Teachers gather at welcome breakfast

    All teachers in the Washington School District were invited to a ?Welcome Breakfast? Wednesday morning in the KC Hall. For some, such as first-year teacher Alicia Smith, it was their first opportunity to socialize with their fellow staff members.

    Smith will teach alternative kindergarten at Stewart Elementary. She is from Tomah, Wis., which is near La Crosse. She just graduated from Minnesota State in Mankato last December, and is also well acquainted with the Hawkeye State.  

    ?My whole family is from Iowa,? said Smith. ?I have driven through Washington many times. Even though I haven?t lived here, I know it well.?

    Smith said she has been setting up her room for quite some time. She is no stranger to directing a class of youngsters, having spent three years as an assistant preschool teacher. She said she had an exciting summer but is ready to start the school year.

    Susan Grannis is also set to begin her first year in the Washington School District. Grannis teachers ninth grade Spanish. She comes to Washington from Quincy, Ill. She said she has had a very busy month trying to set up shop in Washington.

    ?I just bought a house and sold a house,? she said. ?I moved here a week ago. I found out I?m sharing a classroom with the home economics classes. That?s fine, because our kids will be cooking in Spanish.?

    Grannis said she has an easy time identifying with the other new-coming teachers.

    ?Alicia is just like my daughter,? she joked.

    Amy Adrian teaches high school English, and enters her third year in the Washington School District. She also teaches classes on American literature and composition. Adrian graduated from Washington High School and said it was a goal of hers to return to her hometown to teach.

For the full story, see the Aug. 18 edition of The Washington Evening Journal