A Touch Of Country Sun, Inc. Tanning Salon Kristy Causey-Owner 214 South Seminary Downs,Illinois 61736 (309) 378-1501
District/Board Staff
Mark Bowers Job/Courses Taught: Board Member Mark Bowers is a former educator of 10 years. Mark graduated from Jersey Community HS in Jerseyville in 1992 and has a
Bachelor's Degree in Biology & Chemistry from Illinois College in Jacksonville. He finished his Master's Degree in Educational Administration from ISU in 2003. He taught high school science for 7 years at Blue Ridge and 3 at Normal Community. While at BR, Mark also served as Athletic Director and the Executive Secretary for the HOIC. He also coached girls basketball, volleyball, and soccer while there. His girls basketball teams won 3 McLean County Titles and 1 Volleyball County Title.
At Normal Community, Mark coached girls tennis and was a jr. class sponsor. He taught AP Biology and Advanced Biology.
Mark had been selling real estate part-time for 5 years and decided to make the transition to full-time in the summer of 2008. He is a full-time Realtor at Prudential Snyder Real Estate.
Mark is married to Michelle Bowers, who is a systems analyst at State Farm. They have two children, Tyler and Ashton. Tyler is in 2nd grade and Ashton is in Pre-K. They live in Mallingham subdivision. Mark enjoys spending time with the family, watching the Cardinals & the Illini, playing tennis and golf and traveling.
Mark's contact info is:
309-824-9016
bowz11@yahoo.com
www.Mark-Bowers.com
Jay Chrisman Job/Courses Taught: School Board Jay Chrisman has served on the Tri-Valley school board for 6 years. He is currently president of the board and serves on the negotiation and welfare committees. He and his wife Cheryl have lived in the district for 20 years and have two children in school; Claire is a junior and Kevin is a sophomore. Jay is a dentist in Bloomington and he can be reached at 378-4562 , 663-6393 or drjay@chrismandental.com
Ken Garling Job/Courses Taught: Maintenance Custodian II,Bus Driver
Donnie Givens Job/Courses Taught: Head of Maintenance
Kathy Hammer Job/Courses Taught: Administrative Secretary II Kathy and her husband Jess reside at 2000 East Road, Downs. They have three children, Brandi (17), Holly (14), Lucas (12) and Copper the family dog. Copper enjoys school and has a very active social life. Their family enjoys spending time at Lake Bloomington, boating, swimming, water skiing, camping, snowmobiling, snow skiing and attending and supporting the children's activities.
Brian Knutson Job/Courses Taught: Athletic Director Mr. Knutson serves as our Athletic Director. Prior to coming to Tri-Valley, Mr. Knutson taught and coached football at Clinton. He was Tri-Valley's first high school football coach. He has a wife named Margie, and two kids, Patrick and Molly (Goose).
Gail McCane Job/Courses Taught: Director of Special Services Gail is excited to be a part of the exemplary Tri-Valley Staff as the Director of Special Services. She feels blessed to have the opportunity to work with students, parents, and staff at all three buildings. Gail received her undergraduate degree from ISU in special education and her master's degree from NIU. She taught special education and general education for twelve years in Lake Forest, Illinois and in The Woodlands, Texas. Gail and her husband of 21 years, Steve, are hapy to be back at home. When they moved back to central Illinois, there was no doubt as to what school district they would reside in. Their twin daughters are in 2nd grade at Tri-Valley Elementary School. Gail has also been employed by ISU as a supervisor of practicum and student teachers in special education. She is currently working on a second master's through ISU. In her spare time, Gail cherishes time spent with family and friends, including camping, boating, and scrapbooking. She is eager to work with more families in the Tri-Valley school district, as we strive to meet the individualized needs of students.
Bonnie Mitchell Job/Courses Taught: District Nurse, Music Dept. Accompanist Hello. I have been at Tri-Valley since time began! Downs Elementary moved into the "new" grade school the 2nd semester of my 4th grade year. My high school class was the first Tri-Valley class, and yes, our high school was where the unit office is now located. I graduated from Mennonite Hospital School of Nursing in Bloomington. My husband Bob is a retired farmer and retired bus driver for Tri-Valley. We have 4 children, all Tri-Valley graduates. We have 6 grandchildren. I have the best of all worlds with my job - I get to be the District Nurse for an awesome school district, and I am blessed to be involved in the music and drama departments of the middle and high schools. Tri-Valley is a very good school system, and our daughters with children always compare what their children are receiving in their education against what they received here, and can always find ways to improve the schools where they now live.
Randy Page Job/Courses Taught: Transportation Director I taught for 13 years, then left education to work for State Farm Insurance. I retired from State Farm and Learning and Development Project Management in 2009 and came back to Tri-Valley as Transportation Director. I have coached and driven buses for Tri-Valley for the last 20 years. Currently I am an assistant coach for HS Girls Basketball
John Pearson Job/Courses Taught: District Technology Coordinator/Web Master Mr. Pearson likes to golf, sports, fantasy baseball and football, and working on his house and land (Constantly). His Ping-Pong game is top notch. (Bring it on!) He would like to credit former students Tim Gould ('04) and Chris Templeton ('98) for being the only students to ever get the best of him with the paddle. He and his wife Barb like riding bikes, taking walks with their new Havanese Brodie, traveling to their home in The Villages Florida, and especially like going to see the best team in baseball, the 2006 and 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. He is a 1978 graduate of IWU and faithfully watches the Fightin Titans in basketball. He is also a fan of web programming and spends most of his free time learning new things in "geek-ville". Mr. Pearson is the district Technology coordinator. Prior to his responsibilities with technology, Mr. Pearson taught Chemistry, Physics, Physical Science, Earth Science, and Photography at Tri-Valley. He completed over 20 years in the classroom, and the 2011-2012 school year marks his 34th and final year in the district. He will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2012 school year. He also coached Varsity Girls Track at Tri-Valley for 20 years before becoming a registered Official in this sport ten years ago. He coached middle school track from 2006-2008, and was the HS assistant track coach from 2009-2010. He was fortunate to coach many fine athletes over the years and credits the '82 and '09 teams with 3rd place state finishes and the '98 team with a State Championship. He and his wife Barb also owned and operated a Wedding/Senior Photography business.
