New teachers welcomed at Waitsburg schools

WAITSBURG - Four teachers have joined the Waitsburg School District for the 2024-25 school year.  Westin Wallace and Kim Hamann teach in the high school, Kimberly McNarland teaches physical education K-12, and Donovan Romero is a teacher at Preston Hall.

 Wallace graduated high school in the farming town of Toledo, Washington.  He said he was proud that his father and grandfather still work on the family farm, like many families in Waitsburg. After high school, Wallace attended South Puget Sound Community College before transferring to Eastern Washington University.

Karen Huwe

HIgh School teacher Westin Wallace

 Wallace teaches US History, World History, CWP, Intro to Law, and Economics in his first-year teaching position.  He will also be head coach for the boys high school basketball team.  

 Wallace and his wife Hunter were married this August. He is supported by many family members and mentors who work in education, including his mother. 

 "I am excited for this year and cannot wait to connect with the students and people of Waitsburg.  My biggest goal is to establish something special and grow so that ultimately, I will not be known as the coach who teaches history, but as a great history teacher, a great coach, a great member of the Cardinal community, a mentor, and a person," said Wallace.

 Hamann graduated from Waitsburg High School in 2014 and received an Associate of Arts in Human and Social Services at Walla Walla Community College.  She earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Services at Central Washington University.

Karen Huwe

Kimberly Hamann graduated from the Waitsburg School District

 Hamann was a Career Services Specialist at Walla Walla Community College before taking the position at Waitsburg.  In her first-year teaching, she will provide various class choices and academic counseling to secondary students.  Subjects include career exploration, health, relationships, life management, yearbook, and journalism. 

Hamann's goal for the school year is to provide a strong foundation that allows students to be successful and self-sufficient following high school.

She and her husband, Joe, have a ten-month-old daughter, Nora.

The district's new K-12 physical education teacher, McNarland, graduated from Walla Walla University after graduating McLoughlin Union High School. This will be her twelfth year teaching, most recently, Pre-K at Walla Walla Center for Children and Families, and she has experience in all physical education grades. Her husband, Ajay, is a physical education teacher in the Dayton School District. They have a seven-month-old daughter, Joelle.

 McNarland will teach K-12 physical education at Waitsburg and is married to Ajay, a physical education teacher in Dayton.  They have a seven-month-old daughter, Joelle.

Karen Huwe

Kimberly McNarland is the K-12 physical education teacher

 "I want all kids to have fun and take something away from my class that they will enjoy for their life," said McNarland.

 At Preston Hall, middle school students will be taught math by Donovan Romero.  Romero graduated from Walla Walla High School and completed a degree in secondary math education at Eastern Washington University.

 Romero comes to the district after working a year as a long-term substitute teacher at Pioneer Middle School in Walla Walla.  This is his first year as a contracted teacher and his goal is to help students see the value of math and its role in their futures.

Karen Huwe

Donovan Romero is teaching math at Preston Hall

He and his wife Kaytlyn have a six-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.