Ronda Ison has recently taken the English 9 and English 11 position at Pittsburg High School. This will be Ison’s 8th year of teaching.

“I graduated from Pittsburg High School and I always wanted to come back as a teacher,” Ison said. “USD 250 has high quality teachers and administration which is another reason I wanted to teach at PHS.”

According to Ison, the transition into PHS wasn’t difficult because she was already familiar with some of the faculty in the building.

“I have always enjoyed literature and all of the English classes I had when in high school,” Ison said. “As a student at Pittsburg High School, I had amazing English teachers that were an inspiration to me.”

Ison previously taught at another school in the USD 250 district, Pittsburg Community Middle School. In addition to teaching at PCMS, Ison also taught at Southeast High School.

“My favorite part of teaching is getting to know the students,” Ison said. “The juniors in my class did a presentation about themselves and it was fun to see their personalities.”

According to Ison, knew that PHS was the place for her because everyone was very welcoming and kind throughout the interview process.

“I had many wonderful teachers throughout my life and hope I can make a positive impact on the lives of my students,” Ison said. “It feels great to be a Dragon!”

This year, Pittsburg High School has hired many new staff members. Among them the district has hired a new business teacher, Anna Gudde.

Gudde teaches Launch, Business Essentials, Financial Literacy and Principles of Marketing at PHS.

“This is my fourth year teaching,” Gudde said. “Before teaching I worked in industry, specifically at Pitsco Education and the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce over the course of fourteen years. I’ve lived in Pittsburg for the majority of my life.”

Before becoming a teacher at PHS Gudde previously taught business at Riverton High School.

“The transition [to PHS] has gone smoothly and I feel like this is home for me,” Gudde said. “I love being around people and I’ve always enjoyed the school setting.”

According to Gudde, she wasn’t originally looking for a teaching position but after one conversation with PHS’ principal Kelynn Heardt, she decided to apply for the position.

“I left feeling pretty confident about this opportunity and later that day I received the job offer,” Gudde said. “When opportunities like this go smoothly you know it was meant to be!”

Overall, Gudde said she believes that PHS is the right place for her.

“The school culture among teachers and administration is unique and forward thinking,” Gudde said. “The Launch program that I am a part of now also stood out to me and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far.”

A new edition to Pittsburg High School is American History and U.S. Government teacher Summer Medsker. 

“I love connecting with the younger generation and learning from them,” Medsker said. “Getting to know my students is my favorite part of teaching!”

Medsker went to college at Pittsburg State University and now this is her first year of teaching.

“I have a passion for advocacy,” Medsker said. “I love sticking up for the quiet underdog. The future of the world is in these classrooms!”

To apply for her position, Medsker was interviewed by members of PHS’ social studies department as well as members of administration. According to Medsker, the interview went well, and she really appreciated knowing what questions to expect throughout the process.

“ I feel that I have adapted [to PHS] nicely,” Medsker said. “I have all the resources I could need, and a great team supporting me!”

Overall, Medsker believes that she has adjusted well to becoming a new staff member at PHS. 

“PHS is unique,” Medsker said. “It is just small enough that I have the opportunity to individually know my students but large enough that everyone has a place.”

There are many new editions to Pittsburg High School’s staff, among them is English 9 and English 10 teacher, Mason Shrader.

This is Shrader’s first year as a teacher, although for the spring semester of the 2023-2024 school year he was a long-term substitute at another school in the district, Pittsburg Community Middle School.

“I think my favorite part of being a teacher is seeing the look of realization or understanding on students’ faces as they begin to understand a complex topic,” Shrader said. 

Shrader attended college at Pittsburg State University, where he got the opportunity to work with many USD250 schools as a part of his undergraduate degree.

“PHS belongs to one of the larger districts in the area and I got multiple opportunities to student teach at PCMS and PHS when I was going through my undergraduate degree,” Shrader said. “When it came time to look for a place to work, the Pittsburg school district was one that stood out above the rest.”

According to Shrader, he has adapted well to working at PHS, due to previously working in the same school district.

“I became a teacher so that I could have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of students,” Shrader said. “Originally, I also wanted to find a job that would make me happy and content and after becoming a teacher I am certain I made the right choice.” 

Johnathan Stark has recently taken the credit recovery position at Pittsburg High School. This will be Stark’s eighth year of teaching.

“I’ve taught at De Soto High School, Uniontown High School, and El Dorado Springs High School,” Stark said. 

Stark grew up in Fort Scott and attended college at MidAmerica Nazarene University to acquire his degree.

“I grew up in Fort Scott and was familiar with the distinguished reputation of USD 250,” Stark said. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to work here.”

Credit recovery was previously taught in the 2023-2024 school year by Bridget Lancaster, before Stark took over the job this year.

“I think all students need to have somebody in their life who believes in them and pushes them to achieve great things,” Stark said. “I want to be that for my students.”

As well as being the credit recovery teacher, Stark is an assistant coach for PHS’ varsity football team where he coaches varsity quarterbacks and is the special teams coordinator.

“The best part about teaching is some of the relationships you build with students and co-workers,” Stark said. “I love working in a building with lots of school pride and a family atmosphere.”

    There are many new editions to Pittsburg High School’s staff, among them is assistant principal Zak Petty. 

This is Petty’s eleventh year in education and first year as an administrator. Petty previously taught in the Carl Junction school district.

“I spent 10 years teaching High School Social Studies in Carl Junction before coming here,” Petty said. “So far it’s gone well! I’m definitely out of my comfort zone, but that is also a good thing.”

Petty applied for the position at the end of May and by June had started the interview process. The interview consisted of getting interviewed by principals, the assistant superintendent, counselors, teachers and students.

“The people I work with and seeing students every day is my favorite part of the job,” Petty said. “Meeting new people and learning how PHS works has been really enjoyable and interesting.”

According to Petty the interview went really well and everyone involved in the interview process made him feel welcomed and interested in what he had to say.

“PHS has always had a great reputation,” Petty said. “When this job opened up, it really caught my attention and seemed like somewhere I would really enjoy working at.”

     This year, Pittsburg High School has hired many new staff members. Among them the district has hired a new school counselor for the high school, Hannah Ketterman.

For Ketterman, this is her eleventh year teaching and third year of being a school counselor.

“I am coming from Carl Junction School District in Missouri,” Ketterman said. “Where I previously taught, coached, and was the school counselor.”

Ketterman has lived in Pittsburg her whole life. According to Ketterman, she was ready to work in the same area where she and her family were located.

“There are multiple things I like about this job,” Ketterman said. “I enjoy being able to create an environment for students and staff so they always feel comfortable and welcome to have a conversation, or if they need anything at all.”

Ketterman’s interview process consisted of being interviewed by both the counseling teams and administration teams who, according to Ketterman, made the whole process comfortable while still being serious about finding the right person for the job.

“PHS is a great school district with great people and great kids with a strong connection to the community,” Ketterman said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be here at PHS!“