School Board welcomes new faculty

By Everett Brazil, III

The Newkirk Herald Journal

NEWKIRK — The Newkirk Public School Board of Education convened for a special meeting Tuesday evening, April 30 and voted to hire several new faculty members for the 2019-2020 school year.

Faculty hired include Megan Karsten, Drew Faulkner, Brandie Choate and Lesley Engle.

Karsten will serve as a Spanish teacher and coach. Originally from Michigan, she and her husband moved to Oklahoma three years ago as her husband earned a master’s degree at Oklahoma State University. Previously she served as a Spanish teacher and softball coach at Hennessey High School for the past three school years.

Faulkner is the brother of NPS band instructor Josh Faulkner. He previously taught music one year at Turpin Public Schools. He will assist with the Newkirk High School band.

Choate will be assistant principal at Newkirk Elementary School. Raised in Ponca City, she previously taught three years at McCord Public School.

Engle is the spouse of NHS Principal Kevin Engle and will serve as an elementary school teacher. She has worked for numerous northern Oklahoma schools, including a teacher at Tonkawa four years and the librarian at Adams Elementary School in Enid. She has also taught at Ponca City, Mounds and Warner.