Sunset Middle School welcomes new staff

Sunset Middle School is off to a great start as the school opened their doors to welcoming new and returning students into the hallways as the first full school year as an official IB Middle School gets underway.

The school has decided to have a theme this year and it will be Celebration of Humanity. The staff will be teaching and modeling different characteristics from this umbrella theme with a focus on being well-rounded and globally minded students. This week began with staff and students focusing on “gratitude”.

Sunset welcomed students and five new staff members. Richard Johnston was a professional actor in New York and Los Angeles before becoming a teacher. He now engages students with those skills in Language and Literature for 7th and 8th graders. He shared some of his favorite books…A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, with a close second being The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

Colleen O’Munneke will be working with Sunset students in PE. She enjoys spending time with her family and doing all the outdoor activities that Colorado offers. When asked what she loves about teaching PE, O’Munneke replied… “I love teaching kids about lifetime fitness along with exercise, sports and backyard games they can do outside of school.” Jan Edwards joins Sunset as the School Special Education Facilitator, working with staff and students in grades 6 to 8. She has a master’s in special education and over 25 years of experience. Edwards will be working alongside Kate Crane who expressed enthusiasm.

“I am excited to be part of the Sunset Middle School community as a special education teachers.” Crane will be working with Sunset’s 8th graders. Rounding out the new staff is Seth Wallace who will be working with students as the new Design For a Better World teacher. His past teaching experience was in the health and language arts departments.