Rocky Mountain Elementary and Middle/High School

Morgan Haley

College: Casper College & Texas Tech University 

What and where do you teach and/or coach?

I teach Ag and Science at Rocky Mountain Middle/High School. I am also the Rocky Mountain FFA advisor 

What is your background? Where are you from? What is your professional experience?

I was born and raised in Greybull. I grew up going to school in Big Horn County School District #3. Throughout middle school and high school, I was very involved in sports (swimming, basketball, track and soccer) and FFA. I was also very involved with shows on the county, state and national level showing hogs and sheep. After graduating Greybull High School, I attended Casper College and received my associate’s degree in general agriculture. While attending Casper College, I was a member of the livestock judging team. After graduating Casper College, I transferred to Texas Tech University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in agriculture education and was also on the livestock judging team under Ryan Rathmen. After graduation this last May, I moved back to Wyoming.

Tell us about your family.

I am the daughter of Mike and Tracy Haley. I am also the middle child between two brothers. We like to hang out and spend our time outdoors, hunting and fishing. As a family, we also grew up showing sheep and hogs. My family now runs a small pig operation where we sell quality show hogs to local youth to showcase at county fairs.

Why did you get into education as a profession, and what do you like the most about teaching?

The major reason that I went into the teaching profession is, at a young age in my own ag class, my ag teacher (Jared Boardman) helped me realize my true passion for ag. My hope as a teacher is to also inspire students to find their passion for agriculture and help grow a fading industry. This will better our communities, country and world in future generations. 

Erica Griffin

College: Indiana State University

What and where do you teach and/or coach? 

Art teacher for Rocky Mountain Middle/High School

What is your background? Where are you from? What is your professional experience?

I grew up in Marshall, Illinois. I completed my BS in art education at Indiana State University while working in law enforcement, specifically corrections, for 16 years. Before completing my degree in 2012, I had enlisted in the U.S. Army (National Guard) and served six years.

Tell us about your family. 

My husband, Kevin, and I relocated here three years ago from Indiana with our daughter, Harper, who is at RMMS, and our son, Hank, who is at RMES.

Why did you get into education as a profession, and what do you like the most about teaching?

I enjoy interacting with students and watching them progress in their communication and expression of their ideas, thoughts and views.

What is your teaching philosophy? How do you get the most out of students and inspire them to learn?

I believe that building relationships and rapport with students is important in providing a safe learning environment, while still maintaining expectations and boundaries, and is the key for motivating students’ learning. I also enjoy the challenge of finding ways to adapt my lessons and approach to make learning more relevant for students.

What are you most looking forward to this school year?

I look forward to teaching art, but more so, instilling a love of the arts for my students and watching them express themselves and progress their talents.

Sonya Koltes

College: Northwest College

What and where do you teach and/or coach? 

I’m a paraprofessional in Special Education, Life Skills.

What is your background? Where are you from? What is your professional experience?

I’m originally from Pensacola, Florida. I moved to Wyoming in 1999. I have lived in the Lovell/Cowley area since 2009. I have been working as an in-home health care worker for about 15 years. I have worked with many of our seniors to keep them in their homes safely. I have worked as a CNA at the New Horizons Care Center.

Tell us about your family.

I have five children: one daughter in Cody, one daughter in Lovell, two sons in Cowley and one son in Byron. I have seven grandchildren. 

Why did you get into education as a profession, and what do you like the most about teaching?

I wanted to work in our public school system and help children with special needs. I love the joy the kids have about learning new life skills. I love assisting the teachers in their daily schedules.

What is your teaching philosophy? How do you get the most out of students and inspire them to learn?

I believe all children are unique. They learn and grow in so many different ways. I also feel they best grow socially, emotionally and mentally when they are happy and feel comfortable in their school environment. If you treat your students with respect and truly believe in them, they will excel in all aspects of their lives.

What are you most looking forward to this school year?

I am looking forward to watching all of our students grow into young adults and be confident in themselves and what they can achieve.

Sheril Slater

College: Northwest College, Chadron State College

What and where do you teach and/or coach?

Paraprofessional RMMHS

What is your background? Where are you from? What is your professional experience?

