Harlem Junior/Senior High School Hires Five New Faculty Members

Ambitious, dedicated, passionate, and goal-oriented are some of the attributes that describe the newest members of the teaching faculty at Harlem Junior/Senior High School. Principal, Bonnie Nesslar welcomes five members to her faculty and staff.

Joining the Harlem Junior/Senior High School (HHS) as the junior high math instructor, Jessica Stiffarm is an enrolled member of the Aaniiih tribe from Fort Belknap, Montana. She herself graduated from Harlem High School before going on to earn advanced degrees at Salish-Kootenai College and Montana State University-Northern (MSUN). She has also worked and taught at Aaniiih Nakoda College for eleven years.

The math department welcomes a second math professional who joins the department as a high school instructor. Ronald C. Donceras will teach Algebra I and II, as well as Geometry. Donceras is from the Philippines where he taught Basic and Advanced Algebra, Linear Algebra, Probability and Statistics, and Education Research for twelve years. In 2020, he finished his Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Science Education with a major in mathematics. Dr. Donceras also holds a Master of Arts Degree in Education with a major in math (2013) and a Bachelor of Secondary Education Degree (2009). He is the author of journal articles reporting his research work and of the textbook Math for Innovative Minds for tenth graders in the Philippines, published in 2020 and copyrighted in 2021. He has also served on the Board of Reviewers of the Philippines' Department of Education, developing mathematics curriculum and reviewing textbooks.

Josephine Querimit-or "Joy" as her colleagues refer to her-was also born and educated in the Philippines. As a Health and Physical Education (P.E.) teacher, she wanted to explore her opportunities in the teaching field while learning new cultures and broadening her techniques for handling health and P.E. topics. Passionate about teaching, she believes she excels in the physical education arena because she is "naturally athletic and very much interested in sports and physical activities."

Prior to coming to Harlem, she served as a P.E. teacher in Yuma, Arizona, for two years and in the Philippines for 15. Aside from being a full-time P.E. teacher in her home country, she served as Academic Chairperson in Technology and Livelihood Education/Home Economics, Music, Arts, P.E. and Health. She also authored books for grade 9 and 10, entitled Linking Electronics for the 21st Century Learner. She earned her master's degree in Physical Education and Sports in 2014 and holds a second master's degree in Special Education with a major in Autism and Cognitive Developmental Delay.

Calling herself a people-person, Querimit is excited for what she anticipates will be "another amazing year teaching Physical Education and Health at Harlem High School." Her favorite aspect of teaching is seeing the appreciation for learning that she imparts to her students. Dedicated to life-long learning and excited for that which is different, Querimit seeks to continuously grow both personally and professionally. "This new experience in the United States of America is not about my being a learning facilitator but about my learning from a new school environment, fellow educators, and, of course, my students."

Stepping into the Industrial Arts program is another recent graduate from MSUN. Trenton Woodward grew up in Three Forks, Montana. A player of both football and basketball while in high school, Woodward credits sports with keeping him focused. When he wasn't playing sports, he worked in construction or went fishing and hunting as often as he could. Upon graduation from Three Forks High School, he attended MSUN and played football for the Lights from 2015-2020. He graduated from MSUN in the spring of 2020 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with an Industrial Technologies emphasis. In the past year, he worked for a general contractor in Havre and has approximately six years of experience in the construction field.

"This will be my first teaching job, and I am excited to be a Wildcat," Woodward expressed. He went on to say: "My goals are simple, I want my students to achieve life-long knowledge that they are going to be able to use in real-life scenarios. That is the whole idea behind teaching Industrial Technologies. I want my students leaving my class with some type of skill or knowledge that they did not possess at the beginning of the course. I hope to continue to grow by finding new and progressive ideas in the construction fields and incorporating them into the classroom."

Rounding out the famous five, is the new agriculture teacher: Kylee Urie. Urie graduated in May of 2021 from Utah State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Education. Having grown up farming, ranching, and rodeoing, she possesses a passion for both agriculture and teaching. An FFA member all through school, Urie has continued with the program as an alum and a collegiate member. She and her husband live in Turner, Montana.

"I am excited to be in Harlem working with such great students in shop, greenhouse, and agriculture classes," Urie stated.

About this group, Nesslar said: "The staff and students welcome them into our Harlem family. We are very excited about having them here and are looking forward to many great things from them as they make themselves at home. They are a great addition to our highly qualified staff."