Falcons First
Blair Oaks Middle School ~ New Teacher Spotlight
New Teacher Spotlight
Lerone Briggs:
Mr. Briggs finished his 13th year in education last year - 12 at Jefferson City High School and 1 at Lewis and Clark Middle School. He and his wife Aimee have three children, two sons - Isaiah and Xavier and a daughter Lanee. If he’s not in school, Mr. Briggs enjoys vacationing with his family in Florida and coaching football. Mr. Briggs became a teacher to impact lives. He believes there are only a few professions where you directly can encourage both kids and adults to be the best person the can be. You will find him doing just that each day - in and out of the classroom. Mr. Briggs is excited to be a part of the Blair Oaks community as he knows it is a special place. He is really excited about having a soda machine with Mt. Dew down the hall from his classroom that takes his debit card! His favorite quote is - “Stay gold Pony, stay Gold”.
Andrew Bryant:
Mr. Bryant has taught two years as a K-12 vocal music teacher. His family of three includes his wife Natalie and their son Elijah. His parents live in Iberia and his Aunt Melody and Uncle Rich Starnes live in Jefferson City. His aunt is a music teacher at Lawson Elementary. When not at school you might find Mr. Bryant involved in church work. He also enjoys singing, playing with his son, watching sitcoms, playing video games, and reading. Mr. Bryant became a musician before he became a teacher. He was a church musician for three years but always enjoyed teaching Sunday school more than leading worship. His whole family is musically involved, so music teaching was a good fit for him. Mr. Bryant knew about Blair Oaks prior to being hired because of our great reputation, even though he wasn’t from the area. He is looking forward to becoming a part of that positive reputation and continuing to build upon it. His favorite quote is - “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning”. -Plato
Judy Cassmeyer:
Mrs. Cassmeyer is starting her 17th year of teaching. She and her husband Dale have two children. Alex, her son, is 24 and her daughter, Sophie, is 22. Her entire family are graduates of Blair Oaks! They currently have two dogs - Nash and Crosby, two cats - Felix and Binx, lots of chickens, two turkeys, and a duck. Her favorite thing to do while not in school is spending time with her family, reading, hiking, and going to flea markets. She originally received her Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design from UCM but after staying home with her children when they were young she decided to go back into education and received her special education certification from Southeast Missouri State University. She has always loved Blair Oaks and all that it stands for and is looking forward to being a Falcon again! Her favorite quote is - "Be the change that you want to see".
Amy Kekec:
Mrs. Kekec is a 2002 and 2019 graduate of Lincoln University and is so excited to start her first year of teaching at Blair Oaks Middle School! The first degree she earned was a B.S. in Business Administration, which was put to use during her work at Girl Scouts in Jefferson City, MO; Lima, OH; and Bloomington, IN. From there she became a stay-at-home mom to her three kids: Addison (10), Braxton (8), and Easton (7). Once Easton started kindergarten she decided to go back to school for a second degree in Elementary Education. She has always enjoyed working with kids and wanted a job that allowed her to continue that passion while also allowing her the flexibility to be with her family as much as possible. They have been a Falcon family for the past five years and she is so excited to continue her involvement, while also building relationships, working as a teacher in this great school district. Mrs. Kekec and her husband (Brian) will be celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary in October 2020. As a family, they love boating, swimming, vacationing, and watching their favorite sports teams (STL Cardinals, Blues, KC Chiefs and Mizzou Tigers). They also enjoy watching their kids participate in baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and cheer. Her favorite quotes include: "If not me, then who? If not now, then when?" --Hillel first-century Jewish scholar and "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." --Benjamin Franklin
Mason Peters:
Ms. Peters will be starting her teaching career at Blair Oaks. She will be teaching two sections of 8th grade ELA with the remainder of her day at the HS. She is engaged to Jason Otto and they will be getting married this May! They currently have two very large dogs, Hippie and Leo. Her favorite things to do outside of school include: remodeling projects around the house, walking the dogs, taking road trips, and any outside activity. Ms. Peters became a teacher because she believes that the teaching profession allowed her to use her creativity and passion for this content to make a difference in the lives of her students. She recently moved to our district and is looking forward to better getting to know the community. She was able to attend many school events this past year as she completed her student teaching at BHS, but she’s excited to get more involved this year.
Hilary Rich:
Ms. Rich is starting her 12th year of teaching. She was recently engaged to Andy Lockhart and they plan to get married next summer. They have an 18 year old cat named Scamp. When not at school you might find Ms. Rich drawing, painting, playing the piano, reading mystery and horror novels, and playing board games with friends. Ms. Rich was inspired by an elementary art teacher, Mrs. DeRosier who really helped foster her creativity. She always thought it would be fun to make art with kids all day. As she got older, she also realized she was good at teaching and explaining things to others, and really enjoyed working with children. It just seemed like a good fit for her, so upon graduating high school she pursued her childhood dream of being an art teacher. Having taught in Blair Oaks Elementary she is excited to see her former students. She is also looking forward to working in this supportive community again where education is a high priority. A couple of favorite quotes of Ms. Rich’s are: “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men”- Willy Wonka and “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Tyler Schrimpf:
This will be Mr. Shrimpf’s first year teaching and he’s super excited to become a member of the Blair Oaks community! He is from Wardsville, and knows how great the school district is and feels incredibly blessed to be given this opportunity. He is looking forward to helping the kids grow throughout the year, and to be able to work alongside such a great group of teachers. When he’s not at school he enjoys spending time with his friends and family, and doing CrossFit. His favorite quote comes from Yoda of Star Wars, “Do or do not, there is no try.” This quote is a favorite as he believes we will never learn anything or be successful if we do not give our 100% effort towards our goals. Pictured included is one of Mr. Schrimpf and his brother.
Ashley Stockman:
Mrs. Stockman will begin her teaching career at Blair Oaks with 11 years of experience under her belt. She is married and her girls, Cosette and Peyton, enjoy outnumbering their father, Mike, in the house. Her favorite thing to do while NOT in school is to read. She enjoys getting lost in a crazy story while still in the comfort of her own living room. However, reading with her one year old is quite different, but still enjoyable as her daughter turns the pages when she's good and ready! Mrs. Stockman became a teacher because she has always enjoyed the energy and atmosphere of a school. When you add in the mixture of all the little personalities and the magic of the, "Oh! I get it now," look in a child's eyes, she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. When asked what she was looking forward to the most in coming to Blair Oaks, she stated, “Every time I walk on campus for whatever reason, someone makes me feel like I'm already a part of something big. That's a pretty good feeling.” Her favorite quote/saying - "In a world where you can be anything, be kind."
New Names But Familiar Faces
Jessica Davis
New Email Address: jdavis@blairoaks.org
Jessica Mason
New Email Address: jmason@blairoaks.org
Kimberley Walters
New Email Address: kwalters@blairoaks.org
BMS Building Mission
BMS Vision Statement
Vision: We envision soaring to new heights through:
Academic Excellence
Character Development
Community Involvement
Leadership and Service
Kimberley Walters ~ Middle School Principal
Email: kwalters@blairoaks.org
Website: http://www.blairoaks.k12.mo.us/
Location: 6124 Falcon Lane, Jefferson City, MO, USA
Phone: 573-634-2053
Twitter: @BMS_Falcons