#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Beth Gensel! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Paraprofessional at MJHS How long have you worked at Meridian? - 3 years What is your favorite food? - Chinese food What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - The wonderful staff and students. What are your hobbies? - I like to travel, spend time up north at our cabin, boating, swimming, and spending time with family and friends.

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Jennifer Plesko! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Middle School Science Teacher How long have you worked at Meridian? - This is my first year What is your favorite food? - Biscuits and Gravy or Thanksgiving dinner What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - My Students! What are your hobbies? - Camping and Snowboarding

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Carrie Barriger! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - School Counselor How long have you worked at Meridian? - 9 years What is your favorite food? - Hamburgers What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - Our students! They are the best around! What are your hobbies? - Spending time outside and spending time with my family and friends.

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Joseph Kielpinski! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - 5th-8th grade Physical Education Teacher, JV Baseball Coach, & Driver's Training Teacher How long have you worked at Meridian? - I started teaching at Meridian Public School s in 1997, so 27 years total What is your favorite food? - Steak dinner, mushrooms and broccoli. What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - My favorite things about Meridian Public Schools are the awesome staff and sports facilities. What are your hobbies? - I enjoy playing pocket billiards (pool) and disc golf.

Good Morning Mustangs! You are invited to participate in the Strategic Planning process for Meridian Public Schools. If you were not able to make the Community Meetings, we are asking you to please complete the survey at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MeridianSP2024 or scan the QR code in the image attached. Thank you in advance for supporting Meridian Public Schools. #ReachHigher

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Kathryn LaVier! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Paraprofessional How long have you worked at Meridian? - 16 years What is your favorite food? - Sushi and pasta. What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - The amazing staff and students I get to work with. What are your hobbies? - Reading, embroidery, and spending time with friends.

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Gretchen Lundquist! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - 8th grade ELA/Drama teacher How long have you worked at Meridian? - 2 years What is your favorite food? - Pizza What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - My favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools is the culture. Everyone is here to put students first, and are ready to do their part to make our school a positive environment. What are your hobbies? - Spending time with my family, yoga, dog training, reading, and cutting grass.

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Ashley Brand! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Secretary How long have you worked at Meridian? - 1 year What is your favorite food? - My favorite food is meatloaf. What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - My favorite things about Meridian Public Schools is the small town feel. Everyone knows everyone and genuinely cares for each other. What are your hobbies? - I enjoy spending time with my husband and our 3 children, making crafts, and binge watching tv shows.

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Amanda Polega! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - 7th Grade ELA (World Studies) Teacher How long have you worked at Meridian? - 18.5 years What is your favorite food? - Mexican Food What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - My favorite thing about Meridian is definitely the students: their energy and their school pride. We have such great students! I also love that the community is so supportive. What are your hobbies? - My favorite hobby is shopping for and reading books. I also really enjoy cooking and camping.

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Rachel Pappas! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Junior High Academic and Behavior Coach How long have you worked at Meridian? - Three months What is your favorite food? - German chocolate cake What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - The amazing students and staff! What are your hobbies? - Backpacking, hiking, and camping (even in the winter!)

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Jennifer Pashak! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - 6th and 7th grade science teacher How long have you worked at Meridian? - 3 years What is your favorite food? - Big salads What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - I really enjoy being part of the community as a teacher, parent, and resident. Attending school or local events is always so much fun because I'm able to see my own kids, their friends, and my students and their families all at the same time. What are your hobbies? - I enjoy spending time with family and friends outside and doing anything that's active. I try to compete in road races and triathlons and run, bike, and swim when I have time.

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Barbara Rossi! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Custodian How long have you worked at Meridian? - 8 years What is your favorite food? - Lobster What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - The kids What are your hobbies? - snowmobiling

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Jennifer Clever! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Paraprofessional How long have you worked at Meridian? - 9 years What is your favorite food? - Krispy Kreme donuts What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - The amazing support and friendliness of the staff at Meridian Junior High School What are your hobbies? - Reading, playing with my dog, spending time with family and friends

Meridian Public Schools is excited to collaborate with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to provide a community-wide food distribution event. Join us on Saturday, January 27th, at Meridian Elementary. The line up begins at 9am and food distribution will take place from 10am-12pm. #ReachHigher

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Renee Farison! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - teacher of students with special needs for 5th - 8th grade at Meridian Junior High School How long have you worked at Meridian? - This is year 27 as a teacher. I was also here as a student from kindergarten through graduation. What is your favorite food? - chocolate What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - the family atmosphere What are your hobbies? - spending time with family, reading, writing, crafts, love to take road trips and wander when we have time, letter writing

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Andrew Lafave! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Industrial Arts Teacher How long have you worked at Meridian? - 15 years What is your favorite food? - Anything cooked by my wife What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - The pride that we take in our facilities What are your hobbies? - Anything sports, camping with my family, woodworking

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Early College High School & Meridian Junior High School! Meet Matthew Shephard! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Early College High School & Meridian Junior High School? - Director of Bands, Cross Country Coach, Track Coach How long have you worked at Meridian? - 24 years What is your favorite food? - Nachos..and bacon ;) What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - I love the community we've built with our staff, students and surrounding village. The atmosphere in our district is unlike any other. We are definitely a big family. What are your hobbies? - I enjoy playing and watching basketball, running, listening to music (big surprise?), spending time with family and landscaping during the warmer months. I also constantly clean things. I cannot relax until everything is put away in it's place. I'm pretty sure it's a curse, not a blessing.

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Rebecca Onifer! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Junior High Reading Interventionist How long have you worked at Meridian? - 39 years (Also my K-12th grade education was here too!) What is your favorite food? - steak What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - At any of the buildings that I have taught at over the years, there has always been a sense of family within the staff. Through good times and the difficult times in education and personally, there has been a strength that I have received from the staff in which I have worked with. We care about the students in the same manner too. Meridian has been my home for many years in the sense that I grew up here, came back, and lived here for years, worked here, and raised my son here too. Meridian will always be my home and my family. What are your hobbies? - reading, traveling, shopping

#MeetTheStaff of Meridian Junior High School! Meet Carolyn Fitzgibbon! #ReachHigher What is your role at Meridian Junior High School? - Elementary and 8th grade Spanish teacher How long have you worked at Meridian? - 18 years What is your favorite food? - shrimp What is your favorite thing about Meridian Public Schools? - my students and the fantastic people I work with What are your hobbies? - dog training, being outdoors, spending time with my family

Today we honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are reminded and inspired by his relentless endeavour to encourage others to help those who are in need. "The time is always right to do something right." In the words of Dr. King, “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” Visit MLKDay.gov to find local service opportunities for #MLKDayofService and beyond! How are you giving back? #ReachHigher