New PHS Staff for the 2022-2023 School Year

Travis Armknecht is an English teacher and the new ECHO Yearbook and Pirate Press Newspaper advisor. Armknecht has an eight-year-old son, a cat whose birthday is coming up this month, and a 5-year-old Chiweenie. Why did you choose to teach English and Journalism? "My undergrad degree is in Journalism/Theater. I have taught theater in the past, and I found that Theater and Journalism aren't th...

Jared Beucke is the new assistant principal for students whose last names are P-Z. His office is room H200, right outside the H-wing on the second floor.  Are you married, have kids, or have pets? "I have been married for 17 years. I have three daughters Ella an 11-year-old; Caroline, a nine-year-old; and Hannah, a six-year-old. We have a 9-month-old Yellow Lab named Luna."   What...

Stephanie Carson is a new teacher at Pattonville High School teaching computer science. Have you taught at any schools before Pattonville? If so, where and how long? "I have been teaching for 16 years, the past 15 have been at Hazelwood West High School and this year here at PHS."   What made you want to teach? "I have wanted to be a teacher since 4th grade, but it was my Algeb...

Brandon Clark is a new math teacher at PHS. This is is first teaching job after working as an engineer after college. He is currently engaged with 3 cats. Why did you choose to teach the subject/class that you teach? "I decided to become a teacher s o I could help people and make our society better. I was an engineer before so that developed the interest in math. Loved math all through school ...

Mike Cobb-Schuetz is a device specialist at PHS. Why did you choose to go into this profession? "Well, I was involved in an extended learning opportunity my senior year of high school, then I did substituting the year after in between my gap year, and then I just kind of fell in the roll. I got hired at Drummond Elementary and I worked there for three years and here I am."   Have you worked at any other schools,...

David Duncan is a new device specialist at Pattonville High School. He previously worked at Willowbrook where he taught 4th grade. Have you worked anywhere else before Pattonville? “I used to be an IT recruiter, so I spent many years working with fortune five companies working on building high-level IT teams for companies, projects, etc. One of the major projects I did -all the electroni...

Tamika Duncan is the current secretary for Head Principal Teisha Ashford. She has three daughters; two of them are twins and Pattonville graduates of the Class of 2016, and has a five-month-old Morkie Poo. Have you been at other schools in Pattonville before PHS? "I started with the district in 2012 at Drummond Elementary. Then in 2018, [I] became one of three secretaries in the Student Services ...

Josh Galati is new to the district as a Special School District Teacher. What made you become a Special School District Teacher? "Always loved working with students, especially with students who need more support. I started a program at North Tech that was strictly special ed and enjoyed every bit of it."   What made you want to teach? "Teachers had a very big influence on my life. We all ...

Max Grasser is a new history teacher at PHS. Prior to teaching at Pattonville, he was a teacher assistant/long-term substitute for Ladue School District. Why did you choose to teach history? "I chose history because it is a topic that I am passionate about. I love studying the past and seeing how things used to be. I also love making those connections between the past and the modern world. It...

Ashley Green is a new Spanish teacher at PHS. She is not married and does not have any kids or pets, but has been doing long-distance with her partner for four and a half years from here to Spain. What made you want to teach? "I wanted to teach because I wanted to make a difference in my student's lives and help them discover new opportunities and perspectives for themselves through speaking another...

Tanya Hadley is the new guidance office secretary. She has one daughter who is 21 years old and 10 step-children so she keeps a pretty busy life. What made you decide on Pattonville? "Growing up, I lived in the Ritenour School District in Breckenridge Hills and had MANY friends who attended Pattonville schools. My friends and acquaintances always spoke very highly of Pattonville students and...

Megan Harrison is a current counselor at Pattonville. In her previous years, she interned at Pattonville and loved the environment. Are you married, have kids, or have pets? "I am married; in September, it will be nine years."   What made you want to be a secretary? "I started off teaching 8th grade math. I really loved teaching math, but my students would often come to me when ...

Madison Hart, soon to be Madison Lehmann, is one of the newest English teachers at Pattonville High School. This is her first teaching job out of college. What made you want to teach? “I've always wanted to be a teacher. I realized I specifically wanted to teach English when I was a sophomore in high school.”   If you could pass on any wisdom to your students, what would you sh...

Paige Jester is a physics teacher at PHS. Are you married, have kids, or have any pets? "I am married and have two rescue dogs."   What made you want to teach? "AP Physics was my favorite class in High School because it changed how I saw the world and showed me that I was much more capable of overcoming challenges than I thought. I started teaching because I wanted to give stud...

Cody Kimmerle is a new science teacher at Pattonville. Kimmerle has taught at three schools before Pattonville, six years at Brookfield High School, one year at Riverview Gardens High School, and two years at Winfield High School. If you could pass on any wisdom to your students, what would you share? "Everyone is different and learns differently. You need to find what works for you so you are...

Therese Leonard is the new family and consumer science teacher who taught at Trinity Catholic for 15 years and Hazelwood Central Middle School last year. What is your morning routine? "I like to arrive [to work] early, usually about 6:30, drink my coffee, eat breakfast (usually a protein bar) and answer emails. I make sure all my materials are ready to go for the class day and then visit with ...

