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March 28, 2024 11:44 pm
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Introducing Teachers New To Moapa Valley Schools

By STEPHANIE BUNKER

Moapa Valley Progress

MVHS welcomes several new teachers and staff to its team including l to r Tyician Knight (Band/Orchestra), Valery Soltis (English/Drama), Joseph Higgins (Math), Maura Lobato (Dean of Students) and Gary Weiss (Special Education). PHOTO BY STEPHQNIE BUNKER/Moapa Valley Progress.

The new school year has brought many changes to administration and teachers in local schools.

To start off, the Moapa Valley High School has welcomed 4 new teachers and a new administrator. All that is in addition to having a new principal in Mr. Rod Adams.

Mauro Lobato is the new MVHS Dean of students. Lobato says that he is ready to begin a new adventure here in Moapa Valley.

Lobato graduated high school from Clinton, a small town in Northern Utah.

“It was a small farming community and so I understand how they work,” said Lobato.

Lobato has a broad background. He joined the Navy as a corpsman in the hospital. After he got out of the military he got into law enforcement. After that he became an Insurance Claims adjuster for Allstate and eventually got into insurance sales.

At that point, Lobato visited a classroom with the intent to sell insurance to the teacher. Instead he says that he fell in love with the graphic design class. That’s when he knew he wanted to become an educator.

So Lobato pursued a Masters degree in education. He eventually moved his wife and 7 children closer to his parents in the Las Vegas area and began working at the Desert Rose Adult High School where he stayed for four years. Now he is starting his 5th year in Clark County School District at an entirely new school.

Schools in Moapa Valley receive new teachers l to r, Linda Bush at Grant Bowler, Laurie Flynn at Perkins, Tracy Adams and Angie Wallace at Mack Lyon. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BUNKER/Moapa Valley Progress.

Lobato feels that his background in law enforcement helps him to put rules in place to take care of the facility and prevent things before they happen.

The newest math teacher at MVHS is Joseph Higgins. Higgins graduated high school in Pocatello Idaho and so can also relate to a small town school.

As an educator Higgins has taught for 20 years in Las Vegas. He began teaching at a correctional facility and later moved to teaching middle school. Higgins has taught at a credit retrieval school and then began teaching at Eldorado High School before he came to MVHS.

“I am excited to come to a rural school that is similar to the high school I graduated from,” said Higgins.

Tyician Knight recently graduated from Southern Utah University and will begin his first teaching job at Moapa Valley High School as the Band/Orchestra teacher. Knight originates from Parowan Utah.

“I heard great things about the Clark County School District’s music program and so I put in an application,” Knight said.

Knight said that he is anxious to continue the great music program at Moapa Valley.

“I hope to keep the standard they have going,” he said.

Valery Soltis will be joining the MVHS teaching staff as the new English/Drama teacher. Soltis originates from Minnesota but has been living in unique places over the past several years.

Soltis comes to MVHS after living in New Zealand where she taught Drama. Before she lived in New Zealand she lived in South Korea for 4 years.

Soltis explained that she had lately begun to get homesick for the states. Her parents come to the Moapa Valley area regularly as snow birds so they gave her the heads up about this community.

“My dad told me how great it was out here,” she said.

Sure enough there was a position open for a Drama and English teacher in Moapa Valley. She applied and got it.

MVHS alumni, Gary Weiss will be returning as the Special Education teacher.

“I felt this was a good opportunity and I am excited to be back,” he said.

In December of 2012 Weiss graduated from Southern Utah University. He completed his student teaching in Physical Education and Special Education at Cedar High School in Cedar City, Utah. While at Cedar High, Weiss helped coach basketball.

Mack Lyon Middle School is also welcoming 2 new teachers. Tracy Adams the new 7th grade math teacher has left MVHS for the middle school.

“The other math teachers there are awesome and I am excited,” said Adams.

Angie Wallace is also joining the Mustang team at Mack Lyon Middle School as the US/NV History teacher for 7th graders. Wallace is coming to Moapa Valley after teaching at Canyon Springs High School in Las Vegas.

Wallace is a native of Moapa Valley and is also raising her children here.

“I am excited to teach here because it’s a family community,” she said, “I am used to students that come from dysfunctional families. It will be nice to have the family support that encourages students.”

Most of all, Wallace is excited because she will be able to teach in her home town.

Kay Barlow is now one of the 1st grade teachers at Grant Bowler Elementary. Last year she was an Instructional Coach at the school. Barlow is now returning to the classroom after being a mother at home in Moapa Valley for many years. In the late 80’s early 90’s Barlow worked as a 2nd grade teacher.

“I am excited to be back and teach in a class room again,” she said.

Grant Bowler Elementary will also be welcoming Linda Bush to the teaching staff. Bush has spent the last several years at Perkins Elementary as a 3rd grade teacher and an Instructional Coach.

“I am excited to go back to 3rd grade and be back with the kids,” she said.

Bush expressed that she learned a lot as an Instructional Coach, “I learned new things in the district that I can try in the classroom,” she said.

Grant Bowler principal Shawna Jesson looks forward to having the 2 incoming teachers.

“I am so excited this year to have both Linda and Kay,” she said. “I snagged some really great women to work hard with the kids.”

Laurie Flynn is returning to teaching at Perkins Elementary School. Laurie has already put 25 years into the system and is now coming back to the Moapa community as the second grade teacher.

“I heard there was a position open and it seemed like the right thing to do,” she said. “I will be back at the same grade level and in the same classroom I left.”

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