Meet Mrs. Newkirk.Hello there! My name is Hannah Newkirk and I was born (March 4th, 1984) and raised in Adrian, where I graduated from high school in 2002. I knew I wanted to be a teacher from a very young age, so right out of high school, I went straight to Central Missouri State University (now University of Central Missouri), where I earned my Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. I later became certified in Early Childhood Education, as well! Since then, I've gotten my Masters Degree in Elementary Administration, although I'm not planning to move into the principal's position anytime soon! I just seem to love the classroom too much!
As I mentioned before, I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. Even before I was in school, I was making my little brother play school with me. Besides helping my students to meet the Common Core State Standards, I also work hard to instill a love for learning in my students. I try to instill a sense of responsibility for each student's learning, behavior, and choices. I believe in natural consequences and accountability. Third grade is the year where students begin to move from being guided through the majority of learning to gaining an independence for learning and exploration. I love to be part of that transition! I promote our SW-PBS (School Wide Positive Behavior Support) purpose, in my classroom: "...to create a respectful, responsible, and safe environment." You can learn more about Midway's SW-PBS program here. Newkirk PhotographyI run a photography business when I'm not in the classroom. I started to take a considerable number of pictures after we had our first daughter. People began to ask me if I would photograph their own families, and my business has taken off from there.
In April of 2011, I acquired a studio in downtown Adrian, where I photograph on the side and run my business! Capturing family relationships is another one of my passions and I am blessed to be able to put it to use to help support my family. You can see some of my work on my photography website that you'll find here. FavoritesColor: Green
Candy: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups & Milk Duds Drink: Sonic Unsweet Raspberry Tea Food: Taco Pizza from Casey's, Pumpkin Pie Blizzards from Dairy Queen, Oreos, Pesto Cavatappi with shrimp from Noodles & Company, & Espinaca or Chips & Salsa from Jose Peppers, my husband's steak & grilled potatoes Hobbies: spending time playing with my family, photography, scrapbooking, singing & playing the piano, saving money & couponing, working on my websites, blogging (you can check out my personal blog, School Picture Day, here), gathering professional resources on Pinterest, playing on Facebook, playing co-ed softball, and reading Movies: The Emperor's New Groove, It's a Wonderful Life, Facing the Giants Books: I have SO many favorite books, but to name a few...Because of Winn-Dixie, The Old Willis Place, The Purpose-Driven Life, A Quiet Place, the Bible, The Hunger Games (series), The Yada-Yada Prayer Group, and so many more! Authors: Kate DiCamillo, Mary Downing Hahn, Max Lucado, Sheila Walsh, Tomie dePaola, Patricia Polocco, Suzanne Collins, Stephanie Meyer Places to be: home, school, the studio, Adrian Christian Church, in my deer stand, any scrapbooking store, Jose Peppers People: every single member of our family, Kelsi Kershner (my best friend since childhood, and a fourth grade teacher in Adrian), my co-teachers (past and present), Dave Ramsey, Sheila Walsh, Max Lucado, Lysa Terkeurst, Stephen Covey |
Thanks so much to my good friend Amy at Amy Kostuke Photography for letting me use her images on my website! She's my fav family photographer and I have her work hanging all over my house and office!
Matthew & IMy junior year of high school, I began dating my now husband, Matthew. After four years together, we married in June of 2004, so we've just celebrated our ninth anniversary. Matthew works for the City of Adrian, as a maintenance worker. This is very nice for us, as he just has to drive 3 1/2 miles into town every morning for work. We have also been blessed with two daughters and a third baby on the way in June!
Harlee KathleenOur oldest daughter, Harlee Kathleen, was born on December 30, 2006. She was named after Matthew's grandfather (Harley) and my grandmother (Kathleen). Family is so very important to us and we wanted to honor our family members when naming our children. Harlee is a spunky six-year-old who is full of energy from the time she wakes up in the morning to the time she goes to sleep every night. She is in first grade here at Midway this year! She loves playing tee-ball and basketball, composing her own songs to sing on the video camera, and taking dance class in Lee's Summit. Harlee is our little spark plug and has an extremely contagious smile!
Claire AshlynIn 2009, our second blessing, Claire Ashlyn (born on April 6th), joined us. She is named after my great-uncle (Gerold Claire) and my-sister-in-law (Ashley). Claire is a kid who would stay outside from sun-up to sun-down if we would let her...no matter the weather! She loves to help her dad and I out with chores (we have chickens, cows, and a pretty big garden). Claire also enjoys tee-ball and dancing in Lee's Summit. She is quite the little performer. Claire brought much joy to our family! We just can't imagine what we ever did before we had our two sweet girls!
Family TiesAs you can probably tell, family is very important to us. We are fortunate enough to have only lost one grandparent, between the two of us (we have five sets in all). In March of 2010, we lost my grandfather, Bill Stephens. We were very, very close and it was a hard time for all of us. Grandpa taught me much about life, through his many stories of how things were when he was growing up, through trips to his one-room school house, and by the lessons of faith and family that he instilled on my dad that he passed on to my brother and I. I am the wife, mother, and teacher that I am today, much to his credit.
Besides grandparents, Matthew and I are also blessed with wonderful parents. My parents (Gramps & Grams, to the girls) and his parents (Beepaw & Meemaw, Grandpa Dale, and Grandma Dawn) have done so much for us throughout the years and we try to make them proud every single day! One of the things our parents did for us was to give us our siblings! I have one brother, Gerold. He is two years younger than me and my best friend. I've even written a book about us, that I share with my students during the first week of school. Matthew has four brothers and a sister! Toby, Nick, Colby, Jacob, & Ashley. Here's where things get interesting... My brother, Gerold, is married to Matthew's sister, Ashley. It's legal, I promise! And I always make sure to tell everyone that Matthew and I got married first! And Nick's wife, Tiffany, is now my sister! My parents adopted her about seven years ago, when we met her through Nick! Between all of our siblings, we also have SIX nieces and one nephew! My brother and his wife are expecting their second child this August and my brother-in-law and his wife are expecting a baby (or more than one) this year, as well! We need to be updating the below picture to include my sweet nephew and our other new kids, but until we get that done, I'll just add a little picture of him. I hate to brag, but he is DEFINITELY the cutest nephew ever! :) He is one year old now and he was three months old in this picture. Time sure does fly! |