New Middle School Staff
PLMS will be welcoming four new teachers this school year!
Mrs. Cheyenne Rathert will be teaching fifth grade this year at PLMS. While Mrs. Rathert is new to teaching in USD 343, you may have caught a glimpse of her at a band concert or two over the past two years. Cheyenne is married to current PLMS/PLHS Band Director, Steven Rathert. Among the reasons that Mrs. Rathert was excited to join the USD 343 family were the positive things she has seen and heard about USD 343, as well as the time she has spent at events with Steven being very positive. Cheyenne graduated from KU with her undergraduate degree, and Emporia State with her Masters degree. This will be Mrs. Rathert’s 10th year in the classroom! She has served as an academic interventionist, and she has taught 1st, 4th, and 5th grades in the Lawrence, Osage City, and Bonner Springs districts. Cheyenne looks forward to the opportunity to become a member of such a welcoming community.
Welcome to Kahle Spence, who will be filling the shoes of Janelle Carey as an English teacher at PLMS, following Mrs. Carey’s well-deserved retirement. Mr. Spence is familiar with the area as he grew up in Lawrence, and attended high school in Oskaloosa. Following graduating from Oskaloosa, Kahle enrolled at the University of Kansas to work towards a degree in education. Mr. Spence started his educational career at McLouth Elementary, teaching for ten years as a 1st, 4th, and 5th grade teacher. Outside of teaching, Mr. Spence enjoys cycling, basketball, video/photo editing, among many other things! A fun fact about Kahle is that he has an identical twin brother. Mr. Spence is excited to join a district that has a great reputation for putting their students first!
Michelle Bailey will be joining the PLMS staff this year as a sixth grade teacher. Mrs. Bailey is originally from Astoria, Oregon; however, she grew up in, and graduated from, El Dorado, Kansas. Michelle graduated with her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Emporia State University. Following graduation, Mrs. Bailey taught second grade at Mission Valley for five years. Michelle and her husband, Ryan, live just north of McLouth with their six year old son, Colt, who will be in second grade at LES this year. When asked about why she wanted to teach at Perry-Lecompton, Michelle stated, “My son has been part of the USD 343 family since he was in the daycare program. Every year we encounter more amazing staff members, students, and families. We quickly discovered that this district is the place you go to find a strong sense of community. I want to be able to help give back to the community that has a hand in raising my son.”
Our final new staff member at PLMS may look familiar to some who have been in the community for a while. Mr. Andy Meyer will be joining the PLMS staff as the 7th/8th grade science teacher. Mr. Meyer grew up in Perry, and graduated from PLHS in 1997. Following high school, Andy earned his Bachelor's degree in Recreation Administration and Health/Fitness from Ottawa University where he played baseball. Mr. Meyer worked outside of education following graduating from Ottawa; however, he decided that his true calling was as an educator. He enrolled and graduated from Fort Hays State with his Bachelor’s of Science in Education. Andy has taught the past nine years in the Oskaloosa school district as a sixth grade teacher. Mr. Meyer has also coached quite a few sports over that time period, a trend he will continue at USD 343. Andy is looking forward to coming back to his alma mater and having a positive impact in the district.