Page 9 - Mid Valley Times 8-22-19 E-edition

Thursday, August 22, 2019 | A9 | Mid Valley TiMes
Sanger High graduates return to district as teachers
By Dick Sheppard
Mid Valley Times
Preston Montelongo and Travis Ferrell are among 50 teachers, six psychologists and one speech pathologist beginning the school year as new fulltime employees of the Sanger Unified School District.
Ferrell will be teaching math and computer science at Fairmont Elementary School and Montelongo will be at Kings River High School teaching economics and U.S. History.
They're ready to go to work and enthusiastic about being back in the district.
Both are Sanger High School grads; Montelongo in 2009 and Ferrell in 2006. Both are jocks; Montelongo played football and baseball as an Apache and Ferrell was on the football, basketball and volleyball teams.
Even though both know all about Chuck Wagon from their high school days they carefully checked over the list of Sanger restaurants handed to all new certificated employees who went through the New Teacher Institute Aug. 6-7 and the intense Teachers Leading Teachers seminar and breakout ses- sions on Aug. 9.
It will be the first full-time teaching job for Montelon- go, who has been substitute teaching for a couple of years in the district.
"I had decided on a differ- ent career path after I gradu- ated from the University of Oregon with a B.A. in political science," he said. "But after I came back home I decided I wanted to stay in Sanger. So, I subbed for awhile until I got
CRASH
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was arrested at Kaweah Delta Medical Center for felony DUI causing injury.
Also traveling as a passenger in the pickup was Francisco Munguia, 32, of Woodlake, also Ro- sa Munguia’s son.
The CHP is request- ing any possible wit- nesses to please contact the Visalia CHP office at 734-6767.
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Sanger Unified School District's new teachers, psychologists and a speech therapist attended a two-day "New Teacher Institute" in the multipurpose room at Madison Elementary School.
LEFT: Preston Montelongo, left, and Travis Ferrell, both Sanger High graduates, are starting their first year of full-time teaching in the Sanger Unified School District. Here, the two talked during the New Teacher Institute bus tour of Sanger Unified schools.
"My wife, Becca, has taught at Reagan Elementary for four years. I am a fifth generation Apache and Bec- ca and I want out daughter Everly Rose to attend Sanger Unified. Because of all those things I wanted to come back so I can be closer to my fam- ily and be more involved in the community we've chosen to be our home," said Ferrell.
"I decided to begin my teaching career in Sanger because I want to make a positive and lasting impact on the students in my home- town. I'm very excited to give back to a community and to a school district that has already given and added so much to my own life," said Montelongo.
Like Ferrell, Montelongo has a relative teaching in the district. His mother Gina is a sixth grade teacher at Rea- gan Elementary.
And, like Ferrell, Monte- longo was impressed with the training he received.
"I think the new teacher orientation did a great job laying the foundation of what Sanger Unified is all about," he said. "Aside from the procedural information we received over the last few days, my biggest takeaway from the orientation is that employees of Sanger Unified are committing themselves to supporting each other and working together to create the very best teaching and learning methods that make a lasting impact on the lives of our students.
"I think I can speak for my other new colleagues as well when I say that we left the orientation feeling extreme- ly excited to be a part of the Sanger Unified team."
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It's the fifth new teacher orientation for Ferrell who taught in a couple of school districts in Texas, Clovis Uni- fied and Kings Canyon Uni- fied since earning his MBA from Webber International
University in Florida.
Even though he had been
through similar orientations in other districts Ferrell was particularly impressed with the New Teacher Institute organized by Nicole Rosales.
"As I headed into the new teacher orientation for Sanger Unified it was evident
the district has grown in size but relationships and collabo- ration remain a top priority.
"Before the training be- gan you could feel the en- ergy and welcoming vibe as administrators and new hires intermingled instead of being fractioned off into distinct groups. As we began intro- ductions you could tell each administrator was genuinely excited about the new hires and beginning a new school year," said Ferrell.
"We were able to do ac- tivities at our seminar that I've never done before at a
Photos by Dick Sheppard / Mid Valley Times
new teacher orientation. One of my favorite activities was going through stations with Cathy Padilla, There- sa Blanchard, Katie Gault, Rachel Groft and Rhonda Siqueiros. Each district in- structional specialist, pro- gram specialist and man- ager made each of us feel welcomed and broke down important aspects of the dis- trict's educational resources and philosophy."
Ferrell and Montelongo were both motivated to re- turn to Sanger because of family and relationships.
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