Meet Our Staff

Walnut Community School District

Meet Our Staff

Administration Dr. Tim Peterson Superintendent / K-5 Principal Bachelors: Iowa State University Masters: Drake University Specialist: University of Iowa Doctorate: Univ of South Dakota Dr. P has 28 years of experience in education and administration, and is in his 2^nd year at WCS. He has always enjoyed working with children, and is a native of Council Bluffs. Dr. Peterson’s vision for Walnut Community School District is a model school system that prepares students to be successful in an ever-changing world. In working with the staff he has found that many of them share that point of view. The school is small enough for the students and staff to be like a family - a model in which all students can get the help that they need in order to succeed. His family consists of his wife Kellie and their son Wesley. Chris Binns 6-12 Principal Associates: Iowa Western CC (Criminal Justice) Bachelors: Buena Vista University Masters: Iowa State University Mr. Binns is in his second year at WCS. In addition to Principal he holds several other titles at WCS: Director of Athletics, Director of Transportation, Director of Special Education, and Assistant Coach for HS Football. He enjoys watching the staff members work together to make our school the best possible place for our students to learn. Chris is a native of Red Oak and his family consists of his wife Shelly, his daughters Heather and Tara, and his grand-daughter Madison. Angie Radloff Director of Human Resources & School Improvement Bachelors: Iowa State University Masters: Northwest Missouri St Univ. Specialist: Drake University Ms. Radloff has been teaching for 22 years, with 4 of them here at WCS. She lives in her native Woodbine with her husband Bob and their two sons Jay and Drew. Devin Hamilton Guidance Counselor K-12, MS Technology Bachelors: Missouri Western St Univ Masters: Northwest Missouri St Univ Ms. Hamilton is in her first year of teaching. She also coaches JH Girls Basketball. She enjoys helping students build for their future through developing character skills, college planning, and career planning. Devin is a native of Gallatin, MO and her family consists of her parents Terry and Debbie, and her brother Eric. Patty Kay Secretary Ms. Kay has been at WCS for 10 years, in the lunch room for 5 years and in the office for 5 years. She graduated from WCS and lives here with her husband Brad. Her family consists of Heather, who is married to Jeff Travis, Steven, who is married to Natalie, and Kelly, and her granddaughter Payton Travis. Faculty Jeff Koenck MS & HS Social Studies Bachelors: Iowa State University (Psychology and Sociology) Certificate: Buena Vista University Mr. Koenck is in his second year of teaching, both of which have come at WCS. Teaching is Jeff's passion. He loves to positively influence the lives of young people. Along with teaching Jeff is the Head Coach for Junior High Volleyball, Varsity Girls basketball, and Varsity boys track. He is a native of Denison, Iowa, and his family consists of his dad Pete, mom Katherine, step-mom Jean, brothers Jamey, Trevor, Shane, step-brother Nick, and fiance’ Carleigh. Tyler Spoon English, Reading, MS Title 1 Bachelors: Buena Vista University Mr. Spoon is in his third year of teaching. He is also the yearbook advisor and speech coach. Tyler enjoys convincing students that school isn't evil and books aren't all boring. He is a native of Lacona, IA and his family consists of his wife Katie, daughter Kelly Noelle, and sons Brian and Isaiah. Lydia Wahlert MS & HS Science Bachelors: Gordon College (MA) Ms. Wahlert is in her second year of teaching, both of which have been at WCS. She enjoy seeing her students excited about science. Lydia is originally from Shelburne, Massachusetts, and her family consists of her husband and their 2 dogs. Sarah Kock Vocal Music Bachelors: Dana College Ms. Kock has been teaching for 12 years, 6 of which have been at WCS. She enjoys helping students achieve things they never thought were possible and seeing the pride and enjoyment on their faces at a performance. She has also given piano lessons for years to many of the area’s youth. Sarah and her husband Charles are both 1993 graduates of WCS, and they live in rural Walnut with their daughters Emma and Megan. Bill Kearney Vocal Music & Band Bachelors: Univ of Nebraska – Lincoln Masters: Univ of Nebraska - Omaha Mr. Kearney has been teaching for 22 years and is currently in his 5th year at WCS. In addition to teaching, he has also coached middle school and high school football and loves empowering students to become creative thinkers. He is an avid Husker fan, and a native of Omaha. His family consists of his wife Andrea and their sons Dawayne, Blayne, Xavier, Devin, Ian and daughters Whitney and Ashley. Kandy Dea K-12 Art Associates degree: Iowa Western CC Bachelors Degree: Buena Vista University Art Specialization: Creighton University This is Ms. Dea’s 10^th year here at Walnut, and she really enjoys bringing Art and an appreciation for Art to the students. In addition to K-12 Art, Kandy is in her second year of being Walnut’s T.A.G. coordinator. Kandy finds T.A.G. fun and interesting because they can really get involved in areas that interest the students. Kandy graduated from Shelby-Tennant School, (a long time ago). She lives west of Walnut with her husband Daniel and son Dustin. Kandy’s daughter Danielle lives in Harlan, and her son Dalton lives south of Walnut. Jennifer Arnold K-5 Title 1 Reading, Math Bachelors: Buena Vista University Ms. Arnold is in her 8^th year of teaching, and 6^th at WCS. She loves it when kids gain confidence and ‘take off!’, and she admits to learning much from them as well. Jennifer lives in her native Harlan with her husband Mike and their daughter Bailey, and of course their dog Max. Shannon Paup Preschool Associates: Southwestern Iowa CC Bachelors: Simpson College Ms. Paup is in her second year of teaching, both of which have come at WCS. She is also the head coach for HS girls track and the assistant coach for HS girls basketball. She enjoys watching the children grow and learn every day. Shannon and her husband James live in Adair, her hometown. Angie Julin Kindergarten Bachelors: Iowa State University Ms. Julin is in her third year of teaching and her second year at WCS. She feels kindergarten is a great year for seeing growth in the students from beginning to end. Angie hails from Manilla, IA and her family consists of her husband Kyle, son Hunter, and one on the way.		