With a new ‘normal’ school year starting at Windsor High School, the demand for teachers has risen. The special education department has especially changed this year with the arrival of five new teachers. Chris Brummer, Megan Medley, Desiree Oestricker, Kallie Federhofer and Alex Moss have all signed onto the Windsor special education team for the 2021-2022 year. 

Because of the position changes, Melissa Pennycook was appointed the new head of the Special Education department. Pennycook is very enthusiastic about this position and is looking forward to guiding her coworkers. 

“It is kind of a liaison between our principals and our special education department, so I get notified of things and share that with our department. And if we have any issues with our department, I go and figure those things out,” Pennycook said.  

Being the buffer between the principals entails dealing with any issues or concerns regarding their routine. 

Since there are so many new faces, Pennycook has had to go through the basics and show them the ropes. 

“I have to be more helpful…I need to help all of our new people especially because three of them are pretty much brand new teachers, two of them have had experience. So, they don’t know a lot of our stuff and four of them aren’t from Windsor,” Pennycook said.  

Even though they are new, Pennycook enjoys her new coworkers.

“So far, they’ve been great. They’re willing to do whatever, they seem to be dedicated. They’re excited, so I was really happy to see that. They’re nervous, which is normal,” Pennycook said.  Despite the new teachers being nervous, assistant principal Rachel Montgomery seems to have confidence in them. 

“I’m excited. We’ve got a mixture of some brand new folks as far as teaching experience, but then we also have folks that have come to us with a great deal of experience,” Montgomery said. 

Brummer previously worked at Windsor Middle School and has since taken the math position in the special education department. Medley was a paraprofessional at Festus and works with the history department. Oestricker, who works with the science department, previously worked at the Missouri School for the Blind. In the English department, Federhofer took the spot after coming from the Lindbergh district as a paraprofessional.  Moss graduated from Windsor and was previously a paraprofessional at Freer. He now works with the math department. 

Trying to figure out the Windsor High School system is hard enough for students, but as a special education teacher, it can be unpredictable and challenging. 

 “The most important thing is making sure we’re abiding by the IEP and communicating that effectively with the staff,” Montgomery said. 

Just like every department, there are expectations that should be met. Montgomery wants them to feel supported by the other staff and the administration.

“Lastly, making sure that they themselves are being supported by administration and getting the opportunity to meet the rest of staff beyond their special education department. And being familiar with the Windsor C-1 school district and more importantly the high school,” Montgomery said.