There were new faces greeting students at Rock Port R-II Schools this year. Pictured, from left to right, are: front row – Nancy Nauman, Garrison Dodge, Paige Ralph, Marissa Whitt, and Kelcie Gaines; and back row – Ciara Hunter, LoryAnne Daugherty, Heaven Sanders, Erika Murry, Jamie Lansdown, and Chloe Blockhaus (student teacher). Brendon Pitts (student teacher) is not pictured.
Students at the Rock Port R-II School Districts began the school year with some new faces greeting them in the classrooms and hallways. They are:
LoryAnne Daugherty is a 2002 graduate of Rock Port High School. She continued her studies at Western Governors University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She then attended Western Governors University to obtain a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. LoryAnne is the new 6th Grade Reading and 6th-12th Grade Spanish teacher. She previously taught at Tarkio Elementary. LoryAnne and her husband, Mike, have four children, Drake Daugherty, Ashlynn Lingerfelt, Kinleigh Daugherty, and Cooper Daugherty, and five grandchildren. They live in Rock Port. Hobbies include Korean martial art Hapkido, reading, and spending time with her family. Her goal for this school year is to model being a lifelong learner for her students as they see her re-engage with the Spanish language, be willing to make mistakes alongside them, and ultimately build her speaking skills.
Garrison Dodge is the new elementary physical education teacher, as well as assistant football coach and assistant boys’ basketball coach. Garrison graduated from Oakland-Craig High School in Oakland, Nebraska, and Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska, majoring inHealth and Physical Education. He previously was employed with the Johnson-Brock public schools. Garrison lives in Johnson, Nebraska, and has an eight-month-old son named Burke and his fiancée is Mattie. He enjoys golfing, hunting, and hanging out with friends and family. His goals for the school year are to be a positive role model for students and to positively affect a student’s life.
Kelcie Gaines returns to Rock Port R-II as middle school ELA teacher and high school health teacher. Kelcie graduated from Rock Port High School in 2019, then graduated from Peru State College, majoring in Health, Physical Education and Recreation. She previously taught at Burke High School, Omaha, Nebraska. Kelcie’s mom, Cindie, and her sister, Ciara, teach in the elementary building at Rock Port. Kelcie said, “How sweet it is to get to work with my family!” Her sister, Shelbie, is a nurse at Community Hospital-Fairfax and passed her FNP boards last week. Kelcie’s sisters are amazing mothers to her sweet, precious niece and nephews – Aubrie, Wade, and Sawyer. Kelcie said, “It is one of the great pleasures of my life to see my dad, Seth, be a grandpa. Every morning on my short drive to work, I think of my Grandma Sharon and remind myself to consider what she would do or say before interacting with the students and staff at school.” She enjoys traveling, reading, and playing/coaching sports. “I like to spend my free time fishing and golfing, though the lack of fish I catch and the surplus of golf balls I lose may prove otherwise.” Ultimately, Kelcie hopes to be a positive person in students’ lives. This year, she is focusing on reducing students’ cognitive load in her classroom so that the material is more accessible and meaningful to each of them.
Ciara Hunter is the new 4th and 5th grade English language arts and social studies teacher. She attended Northwest Missouri State University earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Language Arts and a Master of Science degree in educational leadership. She previously was the Rock Port Elementary 5th grade teacher (five years) and the 4th grade teacher at Sidney, Iowa, Elementary (two years). Ciara, her husband, Jeff, and three-year-old daughter, Aubrie (who will be starting half-day preschool this year) live in rural Rock Port. She enjoys doing DIY projects, traveling, creating educational resources, and spending time with her friends and family. Her goal this school year is to support and inspire her students and Blue Jay family every day.
Jamie Lansdown is a new paraprofessional at Rock Port. Jamie is a Fairfax High School graduate, class of 2017. She attended Graceland University. She previously worked at the Rock Port Golf & Country Club. Jamie lives in Rock Port and enjoys spending time with her fiancé, Dillan Palmer, stepson, Graycen, age five, and son, Maverick, age two. She also enjoys golfing and working on various crafts. Jamie’s goals for the school year include building trust with the staff, students, and parents, as well as to drive the kids to reach their goals in and outside of the classroom.
Erika Murry is a new paraprofessional at Rock Port R-II. She isn’t a stranger to the school district, having graduated from high school there in 2017. Erika has stayed busy as a stay-at-home mom to daughter Parker, age 2, and son Waylon, age one, who all, along with her husband, Dayton, live in Tarkio. Erika enjoys shopping and spending time with her family and friends. Her goals for the school year include building relationships and helping her students become independent and develop new skills.
Nancy Nauman is also a new paraprofessional at Rock Port. She attended Mound City R-2 High School and Northwest Missouri State University, obtaining an Associate’s Degree. She was previously employed at Mound City R-2 School and lives on her family’s farm outside of Mound City. Nancy’s hobbies include anything associated with the farm, vegetable and flower gardening, sewing, traveling, photography, history, church work, and DAR. This school year, her goals are to help the students that she works with be successful and have a great school year and enjoy their time at school.
Paige Ralph is the new middle school math and science teacher. She graduated high school from Stanberry R-II, and graduated college in 2019 from Northwest Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education. She taught two years at Stanberry R-II (high school math and elementary music) and one year at Platte County High School (high school math). She and her husband, Justin, moved to Rock Port with their two dogs in October 2023 when he became the Conservation Agent for Atchison County. They are both from small towns and are happy to be a part of this community. In her free time she loves to bake and do various projects around their house. Paige is excited to be teaching at Rock Port this school year and is looking forward to getting to know everyone. She can’t wait to watch her students grow and learn, and see all that they accomplish this year.
Heaven Sanders is another new paraprofessional at Rock Port. Heaven attended Cole Camp High School and State Fair Community College, majoring in Early Childhood Education and Development. She previously worked as a nurse’s aid at Pleasant View Nursing Home in Rock Port. Heaven, her boyfriend, Drew Weber, and dog, Henney, live in Rock Port. She enjoys hunting and fishing or anything outdoors and walking her dog. Her goals for the school year are to grow as an individual and gain valuable experiences and to strive to do her best in making a difference in the students’ lives. She also hopes to learn from other educators and grow her potential.
Marissa Whitt is the new junior high/high school math teacher at Rock Port R-II. She attended Platte County High School in Platte City, Missouri, and graduated from Northwest Missouri State University majoring in Secondary Mathematics Education. This is her first teaching position. Her mother lives part-time in Maryville and part-time in Kansas City for work. Her sister, Brittany, is on active duty in the Navy and is serving on the USS Nimitz. Her father lives in Angelfire, New Mexico. Marissa also has a cat, Bella, who lives in Maryville. She likes to sew and craft, make things, design her own stuff, and listen to music. Her goal for this school year is to be able to give her students the tools they need to be successful in her classroom and also be successful in life.
Chloe Blockhaus and Brendon Pitts are student teachers.