Yanellie LoParco is the new community service secretary and taught in a special needs preschool in Bronx, New York, before moving to St. Louis in 2013. Are you married, have kids, or have pets?  "I'm engaged and have seven kids total, four boys of my own and three step-kids, three crazy dogs, and a cat."   Why did you decide to be at Pattonville? "The experiences I have had with my kids being in the ...

Jennifer Mangiapanello is new to Pattonville and is an SSD teacher. Are you married or have any kids or pets? "I am married, we have three cats, and my husband and I are foster parents, so it kind of depends on the time of year how many kids we have."   Why did you choose to teach as an SSD teacher? "I have been teaching special education for 20 years and was excited to switch to...

Christopher McCulloch is a new English Language teacher at PHS. Previously he had taught in Belgium and Japan. Why did you choose to teach the subject/class that you teach? "I guess I chose to go the EL route after teaching abroad in Belgium and Japan. I had my certification to teach elementary school but after working with students abroad and teaching them English, I decided to make the sw...

Allison McNamera is a new Spanish teacher for PHS. She just moved to St. Louis from Arizona where she previously taught. Why did you choose to teach the subject/class that you teach? "Mr. Bailey was my high school Spanish teacher. He helped me through many hardships and challenges in high school and I decided that I wanted to do the same for other students. So I decided to become Mr. Bailey." ...

Mike Mooney is a permanent substitute teacher. He was a Maryland Heights police officer for 35 years, 26 of which he was assigned to either schools or working with youth in the community. Why did you decide on Pattonville?  “I have been here [at Pattonville] for years and I’m kind of transitioning into retirement and I thought this was a good way to do it because I’m comfortable with t...

Raghib Muhammad is the new Business Education Teacher at PHS. He taught at Ferguson-Florissant School District as a teacher for 14 years before coming to PHS, and is married and has two sons. Why did you choose to teach business classes? "I LOVE business. Since I was a student in high school, I wanted to teach business or be involved in business in some capacity."   What would students be surprised to find out ab...

Lauren Negrete is a new English language learner teacher at Pattonville High School as of this year. Why did you choose to teach the subject/class that you teach? "I chose to teach English Learners because I loved learning Spanish when I was in high school and I studied linguistics in college. It seemed like a perfect fit for me, and it was!"   Have you taught at any schools before Pattonvil...

Chantel Nickens is a new teacher at Pattonville High School in the math department. What made you want to teach? "I wanted to teach because school with my friends, teachers, and coaches was my safe place and a place where I had opportunities. I would like to do the same for students."   Why did you decide to teach at Pattonville?? "I wanted to move to Pattonville because of the reputa...

Mindy Riding is an English teacher who teaches English 1 and 2. She hopes her students remember her as someone who held them to high expectations and someone who cared about them. Why did you choose to teach the subject/class that you teach? "I chose to teach English because I always enjoyed writing, and I had teachers along the way who told me I was good at it, which gave me confidence. I've...

William Roach is Pattonville High School's newest LTA. What made you get into the technology field? "Just in my free time, I liked different technology things and loved to work on different technology so, I figured why not change a hobby into a job."   What made you work at Pattonville instead of at a technology repair store? "I do coaching in my free time, so I just like helping...

Maria Saunders is a current secretary at PHS. She is married and has three kids; one 12-year-old daughter, and two sons; one nine-year-old and one eight-year-old. If you could pass on any wisdom to students, what would you share? "Remember to focus on what is the BEST for YOU in the long run. Do not procrastinate, get your work done and study for that test. Get involved in extracurricular activ...

Jacob Stahlhut is a new permanent substitute at Pattonville High School. He is married with one dog. Prior to PHS, he taught at Tarpon Springs Middle School in Tarpon Springs, Florida for one year. What made you decide to teach? "I had really good teachers growing up in Pattonville and wanted to be just like them. I also have a family full of teachers."   Why did you choose to teach at Pattonville? ...

Caleb Stroop is the new physical education teacher at the High School after teaching at Drummond Elementary for 4 years. Why did you choose to teach the subject that you teach? "I’ve always loved PE growing up and finding ways to motivate students through sports. Whenever I was in high school, my favorite teachers were my PE and sports coaches, so being able to have that same impact on stud...

Laura Thomson is a new art teacher at Pattonville High School. Thomson is joining Pattonville High School as a new staff member after teaching at Hazelwood West for a year and doing her student teaching at Pattonville in 2021. Why did you decide to teach at Pattonville? "I knew Pattonville is where I wanted to end up after my student teaching experience! Pattonville has a culture that inspi...

Andrew Wall is the current District Technology Specialist at Pattonville high school. Have you worked at any schools before Pattonville?  "I worked in the Orchard Farm district for 7 years, and worked in the Francis Howell district for 7 years before that"   Are you married, have kids or pets? "I have two kids that are 7 and 9. Two cats that are both 14 years old"  ...

Allison Wills is a new English teacher at PHS. Last year, she student taught at Eureka High School. What would students be surprised to find out about you? "I am a pianist--though I haven't practiced in a while. I was classically trained but started playing jazz in a jazz combo called Cosmic Latte in high school."   If you could pass on any wisdom to your students, what would yo...