It is an honor to take this time to spotlight Penny Roberts, Rebecca Burr, and Christy Gibler, three great staff members at Trenton Middle School.
Mrs. Roberts has been the Trenton Middle School art teacher for 17 years. Prior to joining Trenton R-IX, she was the art teacher at the North Davies School District in Jameson.
Penny, and her husband Rodney, own and operate Double R Ag and enjoy spending time with their two nieces, Lauren and Ashley, and two nephews, Logan and Boyd. Mrs. Roberts also enjoys raising and riding quarter horses, photography and painting. When asked what she likes about working at TMS, Penny said, “I have always enjoyed and felt fortunate to work at TMS because of all the great people here. I believe that we have some of the best and most caring teachers and that everyone goes out of their way to help one another with any activity.” Mrs. Roberts has excelled as the Trenton Middle School art teacher and yearbook sponsor. She sets high expectations for her students and pushes them outside of their comfort zones in order to become better artists. She creates an atmosphere that allows them to be creative and free thinkers. At the end of this school year, Mrs. Roberts will be retiring from the Trenton R9 School District. Penny has spent her entire career passing her love of art to her students and I want to personally thank her for her years of service and congratulate her on her retirement.
Ms. Burr is the 7th grade Social Studies teacher at Trenton Middle School and has been in that position for five years. Rebecca also serves as the TMS Cheerleading sponsor. Rebecca is the daughter of David and Lisa Burr of Brookfield and has a younger brother, Tyler, who is studying Law at UMKC. Rebecca and her fiancé, Greg Polley, share a wonderful and spoiled blue heeler puppy named Stella May. In her spare time Ms. Burr enjoys walking Stella May, training and running 5k and 10K races with her friends, traveling, reading, and spending time with family.
When asked what she likes about working at Trenton Middle School, Ms. Burr said, “my coworkers and the administration are amazing. We support each other through the challenges and cheer each other on in our successes. Working with people like them help keep me focused on what is most important: our students. The staff and their desire to help students are what make TMS a great place to work.” Ms. Burr has done an outstanding job as the 7th grade social studies teacher. She understands the importance of building positive relationships with her students, and creates lessons that are exciting and relevant. One way she does this is by using technology in a way that is not only conducive to learning, but adds a crucial element of excitement by making history come to life.
Mrs. Gibler is the 5th grade ELA teacher at Trenton Middle School. She has been teaching for 14 years at Trenton R-IX. Her first 13 years were spent teaching first and second grades at Rissler Elementary. She is married to Trenton Fire Chief Brandon Gibler and together they have four children, Bryce a Junior at THS, Kelsey a Freshman at THS, Kinsley who attends Trenton R-IX preschool, and Brady who is two years old. In her spare time, Christy enjoys watching her children's activities and St. Louis Cardinal Baseball.
When asked what she likes about working at Trenton Middle School, Mrs. Gibler said, “I have really enjoyed having the students again that I had in first Grade. I spent 13 years at Rissler Elementary and it's been exciting to see how much each student has grown academically.” Mrs. Gibler has done an excellent job in her first year as the 5th grade ELA teacher. She works hard to create lessons that are rigorous for her students. She sets high goals for herself, and her students both in and out of the classroom. I am very impressed the way Mrs. Gibler is constantly assessing students throughout a lesson in both small and whole group settings. The students are engaged and on task even while working independently.
We feel extremely fortunate to have Mrs. Roberts, Ms. Burr, and Mrs. Gibler as part of the TMS Family and hope you have enjoyed this quick spotlight of their educational and personal achievements.