John Reynolds Job/Courses Taught: Bus Mechanic/Maintenance Custodial ll I joined the Tri-Valley staff in 2005. I am married to Barbie which is also employeed at Tri-Valley, as Food Service Manager. My position is Bus Mechanic/Maintenance Custodial ll.
Barbie Reynolds Job/Courses Taught: Food Service Manager I joined the staff at Tri-valley in1993, I have worked many of the departments and currently work as Food Service Manager of the district. I am married to Johnny Reynolds who also is employed with the district as Bus Mechanic/Maintenace Cusdoial ll.
Joni Schenkel Job/Courses Taught: Board Member Joni Schenkel is a life-long resident and 1984 graduate of the Tri-Valley School District. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Iowa in 1990 and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing. Joni works at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center as the Clinical Nurse Educator responsible for professional development and curriculum implementation.
Joni’s husband Jeff is also a life-long resident and graduate of Tri-Valley. Jeff is employed by Ameren IP. They have 3 children; Cody (16), Austin (15), and Brett (11).
Miley Simonson Job/Courses Taught: Miley is a yellow Labrador Retriever and is a Certified Assistance Dog. She has passed the Public Access and Skills Tests as prescribed by CARES,Inc.,as applicable to the state of Illinois and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Miley works as a professional therapy dog at Tri-Valley Elementary and Tri-Valley High Schools. She was born June 14, 2009 in Concordia, Kansas. When Miley is not working she enjoys chasing rabbits in her backyard and playing with her sisters, Lily and Lucy and her cousin, Penny.
Curt Simonson Job/Courses Taught: District Superintendent Mr. Simonson began his educational career in 1977 as a teacher at Pittsfield High School. From 1977 to 1994 he taught English I, English II, Illinois History, American Problems and American History. During this seventeen year time period Mr. Simonson also served as football, wrestling and track coach. In 1994 he received his Master's Degree for the University of Illinois - Springfield. From 1994 through 1996 he served as the principal of Higbee Junior High and in 1996 became the first principal of Pikeland Community School. In 2002 Mr. Simonson received his Education Specialists Degree from Western Illinois University. He left Pittsfield in 2004 to become the Superintendent at Liberty, Illinois. Mr. Simonson and his wife Chris (school guidance counselor and High School Girl's Track Coach) have two children. Curtis (28) is a graduate student at the University of Illinois - Springfield majoring in Biology and Education. He was also the Head Track Coach at Pittsfield High School. Carrie (24) is a high school Biology teacher at Argenta-Oreana and serves as their High School Cross Country Coach and junior high assistant track coach. Other family members are Lilly (a black lab), Lucy (a black cocker spaniel) and Miley (a yellow lab and school therapy dog).
Larry Stark Job/Courses Taught: SCRIP Administrator, MS Baseball, JV Baseball Larry Stark and his wife, Peggy, have six children: Tom, Jay, Mike, Steve, Chelsea and Chris: all Tri-Valley graduates. Larry has worked at State Farm since 1980 and Peggy runs a daycare at home. Larry and Peggy have lived in Downs since 1983. Larry manages the Scrip program for Tri-Valley and helps with MS and HS Baseball. You may contact Larry at (309) 378-4546 or by e-mail.
Terri Weber Job/Courses Taught: Administrative Secretary I Terri has worked for the Tri-Valley School District since 1994 as administrative secretary to the Superintendent. Her daughter, Jordan, and son, Jared both graduated from Tri-Valley. Terri and her husband Bruce enjoy riding their Harley, camping, and attending the various sporting events of his grandchildren.
Sherry Wiegand Job/Courses Taught: Board Member Sherry Wiegand is a 1986 graduate of Tri-Valley High School. She graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a B.A. in English and a minor in Political Science in 1990. She works at State Farm Corporate as an Auto Business Analyst. Sherry is married to Jim Wiegand (Mt Zion, IL). She has two children attending Tri-Valley, Austin and Ally. Sherry can be contacted by cell phone at (309) 825-7794 or by email.
Tricia Williams Job/Courses Taught: Board Member Tricia and her husband, Kurt (a 1989 Tri-Valley alum) live on a farm near Ellsworth with their 2 sons, Andrew and Patrick. Andrew is a Tri-Valley fourth grader and Patrick is in second grade. Tricia is a 1988 graduate of Riverdale High School, Port Byron and a 1992 graduate of Illinois State University. She works at State Farm in the Systems Department as a Business Analyst. She has served on the Tri-Valley school board since April 2003, beginning her second term in April 2007. Tricia can be reached at 724-8282 or by email.
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