Area schools welcome new teachers and professional staff

MEDFORD SCHOOLS Jaclyn Lemke

Lemke will teach Senior English in addition to AP and Honors Courses. She will also have the assignment of senior advisor. She is a Medford native and earned a bachelors Degree in English Education from UW-Eau Claire. In the past she worked at Abbotsford middle and high schools while helping out as a forensics coach. Lemke is happily married with two children. She enjoys reading, curling and traveling.

Cullin Peterson

Peterson will be teaching 9th grade Human Geography at Medford Area Senior High School along with AP Human Geography. He is a Rib Lake native and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies from UW-Eau Claire in 2022. When he is not studying up on his history, he enjoys a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, and sports like kickball. Other things he enjoys are dodgeball and trivia.

Joshua Ognenoff

Ognenoff will be the new choir director at Medford Area Senior High School as well as directing show choir, acapella choir, and concert choir. He will also assist in directing the musical. He is a Mayville native and earned a bachelor of music in 2017 from UW-Whitewater. He earned a masters in Opera Performance in 2020 from Louisiana State University. He is currently working on earning a post-Baccalaureate in Music Education from UW-Stevens Point and is expected to graduate in 2024. Previously he taught at Loyal High School K-12 Choir and general music.

When not teaching, he enjoys fishing, cooking, playing and training with his dogs, camping and going to Packer, Brewer, and Bucks games. He also enjoys performing operas and musicals.

Dylan Hoffmann

Hoffmann will teach 7th grade English Language Arts at Medford Area Middle School. He is from Brooklyn Park, MN. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Viterbo University in 2011. In the past he taught 5th grade for two years in Columbus, OH, six years in Lake Havasu City, AZ and was a Math Interventionist in Forest Lake, MN for one year.

He and his wife Breanna have a daughter Amelia and a dog named Peanut. In his spare time he enjoys running, ice fishing, and mowing the lawn.

Julie Weideman

Weideman will be grades 9-12 Library Media Specialist teaching information and technology literacy skills and providing level one technology support to students and staff. Her other assignments include advising Battle of the Books and Library Club. She is an Abbotsford native and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education in 2005 from UW-Whitewater, a Masters in Educational Technology in 2010 from Marian University. Previously she worked for six years as a business education teacher and nine years as a Library media specialist.

In her spare time she enjoys camping, kayaking, and playing games with her husband and two sons, ages 12 and 8. She enjoys everything books and enjoys practicing yoga and going for long walks with

Riley Vanden Plas

Vanden Plas will teach 2nd grade at Medford Elementary School. He is a Green Bay native and earned a Bachelor of Arts from St. Norbert College majoring in Elementary Education and Crosscategorical Special Education-Emphasis on learning disabilities. He graduated in 2019. Previously he taught Elementary Special Education in Green Bay for three years for the Howard-Suamico School District. He coached middle school football and wrestling as well as high school track and field (pole vault) for three years in Green Bay.

He is engaged to his fiancé Miranda, and his hobbies include golf, reading, crypto, and traveling.

Timothy Meerstein

Meerstein will teach Special Education at Medford Area Senior High while also being head of the tabletop club and the Dungeon Master for the Dungeons and Dragons Program at the local library. He was born in Colorado Springs, CO, but was raised in Wausau. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 2018 from UW-Eau Claire, majoring in Behavior Analysis and minoring in Sociology. He also has a Masters in Autism Study from Bull State University in 2020. Previously he was a Paraprofessional at Medford Area Elementary School.

He and his fiancé Maxx have 2 cats, 2 dogs and 11 chickens. He is passionate about learning. He enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and reading fantasy books.

Kasey Phillips

Phillips will be teaching 5th and 6th grade special education at Medford Area Middle School. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 2020 majoring in Early Childhood from UW-Stevens Point. She earned an Associates degree in Early Childhood from Northcentral Technical College in 2016. Previously she worked at Phillips Elementary.

She and her husband of 16 years have five kids, Tucker, 14, Gavin, 14, Brayden, 11, Kaelyn, 9, and Camden, 6. They enjoy sports (hockey, basketball, baseball, football and swimming) outdoors and spending time together.

Denice Poetzl

Poetzl will be teaching Reading Intervention and Social/Emotional at Medford Area Middle School while also coaching JV soccer. She is a Prentice native but has lived in Medford for 26 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from UW-Lacrosse, majoring in Elementary Education, minoring in Early Childhood Education in 1994. She earned a masters in Reading from Concordia University in 2011. For 22 years she taught at Owen-Withee Elementary School teaching Pre-K- 3rd grades and Behavior support. Previously she has coached Medford Youth Soccer and Medford Youth Wrestling.

She and her husband Mike, have two children, Andy and Nikki. She enjoys watching Medford Soccer, Medford Wrestling, crafts and supporting her children in their activities, and other activities that support area youth.

Citory Turner

Turner will be teaching 9th and 10th grade Math at Medford Area Senior High (Special Education). She is a Gilman native and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UW-Eau Claire majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2022.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors with her husband and their dog. Her favorite hobby is shooting sporting clays as well as hunting with her family.

Richard Brunson

Brunson will be teaching 7th and 8th grade choir at Medford Area Middle School, along with Cambiata Choir at Medford Area Senior High. He was born in Virginia but was raised in Utah. He earned a Bachelor of Music from Brigham Young University in 1996 majoring in Education, minoring in History. He earned a Masters in Music from Brigham Young University in 1998 and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in 2009 from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He taught at Alta High School in Utah, Salt Lake Community College, and UW-Marshfield.

He has been married for 25 years, has three kids, and likes to read, go biking, cook and garden.

Zachary Person

Person will teach K-4 Physical Education at Medford Area Elementary school while also being an assistant freshman football coach. He plans to volunteer for high school and middle school wrestling. He is a Gilman native and earned a Bachelor of Science from UW-Eau Claire, majoring in Physical Education in 2022. This is his first year teaching, he coached wrestling at North High School in 2021.

When he is not coaching or teaching, he likes to fish, hunt and play slow pitch softball. He is from a family with six children and is the second oldest. Being in the outdoors is where he can be found almost everyday, he also enjoys country music.

Bethany Betro

Betro will be teaching 2nd grade at Stetsonville Elementary. She is an Amherst native and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UW-Stevens Point in 2021, majoring in Elementary Education, minoring in Psychology. Previously she taught in two 1st grade classrooms and one 3rd grade classroom. She has volunteered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters as a mentor and tutored children in math and reading.

In her spare time she loves to cook, spend time with her pets, hiking, kayaking, and hanging out with her family and friends.

Deanna Murphy

Murphy will be teaching 7th grade Special Education and teaching 6th and 7th grade reading program at Medford Area Middle School. She is from Eau Claire, but moved to Medford in 2005. She earned a Bachelor of Science in 1999 from UW-Stout majoring in Vocational Rehabilitation. Previously she was a Paraprofessional at the Middle School and taught 7th grade Special Education.

Murphy is married and has one son in 3rd grade. Her free time consists of attending her son’s sporting events. She also enjoys camping on the weekends and hunting with her dogs.

Casie McAllister

McAllister will be teaching first grade at Stetsonville Elementary. She is a Merrill native and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UW-River Falls in 2022, majoring in Elementary Education, minoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She student taught in the Baldwin-Woodville School District.

In her free time, she enjoys going on walks and being outdoors. She is a huge Packer fan and has been going to games for as long as she can remember.

Tyler Kadlecek

Kadlecek will be teaching High School Tech ed, mainly woods and metals, at Medford Area Senior High. He is a Med-

her rescue dog Vinny.