Students in the Fairfield Community School District will return to the classroom on Tuesday, Aug. 23.

When they do, they will see a number of new faces, teachers who joined the district over the summer. To help students and community members get to know them before their first day of class, here are the new teachers in the district and what grade each will be teaching. Biographies were collected by Christine Willmon.

Rylee Amos

Pence Elementary Third Grade Teacher

Rylee grew up in Mt. Pleasant, and graduated from UNI with a teaching degree. In her spare time, she likes to read, walking her dog and spending time with her family. She thinks Fairfield is an awesome community!

Rachel Bair

Middle School PE/Health

Rachel is from Braddyville, Iowa, and graduated from Clarinda High School in 2016. She received her associate’s degree from DMACC, her degree in Kinesiology and Health from the University of Iowa. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, working on DIY home projects, houseplants, and spending time with her family and friends.

Elizabeth Bender

High School Spanish Teacher

Elizabeth is originally from California. She moved to Fairfield at the end of high school and graduated from MIU with her master’s in education, where she received her teaching certificate with an endorsement in 7-12 math. She recently returned to college to receive her endorsement to teach 7-12 Spanish. Elizabeth studied abroad in Mexico and taught school in Andorra and Guatemala, where she learned much of her Spanish.

She looks forward to beginning a new chapter of her life as one of the FHS Spanish teachers.

Marissa Boleyn

Pence Elementary Second Grade Teacher

Marissa graduated from Dubuque Senior High, and attended Kirkwood Community College before graduating from UNI with a BA degree in teaching. She enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends. She enjoys Fairfield’s small town feeling and beautiful parks.

Anna Burnett

2nd Grade Teacher

Anna Burnett graduated from Fairfield High School and Iowa State University with a degree in Elementary Education.

John Calahan

Middle School Music Teacher

John is from Lincoln, Nebraska, graduating from Lincoln Southwest High School and Morningside College. Music has always been his passion. He enjoys fixing things, participating in community theater, playing guitar and singing. He and he wife are looking forward to joining the Fairfield community.

Janice Dix

Washington Elementary Title Math/Reading

Janice is from Ollie, Iowa. She graduated from Pekin High School and then UNI with a BA in Elementary Early Childhood. She went on to earn her Master’s in Special Education from Morningside College. She is married with two adult children and enjoys gardening, reading, arts/crafts and painting.

She loves Fairfield’s parks and bike trails.

Hunter Drish

Middle School English and Language Arts

Hunter graduated from Fairfield High School, then Knox College, where he obtained a degree in teaching. He chose teaching because he is inspired by building relationships and the learning process. In his spare time, he enjoys ultimate frisbee, baseball, reading and writing.

Katie Hanson

Washington First Grade Teacher

Katie grew up in Saint Peter, Minnesota. She graduated from Saint Peter High School and Morningside University. This will be her sixth year teaching elementary school. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing tennis with her boyfriend, reading, and watching movies.

She always wanted to be a teacher because she loves working with kids and learning new things. She moved to the area to be closer to family.

Agustin Harless

High School Ag Teacher

Agustin is from Santa Cruz, California. He has wanted to be a teacher since he was 12 years old, and is excited to be FHS’s new ag teacher. He graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He is married with two children. They moved to Fairfield three years ago and feel very fortunate to be raising their children in such a beautiful small town.

Julia Harward

Middle School Special Education Teacher

Julia grew up in Stockport, Iowa, graduated from IHCC with an AA in 2006 and a BA in Elementary Education from William Penn University. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family, read, garden and breed Huskies and Himalayan Cats. She is excited to start her first year teaching at FSCD.

Gianna Lopez

Washington Elementary 1st Grade Teacher

Gianna is from Oswego, Illinois, having graduated from Oswego East High and recently graduated from Iowa Wesleyan University. She was a fourth-grade student teacher in Fairfield and liked the community so much she decided to teach here. In her free time, she likes to go walking, cook and watch movies with friends.

Helaina McCoy

Middle School Band Teacher

Helaina graduated from Davis County High School and received her BA in Music Education from William Penn University. This is her first year teaching fulltime, however she long-term subbed at EBF as a 5th-8th grade band teacher last year. In her free time, she plays the flute in community concert bands, goes to the gym and travels.

Angela McGuire

Washington Elementary First Grade Teacher

Angela is an Iowa native, graduating from Fort Madison Senior High and then Mankato State University. In 2007, she and her husband moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she taught K-2 grade for 15 years.

She moved to Fairfield with her husband and 11-year-old son. In her spare time, she likes to color, shop, and explore new places. She is excited to be part of the FCSD and is looking forward to the new school year.

Brittany Metcalf

Pence Elementary Fourth Grade Teacher

Brittany graduated from Fairfield High School, IHCC and Buena Vista University with a BA in Elementary Education. This will be her first year teaching as a fourth grade teacher. She worked as an associate at Pence while earning her degree. She is married with one son. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time at the lake with family and friends, and cheering on Iowa Hawkeye Football.

Bruce Miller

TAG Elementary Teacher

Bruce graduated from Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia and Old Dominion University in Norfolk. He is married to Morgan Miller, Fairfield Middle School Media Specialist, and they have three children. He enjoys baseball and spending time with his family.

Mindy Phomvisay

Elementary Music Teacher

Mindy graduated from Alta High School and Iowa State University. She is married with three children. Her husband Aiddy is the new Fairfield High School principal. She has been the director of music for her church in Ames for 25 years, and led a children’s music camp for 20 years. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, church music, biking and spending time with her family.

Timothy Roush

High School Social Studies Teacher

Timothy grew up in Van Buren County and graduated from Fairfield High School. He went on to earn his BS from Southern New Hampshire University and an MA from Grand Canyon University. After retirement from the Navy, he became a teacher. He is married with three children and nine grandchildren. In his free time, he likes to listen to music, read, build guitars and spend time with his family.

Sierra Simmons

High School Math Teacher

Sierra graduated from Fairfield High School, Kirkwood Community College and William Penn. She was inspired by her math teachers and wants to show her students how fun math can be. In her spare time, she likes walking her dog and watching TV. She has lived in Fairfield all of her life and loves the community.

Sarah Smithburg

Middle School Special Education Teacher

Sarah graduated from Cardinal Community High School, received her associate’s degree from Indian Hills and her Elementary Education degree from Buena Vista University. She is also the middle school softball assistant coach. She lives in Fairfield with her husband and two children. Her hobbies include coaching, traveling with her family, and going to her children’s extracurricular activities.

Nicole Stoutner