Susan Comeau received her Master's of Education degree from Texas Woman's University. She has taught a variety of special education classrooms during her 11 years of teaching in Sanger, Texas. She is a native New Mexican and has come back to Lovington to live near her mother. She and her husband have two grown children and a 1-year-old Cocker Spaniel. She will be a SPED teacher at LHS.

Michelle Ontiveros, a native of Bloomfield, New Mexico, started attending Eastern New Mexico University in 2000 and graduated with her Bachelor's degree from there. She has worked in the College of Education at ENMU for the past two years. She completed her Masters in counseling by working with CYFD and the Portales Public Schools. She will be a counselor at LHS.

Linda Fowler, a native New Mexican, received her Bachelor's degree from College of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri and obtained her Master's degree from Eastern New Mexico University. She has 35 years experience: 19 in New Mexico, five in Arizona and 11 in Texas (the last eight in Granbury, Texas). Fowler will be teaching physical education and will be the volleyball and tennis coach at LHS.

After graduating from Denver City High School, Kendra Duncan attended Angelo State University and Texas Tech University to pursue a bachelor's degree. She then attended Howard College and Midland College where she received a Vocational Nursing degree. She married her husband, Oran, who works for the Lubbock County Sheriff's Department, on August 26, 1995. She finished her Bachelor's degree in psychology from UTPB in May of 2000. Duncan has been employed by Smyder ISD since 2001 and will be a SPED teacher at LHS. She has four children that will be attending Denver City Schools: Kallie, 6th grade; Kyler and Kenton, twin 2nd graders; and Kambrie, pre-K.

Amanda Graham is a native of Canyon, Texas where she graduated from Canyon High School in 2005. She attended Texas Tech University where she received her Bachelor's degree in marketing with a minor in Spanish in December of 2008. She moved to Lovington in June of this year with her new husband, Tyler Graham, who is the Sports Editor at the Lovington Leader. She will be teaching business education at LHS.

Brad Puetz has resided in Odessa, Texas for the past 28 years and was employed as a math teacher in the Odessa school system. He has been married for the past 26 years to his wife, Mary, and has two children, Allison, a senior, and Kelli, a sophomore, at Permian High School. Puetz will be a math teacher at LHS. He and his wife enjoy traveling on their Harley-Davidson motorcycle in their spare time.

Jessica Fitzgerald was born and raised in Lea County and graduated from Lovington in 2004. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2007 from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Fitzgerald worked as a labor and delivery RN at University Medical Center in Lubbock for two years and will continue to work on call there. She has one child, Presleigh, who she loves to spend time with. She currently is working on her Masters of Science in Nursing Administration and will graduate this December. She will be a nurse for the school system.

Monica Villalobos graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas. She is married to Salvador Villalobos and has four children--all boys. Villalobos says she is looking forward to a new and exciting school year. She will be teaching science at the Freshman Academy.

Cheryl Ann Sipes will be teaching language arts at the Freshman Academy. She is married and has two children and loves animals. Sipes says reading and writing are both her passion and joy and she hopes to share both with her future students.

Trey Williams will be a Social Studies teacher at Taylor Middle School this year. He graduated from West Texas A & M University in 2003. He taught for five years, two in Dalhart, Texas and three in Canyon, Texas. He has also coached volleyball those five years and was head volleyball coach in Canyon. He is married to Kristi Williams and they have four children together. They are looking forward working for Lovington schools and raising their family in Lovington, as well.

 Adrienne Hughes is a graduate of Texas Tech University. She will be a Language Arts teacher at Taylor Middle School. She is from Levelland, Texas and has three daughters. She enjoys reading, writing and hiking.

Greg Jackson graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 2008 with his bachelor's of science in health and physical education. He will be teaching Health at Taylor Middle School. He has been married to Shalie Jackson for two years. His mother and father, Karen and Bob Jackson, are both teachers and coaches in Hobbs and his sister, Laci Lockwood, is also a teacher and coach in Estancia, New Mexico. He loves football and track and field. He also enjoys teaching his new class at Taylor Middle School, Exercise Physiology. Outside of school he enjoys hunting, playing golf and working on his wife's family ranch located in Elida, New Mexico.

Joshua Shankles has been appointed the new Band Director at Taylor Middle School. He is a recent graduate of Eastern New Mexico University with a bachelor's of music education. He also serves as an assistant director at Lovington High School and teaches beginning low brass and flute at the Sixth Grade Academy. His previous work assignments included Coronado High School Band in Lubbock, Texas and Amarillo High School Orchestra. He hopes to remain at Taylor Middle School for some time and with the help of his exceptional band students, build the best middle school band program in New Mexico.

