New staff gear up for start of school on September 5

WAITSBURG-Waitsburg High School students will meet new staff when they arrive for the first day of school on September 5. Five certified educators have joined Matt Elder, Gabe Kiefel, Nicole Abel, and Kathy Pradere to prepare for the new school year.

The new faces include Joe Wirtzberger, the new Middle and High School Principal, and the Athletic Director. His wife, Dusty Wirtzberger, has been hired as a P-12 special education teacher.

The couple live in the Tri-Cities and worked at the Wahluke School District for the last seven years. Joe Wirtzberger was a behavior specialist, special education teacher, and instructional coach; Dusty Wirtzberger was a special education teacher. While at Wahluke, they earned their dual master's degrees in school administration special education.

"I believe relationships are the key to being successful, and I look forward to building positive relationships with staff, students, and the community and being accessible to everyone," he said.

The principal continued, "My goal at Waitsburg is to create an environment where each student and staff member feels they belong and treasure their experience here in our schools while having high standards and a commitment to do things the right way."

He looks forward to having the opportunity to meet community members at the upcoming school events.

Dusty Wirtzberger is excited to start her journey in Waitsburg as the special education director. She said she would not be where she is today without her family support system.

"My goals are to have an open line of communication with parents and the community. I look forward to helping students embrace learning, developing strong work ethics, and creating a vision for success," she said.

As the special education director, she shared, "Every student has an opportunity for success, and my goal in the special education department is to help guide them," said Dusty.

Joe and Dusty have two grown sons and one grandson. Though commuting from the Tri-Cities, they plan to spend a lot of time in Waitsburg to build positive relationships with students, staff, parents, and the community.

Shannon (Wyatt) Schreindl is a 1994 Waitsburg High School graduate. She taught special education while co-teaching English at College Place High School for seven years.

"This year, I plan to build on the great foundation already laid by those before me.  We are going to learn how to think, build pride in our school, and have fun," said Schreindl.

She lives in Walla Walla with her husband and four children. "I am so excited to be back 'home.'" 

"Everyone has been so kind and so welcoming," she added. "I cannot wait to meet my new 'kids' and become a Cardinal again."

Maia Fastabend comes to the district entering her 14th year as an educator. She spent most of her career teaching middle school math and physical education in Southern Oregon. She has worked in administration for the Milton-Freewater School District for the last five years.

"This upcoming school year, I look forward to meeting all the students in the Waitsburg School District and hope to introduce and help each student find an interest in physical education, whether that be pickleball, walking, or organized sports like basketball and soccer," said Fastabend.

She moved to the Walla Walla Valley for work and to raise her family. She has two young boys, ages eighteen months and four.

JJ Calzadillas comes to Waitsburg from the Wahluke School District, where he taught a little bit of everything, including offering a barbershop class.

He has been working in education for seven years and has been involved in athletics for 29 years.

This school year, Calzadillas will teach subjects including business, culinary arts, yearbook, and career explorations. He will coach middle school football and high school girls basketball. He hopes to continue coaching spring sports as well.

"My goals for this year are to have students walk away enjoying what they have learned and to create some lasting memories. I also want to build as many relationships as possible with my students and coworkers. My expectations for this year are for students to simply work hard and be curious in their learning," said Calzadillas.

He lives in Benton City with his high school sweetheart, whom he married in 1995. They have four grown daughters and four grandchildren. "We are a huge sports family as we all coach volleyball, basketball and softball. We enjoy are time together very much!"

JJ is super excited to be here in Waitsburg and looks forward to meeting everyone.