I grew up outside of Cowley (it’s good to be home) and graduated from RMHS. I attended Northwest College and then went on to Chadron State College. During my college career I was a part of various choir and band performing groups. I was also on the cheer team at both schools. I received my BS in K-12 music education in 2001. I have taught music for 15 years. The past 11 have been in Kemmerer, where I taught K-6 general music. I taught fun classes like recorders, jazz, ukuleles and African drumming. I also taught in Belfry for three years K-12, as well as a year in Basin K-8. I am Orff I and II certified, and I’m looking forward to adding Orff III soon. Orff is a technique of teaching where we explore music through singing, moving, playing unpitched and pitched percussion instruments, recorder and improving. I have coached cheer for four years in Kemmerer and 11 years in total. I have started three theater programs, doing fun musicals like “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” “Guys and Dolls JR,” “Adams Family” and many more.

Tell us about your family.

I have two beautiful daughters, Shalin and Denna. Shalin is a freshman at Northwest majoring in music technology, and Denna is a sophomore in high school. I was able to coach both in cheer and direct them in two musicals, which was the best experience. They are super talented in everything they do. We share the same passion for musical theater, so we travel to see musicals often.

We also have our pet family members that include my pet pig Pumba and five crazy dogs. That completes our wild and crazy family.

Why did you get into education as a profession, and what do you like the most about teaching?

I knew I was going to be a teacher in fifth grade and decided in high school to go into music and never looked back. I got into education to share my love of music with students. I find pure enjoyment in watching each student find success in my classroom. Like that sixth grader who has never auditioned for a solo, and they come up and knock it out of the park. Or a first grader reading the lyrics to a song for the first time. Although challenging at times, I still find joy in every single day.

What is your teaching philosophy? How do you get the most out of students and inspire them to learn?

My philosophy is that every student is a rock star at something, and it is our job as educators to find it and foster it. We have to relate to each student no matter how hard it sometimes can be. I enjoy attending clinics and classes to improve my skills. This helps me become a better teacher by keeping up on music and learning new techniques to reach every student. I believe that if you show you care about students, they will find success, in and out of the classroom. Students that may struggle in other classes can come to my room and show their skills in music which could be more than in the general ed classes. This helps self-esteem and self-worth. There is no better joy than watching students face light up when they get a concept for the first time.

What are you most looking forward to this school year?

I am looking forward to learning a new part of teaching, helping students be successful in all the subject areas. It is a new adventure, working in the classroom with 7-12 grade students rather than elementary students. I am looking forward to an exciting year.

Lovell Elementary School

Emilie Asay

College: Northwest College, University of Wyoming, Utah State University

What and where do you teach and/or coach?

Lovell Elementary School—music teacher

What is your background? Where are you from? What is your professional experience?

Growing up in Lovell, I was very fortunate to have enjoyed a rich musical education. I was a student for whom music was a reward for going to school some days. I continued to be very fortunate in the quality music education I received at Northwest College and the University of Wyoming, having received many opportunities to study under some of the current greats in music performance and education. Throughout those years of studying, I taught piano lessons and worked in afterschool programs and performed as much as I could. In the last two years, I have worked to complete my social work degree, combining it with my education credentials at Utah State University. My work has continued with afterschool programs and private lessons and, most recently, the accompanist for the Lovell middle and high school choirs. 

Tell us about your family.

My roots are deep in the town of Lovell and the state of Wyoming, and I’m really proud of that. 

Those roots are about as musical as they come, too. I am very fortunate to have been able to move home to be back in our wonderful community. I have the legacies of many to uphold.

Why did you get into education as a profession, and what do you like the most about teaching?

I have always known that I would end up teaching in some capacity, even when I tried at several points in my college journey to stray from education completely. Teaching and sharing knowledge with children comes naturally to me, so I could never stay away for long. I love being able to share what is so special to me with others. Music offers a place for anyone and everyone, and being able to help young people find their niche in that world is a privilege. Holding so many futures in one’s hands feels incredibly daunting some days, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

What is your teaching philosophy? How do you get the most out of students and inspire them to learn?

I have had the same answer to this question for years: teaching is fleeting, but education is forever. We may forget who taught us something, but what they taught us sticks. I feel that the job of an educator is to offer the tools that allow students to flourish in whatever way they determine is best for them. Allowing students to have a certain level of creative freedom gives educators more room to focus on building relationships with those they teach. This is critical in helping to raise creative, adjusted and decent humans. I enjoy getting to know students’ interests and aspirations in order to figure out how I can best help them to flourish.

What are you most looking forward to this school year?

I am very excited to bring some change to the LES music program while keeping up with tradition. I am following one of the best acts in the business, after all. I am really looking forward to getting to know the students and learning their strengths and interests. We have a lot of really exciting changes in the works, but we won’t be straying too far from what we all know and love.