Mehlville Promotes Employees to Key Roles in the District

The Mehlville School District board approved eight individuals to take over new roles within the district for the 2012-2013 year. The approval was made at the June 21 meeting in a close session vote.

“We could not be happier with the selection of these candidates,” said Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost in a press release. “Each one brings impressive skills and knowledge of their trade, and we are confident they will continue to excel in their respective positions.”

The following bios were provided by the Mehlville School District:

• Mark Catalana, Interim Director of Human Resources

For the past two years, Catalana has led the District’s Witzel Alt Academy, Virtual Academy, Second Chances/Better Choices program and the Community Enrichment Department. Prior to joining Mehlville, Catalana served as a teacher with the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD).

• Jeremy Booker, Principal –

After teaching for one year in the Dunklin R-5 School District, Booker spent the next eight years teaching fourth- and sixth-grade students at Blades Elementary. He joined the Bierbaum Elementary community for the 2010-11 school year, where he has filled the role of assistant principal for the past two years.

• Dr. Dan Gieseler, Principal –

Gieseler comes to Mehlville from the Rockwood School District, where he has served as the assistant principal at Ballwin Elementary School for the past four school years. Prior to his role at Ballwin Elementary, Gieseler taught sixth- and seventh-grade social studies at Rockwood South Middle School and managed the district’s 21stCentury Community Learning Centers Program.

• Kelly Roberts, Assistant Principal –

Roberts joins Mehlville after working as an Administrative Intern at Pond Elementary in the Rockwood School District since 2011. Prior to her time in Rockwood, Roberts was a summer administrative intern and lead intern for the Parkway School District.

• John DeWalle, Administrative Intern for Alternative Programs

DeWalle has served the Mehlville School District in several capacities, including the six years he has spent teaching social studies to students enrolled at SCOPE (South County Opportunity for the Purpose of Education), which is a consortium of eight local school districts that educates students in grades six through 12 who have been suspended from their home school for five to 180 days. In addition to teaching, DeWalle has been an assistant football and track coach at Mehlville High School.

• Alicia Landers, Director of Curriculum Technology

Landers has served as an Assistant Principal at Mehlville High School since the 2007-08 school year. Before joining the MHS staff, Landers worked in the Union School District as the Facilitator of Instructional Technology Integration and the Intern/Lead Teacher of the Union Intermediate Academy.

• Sarah Fahrner, Director of Elementary Curriculum

After teaching for one year in the Festus School District, Fahrner has taught third- and fourth-grade students at Oakville Elementary since the 2008-09 school year.

• Amanda Zink, Director of Secondary Curriculum

Zink has spent the past 12 years teaching English Language Arts at Oakville High School, where she has served as the English Language Arts Department Chair since 2004.