NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Hello, I’m Maggie and I live in the district with my husband and three adorable daughters. I have a lot of family in Manhattan and I love that we all are apart of this community and watching our kids experience their school years together here.
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Hello! My name is Carla Sponder and I live in New Lenox. I have been married to my husband Rich for 20 years, and have two children, Gina and Justin and the cutest Blue Heeler, Sadie! I have been in the Childcare/Preschool Education field for 20 years, and loved every minute of it! To see the growth in children and the relationships formed with the families brings me great joy. I am blessed to be part of Preschool For All. Looking forward to a great school year together! In my spare time, I love spending time with family and friends and shopping at TJ Maxx.
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Hi, My name is Rose and I am very excited to become part of Manhattan School District 114. I love working with children, it is truly a passion of mine. My absolute favorite thing is spending time with family and I do love to go hiking. I'm grateful to be a part of the team!
Today and last Friday, staff from across MSD114 have joined Mrs. Worth and Mrs. Pierce to participate in Nonviolent Crisis Prevention Intervention training and certification. This learning is critical in understanding de-escalation strategies and supporting the emotional regulation and safety of all of our students and staff!
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Hi! I’m Amy Novotny! I have been married for 30 years and am a mom to 4 amazing kids. I love the outdoors, hiking, camping, and crafting. (I have a serious Pinterest addiction!) In my spare time I volunteer at NAWS Animal Shelter in Mokena and foster kittens. I’m so excited to be a part of the Wilson Creek team!
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: I’m a proud mom of five amazing kids—all now college graduates (whew!)—and share life’s adventures with my husband, Rob, our children, our “boat family,” and our cat, Meow Meow. We love the outdoors, especially boating and spending time on the beach. With nearly 27 years in education, I recently earned my doctorate with a dissertation titled Beyond "Here's the Question, Let's Solve It": Teachers Planning Generative Questions for Mathematical Problem Solving, reflecting my passion for helping students think deeply and creatively in math.
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: My name is Kelli Davis and I am a graduate of Ball State University. I enjoy spending time with friends and family, watching the latest shows or movies on Netflix, and doing anything outdoors!
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: I’m Kari Jo, but friends and family call me KJ. We love to travel—this summer we spent two weeks in Florida, visiting Destin and St. George Island.
MJHS Parents- Join us for Breakfast with Admin at MJHS this Thursday, September 18th from 7:00-7:40 am! ☕🥯 Connect, ask questions, and start the day together. We can’t wait to see you!
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: I hold certifications as both Certified Medical & Nursing Assistant, and also bring valuable experience from my time as a paraprofessional substitute in the Manhattan school district. My favorite hobbies are baking & cooking, but mostly spending time with my family
On Friday, MJHS had its House Reveal where 6th-grade students and any new student to the Junior High were welcomed into one of the five Houses! From there, we played a school-wide game of rock, paper, scissors to decide our five House champs as well as the MJHS winner! Congrats to the Hawks on their win! We look forward to our first Small Group House Meeting this week and our first House Olympics of the year in a few weeks! Thanks to Mrs. Benfante for the pictures!
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Hi, my name is Tara Broz. My family and I moved to Manhattan about 6 years ago. We absolutely love it here. I’m a mom of 3 very active boys. As a family we love to go on adventures, whether it’s taking a vacation to a new place or just enjoying an event with some great friends!
I am looking forward to this next adventure!
I am looking forward to this next adventure!
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Hi, I am Betsy Harris! I'm very excited to join Wilson Creek team. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Leadership and have over 10 years of experience in the early childhood field. I’m also a proud mom to two wonderful kids—Logan (10) and Margaux (8)—and we live in Manhattan. In my free time, I love to read and run; I’m currently training for my fifth marathon, which I’ll be running this October. I look forward to being part of such a supportive and engaging community.
For more information, check the message from Dr. Aherne sent by email on 9/12.
Ms. Innes' 5th graders spent time with Mr. Horne from Thrivent Financial this week. He visited their class to donate school supplies to MIS and discuss the value of saving money. As a former band director, he also enjoyed hearing about the many instruments played by our 5th grade band and orchestra students!
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Hi everyone! My name is Madeline. I just currently finished working as a private practice therapist in New Lenox and will be taking some additional classes for School Counseling. I am so excited to be back in a school setting and be part of the family atmosphere that I love so much about being in the school setting. I have always heard nothing but amazing things about the Manhattan schools, having cousins who have been through the school system, and am looking forward to an amazing school year! In my free time, I enjoy hanging with my giant dog, giant cat and baking and reading as well as spending time with my family
6th-8th Grade Girls Basketball Team Tryouts are coming this Monday, September 15th! All athletes must have a physical on file to tryout and 5th graders are eligible to tryout for the 6th grade team. Please contact Coach Stadter, Coach Minuth, or Coach McWilliams with any questions! Go Demons!
**9/12 UPDATE: ALL THREE GRADE LEVELS TEAMS WILL TRYOUT AT MJHS. 6th-8th graders can stay after school to tryout. Parents of any 5th graders interested in trying out will be responsible for getting them to MJHS by 2:50 for tryouts.
Today Manhattan Jr. High hosted our New Student Welcome Breakfast and it was all about building connections. Our newest Demons teamed up with 8th graders from the Principal’s Cabinet to share breakfast, ask questions, and get to know life at MJHS.
We love seeing students supporting students and can’t wait for more moments like this throughout the year! Got to love that Demon Pride! 💙🖤🤍
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: My name is Michelle Brown and I live in Manhattan with my husband and our 3 kids, ages 13, 8, and 6. I’ve lived in Manhattan my whole life. I love being close to family, reading, baking, and hiking. I’ve been a volunteer in the district for the last 7 years and a substitute teacher for a year. I’m so excited to be a part of the reading team at Anna Mac!
NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Hi! My name is Katie Talsma. I live in Elwood with my husband and our for kids. I’m excited to be starting a new role this year as an Instructional Assistant at MIS! Last year, I worked in the lunchroom at Anna McDonald, and I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces over at MIS. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support students and staff in a new way and can’t wait to get started!
