7-12 Band and Choir this year at Plainview. I chose Plainview because I grew up in a small Nebraska town and I knew I wanted to go back to something similar! I also loved how friendly and supportive everyone was! I am so excited for the upcoming school year and to share my passion of music with everyone!
Manndi Silhacek--K-12 Art
My name is Manndi Silhacek. I live on a small acreage in Pierce with my husband Cody, daughter Mavvis and our 90 lb. Weimaraner named Goose. I am so excited to be teaching art at Plainview Public Schools! I chose Plainview because I love the support and close knit relationships that a small Nebraska community can offer. I am looking forward to having colleagues that I can learn from, share my passion for education with and hopefully have a lot of good laughs. Besides working on my artwork, I enjoy reading, baking and searching for rusty barn treasures. I am also never short on stories of the ridiculous things my dog and two year old aspiring cowgirl daughter have done to give me some gray hair. Looking forward to the new school year and meeting the rest of the Pirate team!
Trent Simpson--High School PE
For the last two school years I taught K-12 Health and PE at Creighton while also coaching basketball, football, and track during my time there. My wife Abby and I have been married for about a year and have lived in Plainview during that time. We are very excited for the opportunity to work in the same school district here at Plainview Public Schools. Just recently, we welcomed our first baby boy Maverick to our family. We look forward to being part of not only the school district, but also raising our family here and being part of a tight knit community like Plainview. I am most excited to build strong relationships with staff and students and make a positive impact on the students at Plainview Public Schools.