Staff writer
Students in the Centre school district will see two new faces among the teaching staff Thursday, when they begin the 2009-10 school year. Both grew up in Marion County and are first-year teachers.
Alumna Laura Klenda is the new agriculture education instructor at Centre High School. She graduated from Kansas State University in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Education.
Klenda is excited about returning to her alma mater to teach.
“It’s a great opportunity,” she said. “I’m a little nervous about coming back to my home community, but I think it will be good.”
Klenda was active in the Centre FFA chapter, serving as sentinel, treasurer, and president. She also was active in sports.
The fourth of six children, she grew up on a farm in rural Lincolnville, and was involved in day-to-day operations, such as livestock feeding, fieldwork, and egg gathering. Val and Julie Klenda are her parents.
Klenda says she enjoyed farm life and wants to be an advocate for agriculture in her classroom.
She will be teaching Ag Communications, Small Animal Care, Introduction to Agriculture, Introduction to Ag Mechanics, and Horticulture. She also will teach a new course, Explorations in Agriculture, for junior high students.
Tyler Weinbrenner, a native of Hillsboro, is the new physical education instructor. He fills the position vacated by retiree Stan Wiles.
In addition to kindergarten through eighth grade physical education, Weinbrenner will teach a Lifetime Fitness class for seniors. He also will coach junior high boys’ football, basketball, and track.
Weinbrenner enjoys the school environment. He said he entered teaching because of something a principal once told him. The principal said he went into education because when he graduated from high school he didn’t want to leave.
Weinbrenner graduated from Tabor College in 2008 after student teaching at Centre under Wiles, then spent a year substitute teaching at Hillsboro and Centre schools.
“The people at Centre are extremely welcoming and nice,” he said. “They went out of their way to make me feel welcome.
“Mr. Wiles is a great teacher, and I learned a lot spending a semester with him.”
Weinbrenner is the oldest of five children. Doug and Colleen Weinbrenner are his parents.
He played basketball in high school and college and enjoyed coaching his 14-year-old brother this summer.
Weinbrenner and his wife, Sheri, were married in June. They live in Marion.