This issue appears to be about things that are back after breaks - the tractor pull, Community Club meetings, school auction, and school itself.
    School began on Monday at both the MVAO and the DC schools. New clothes and faces happy to see their classmates again filled the elementary schools.
    To the left, students from Danbury Catholic attend their opening ceremonies and flag raising bright and early on Monday.
    In the near future, most likely after the Corn Days (September 24th) and Homecoming (October 1st) issues, we will publish class pictures from the three elementary schools in our district.

Mrs. Jill Swanson 3rd/4th Grades     Mrs. Jill Swanson will be commuting all the way from Mapleton to teach the third and fourth graders. She brings 35 years of teaching experience to her classroom.     Jill earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from UNI in Elementary Education and in Special Education. Most of her teaching career has been in the kindergarten through fourth grade span. This spring she retired from MVAO Elementary School in Mapleton.     Jill grew up in eastern Iowa on a farm near Blairstown which is a little west of Cedar Rapids. She met her future husband, Tom in Mapleton, and the two are parents to two children. Their son Michael is a CPA, and their daughter Maria is a sales and marketing coordinator.     Jill enjoys baking, gardening and landscaping, going to Iowa State football games, and of course, reading.

Mrs. Karly Kafton 5th/6th Grades     As young girl, Mrs. Karly Kafton, known then as Karly Treiber roamed the halls of DC as a student. Now, a mom of a future DC student, Karly roams the halls as the fifth and sixth grade teacher.     "I am really excited to finally be teaching back in my home town where I grew up and went to school," said Kafton. "I look forward to getting to know all of the families and staff at Danbury Catholic."     Karly, the daughter of Joann and Tim Treiber, grew up on an acreage just south of Danbury. Now as an adult, Karly and her husband of 4 years, Brody and their 2-year old son Asher live just a little farther south on an acreage.     The Briar Cliff University graduate has spent the last 5 years teaching at MVAO Elementary in Mapleton. She has taught both fourth and fifth grade.     Karly enjoys spending time with her "little family" the most. She also enjoys being on the farm, golfing, and chasing her toddler around.

Mrs. Lori Phillips Physical Ed     Mrs. Lori Philips has been a high school Spanish teacher (fun fact - DC Principal Molly Petersen was one of her students), K-12 Guidance Counselor, K-12 ESL and K-12 Administrator. She is adding another teaching area to her portfolio. She is teaching PE at DC this year.     The Morningside College and University of South Dakota grad taught for 32 years before retiring in 2021.     The rural Mapleton native is the daughter of Joyce and Chuck Tromp. She and her husband Steve live in Ida Grove. Steve is employed at Midwest Industries. They are blessed to have most of their children and grandchildren living in the area. Brian lives in Battle Creek with his daughter Camryn; Noelle lives outside of Battle Creek with her children Lily and Beau; Casey lives in Pleasant Hill; Kaci lives in Danbury; and Jillian and her family live in Battle Creek.     Lori enjoys enjoy flower gardening and helping with her grandchildren.

Mrs. Barb Hansen Music     Along with her singing voice, Mrs. Barb Hansen brings a total of 45 years of teaching experience to Danbury Catholic. This will be her first stint as a music teacher.     "I've always loved music - singing and playing the piano, organ, and French horn," said Hansen. "I'm excited to have fun in music at Danbury Catholic."     Barb Spent 33 years teaching upper elementary school at Sac City and at Westwood in Sloan. The last 12 years she has spent time in a variety of schools as a substitute teacher.     Barb received her education at Northwestern College.     A Pierson native, Barb and her husband, Donovan live in rural Smithland. They have two sons, Jeremy and Heath, and 3 grandkids.     Barb enjoys watching and playing sports, 4-wheeling, and playing cards.

Mrs. Alycen O'Neal
5th Grade

    Mrs. Alycen O'Neal begins her fifth year of teaching with fifth graders at MVAO Elementary.
    "I am very excited to be joining the MVAO community," she exclaimed.
    Alycen, a Correctionville native, currently lives in rural Smithland with her husband, Andrew (a Ram graduate) and their 1-year old son, William. The family will be growing a little more as they have a baby on the way.
    Alycen received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from University of South Dakota in 2021 and received her Master's degree in Educational Leadership from Northwest Missouri State University in 2022. She taught third grade for the past 4 years.
    Alycen's interests include golfing, boating in Okoboji, cooking, and spending time with their family and friends.

Ms. Elizabeth Ross
Band

    Ms. Elizabeth Ross will get very comfortable with the road between Mapleton and Anthon as the band director for grades 5-12.
    "I am so excited to be part of the MVAO community," exclaimed Elizabeth.    The Cherokee native received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Morningside University in Sioux City. Entering her ninth year of teaching, she has previously taught at River Valley, Woodbury Central, and Seymour. She very recently made her new home in Mapleton.
    Elizabeth's interests include all things musical, reading, weight lifting and exercising in general, improving her cooking skills, and being with family and friends.