Lindsey Meyer 1^st Grade Bachelors: Northwestern College (IA) Ms. Meyer has been teaching 5 years and they have all been here at WCS. She loves first grade, where establishing good learning habits can carry students through each grade level. As she sees it, teaching has just the right amount of structure mixed with the element of surprise, and every day is exciting. Lindsey lives in Atlantic, and her family consists of her parents Richard and Linda, her 3 sisters Shelli, Renee, and Leslie, and her dog Bandit. Loleta Hansen 2^nd Grade Bachelors: Northwest Missouri St Univ Ms. Hansen has been teaching for 29 years, with 28 years at WCS, her alma mater. She feels that one of the joys of teaching is to see the excitement of children as they grasp a concept. Another joy is when former students share their memories and express their gratitude. Loleta is a native of Walnut and her family consists of her husband Donnie, daughter Michelle and her husband Darren Tooley, son Brent and his wife Leslie, son Darrin, and grandchildren Kaitlyn, Preston, Kamryn, and Zara. Marie Livengood 3^rd Grade Bachelors: Northwest Missouri St Univ Ms. Livengood has been teaching 27 years, all at WCS, her alma mater. She thinks it’s wonderful to be able to see how much her students learn, grow and change during their school careers. It's also great to see them after they're out of school and share their lives. Marie lives in Atlantic with her husband Steve. Patty Ross 4^th Grade Associates: Iowa Western CC Bachelors: Dana College Masters: Peru State College (NE) Mrs. Ross has taught since 1994, and this is her 2nd year at WCS. She enjoys everything about teaching except all the paperwork. Patty is from Council Bluffs, IA and has two children - Amber and Paul. Laura Bahrke 5^th Grade Bachelors: Iowa State University Ms. Bahrke is in her third year of teaching and her second year at WCS. She loves watching a student figure something out for the first time and watching them become responsible. Laura is a native of Neola, IA and has a son named Leo. Maureen Hoffman MS & Elem Language Arts Bachelors: Benedictine College (MO) Masters: Creighton University (social service counseling) Ms. Hoffman has been teaching for 34 years with 10 of them at WCS. She has a passion for her subject and watching students discover new knowledge and discover themselves. Maureen is a native of Omaha, and her family consists of her husband Jim and her kids Ryan, Patrick, Jackie, and Mike. Staff Cindy Redler Special Education Aide Associates: Fashion and Art Institute of Dallas at Omaha Ms. Redler is in her 4^th year at WCS, her alma mater. She is a coach for the football cheerleaders and the dance team and is also certified to help administer student medicines. She lives in her native Walnut with Alan, their daughter Whitney and son Koby. Gwen Blum Library Aide, ICN Monitor Associates: Fashion and Art Institute of Dallas at Omaha Mrs. Blum is in her seventh year at WCS, her alma mater. She is the varsity volleyball coach, and assists with the cheer teams for football and basketball, and prom. She also runs the Book Fair in the fall and spring. Gwen loves seeing the students succeed when they thought they couldn't. She lives in Walnut with her husband Rick, and their children are Hannah and her husband Ryne Johnk, Lucas, Haley, and their late son Logan. The Blums also run a wayward home for animals, with dogs Mojo and Dottie and cats Sherbie and Sebastian. Nicole Cunningham Preschool Aide Bachelors: University of Nebraska - Lincoln Ms. Cunningham has been at WCS since 2000. She loves how excited the kids get when they learn something new and how much they change and grow during the year. Nicole is a native of Omaha, NE and her family consists of her husband Josh, son Joey, and her stepson Dalton. Deb Paulsen Preschool Aide Ms. Paulsen has been at WCS for 7 years. She loves seeing how fast the little angels grow up. Deb is from Avoca and her family consists of her husband Neil, her children Breanna, Rachel, Brent, Jeff, and Nick, and 3 grandchildren Sidni, Tyson, and Tucker. Vern Booth Technology Bachelors: Univ of Southern California (Aerospace Engineering) Mr. Booth has been our technology coordinator at WCS since 2000. He thinks it’s great to see the kids mature and witness the positive changes that occur in their lives. Vern is originally from Omaha and currently lives here in Walnut with his wife Linda. They have two children - Jennifer and Joel. Deb Petersen Cook Mrs. Petersen has been in the lunch room for six years, and regularly teaches manners there as well. She loves getting to see all the kids each day and watching them grow up - not only do their appetites change, but their personalities do too! Deb was born and raised in Walnut and her family consists of her husband Max, daughter Melissa and her husband Mike Akers, son Danny, and her grandkids Clayton, Maegan and Miranda Akers. Cindy Suhr Cook Mrs. Suhr has been a cook at WCS for 15 years. A native of Omaha, Cindy lives in Walnut with her husband Terry. They have raised three children: Stacey, who’s married to Alan Sorensen of Walnut, Jami, who’s married to John Sievers of Storm Lake, IA, and Trent. They are proud to spoil their grandchildren, who are Savannah, Colby, Macy and McKenna.