Lance Fikany will be teaching Physical Education at Taylor Middle School this year. He is a recent graduate of Eastern New Mexico University. He is currently an assistant football coach. He was assistant coach for the state champion Ft. Sumner Foxes in 2008 and assistant coach for the Ft. Sumner Foxes and Vixens this year. His coaching influences are: John Wooden, Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy and Bill Belichick. He enjoys the challenges of working with student athletes in a competitive environment.

Michelle Fox is returning to teach Math at Taylor Middle School after a seven-year hiatus during which she was a reporter with the Hobbs News-Sun. She graduated from University of the Southwest in 1998 and received her teaching license in 1999. She holds a master of arts from Eastern New Mexico University. The Hobbs native looks forward to being a part of the Lovington Schools.

Joy Bowman will be teaching Language Arts at Taylor Middle School this year. After graduating from Texas Tech, she moved to Denver City and taught there for 24 years before retiring. She is married to Clint Bowman who teaches computers at Taylor Middle School. They have two daughters, Kendra Duncan and Allison Marin. Kendra is married to Oran and they have four children; Kallie (sixth grade), Kenton and Kyler (second grade twins) and Kambrie (pre-k). Allison has three children; Britton (seventh grade), Bailey (fifth grade) and Blayne (first grade). They feel that they are truly blessed to have all of them living in Denver City. She welcomes the challenge of working with students in Lovington and looks forward to a super year. Jeanie Holin will be teaching science at Taylor Middle School this year. Her career as a teacher began in 1975. She graduated from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin with a bachelor's degree in science and education. Teaching students from third grade through ninth grade has been a joy for her for over 30 years. Her first years of teaching were in eighth grade, then when her family began , she taught in the elementary grades for 17 years. Her and her husband, Mark, have relocated to the Lovington area with the desire to serve the Lea County students. When her youngest children were junior high age, she became the Science Department Chair for Hood Jr. High. She taught and supervised there for the next 12 years. She moved to San Angelo for a year to teach in 7th grade, moved back to Odessa and was hired to be the secondary science curriculum specialist. She greatly missed working with her students, so she is delighted that she now has the opportunity to teach and learn from the students she will be entrusted with this year at Taylor Middle School.

Crystal Terrell was hired as the new Language Arts teacher at Taylor Middle School. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the children here and is proud to be a part of such a dedicated school district. She recently graduated with a bachelor's from Eastern New Mexico University and is eager to further her education. She has two children, Julian, 5, and Abby, 3, who will be attending Llano this year. They are originally from San Jon, New Mexico and Lovington is quite a change for them. However, they are happy to call it home and are looking forward to a great year. Go Wildcats!

Martha Angerer is a new special education teacher at Ben Alexander Elementary School. She was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas and worked as a teacher's aide at Cooper School. While working as an aide, she obtained her teaching degree from Texas Tech. Two of her daughters are occupational therapists. Her son is a manager of ERF wireless internet service and her youngest is attending South Plains College.

Margaret Casas is a new second grade teacher at Ben Alexander Elementary School. She graduated from Lovington High School in 1996 and received her bachelors in elementary education from University of the Southwest in May. She and her husband, Manuel, have been blessed with four children, two girls and two boys. Their girls, Celeste and Lizette are attending Taylor Middle School this year. Christian is now a second grader and their youngest Marc Anthony is starting kindergarten this year. Her parents are Alberto and Elvira Alba; she has three sisters and two brothers. She is very excited to join the Lovington Municipal School staff and is looking forward to working with second graders.

Jessi Gardner attended Eastern New Mexico University, receiving her bachelors in early childhood education. She will be teaching second grade at Ben Alexander Elementary School. She was born in Abilene, Texas and grew up as a dependent in the military, retiring in Albuquerque where she graduated high school. She currently lives in Portales with her new husband and her pet dogs and ferrets.

Kristi Williams graduated from New Mexico State University in 2001. She then moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico and taught fourth and fifth grades in Pojoaque. She has also taught second and third grades in Roswell and recently one year in Canyon, Texas. She is a new second grade teacher this year at Ben Alexander Elementary School. She is now attending Grand Canyon University, where she is pursuing her masters in professional counseling. She is married to Trey Williams and they have four children. They are both looking forward to working for Lovington Schools and raising their family here.

Kimberley Anderson received her associate of arts degree from Eastern New Mexico University - Roswell, bachelor of science in elementary education from University of the Southwest, and is continuing her education at ENMU. She is teaching Preschool at Llano Elementary this year. For the past three years, she has worked as an instructional assistant at the Lovington Preschool and is very excited to continue her career there as a teacher. She and her husband, Chris Anderson, have one son, Quintin, and are expecting another one very soon.

Yvette Enriquez is a new Social Worker for Special Programs this year for the Lovington School District. She is a native of Tularosa, New Mexico. She has a bachelor of social work and is currently pursuing a Masters of social work from New Mexico Highlands University. She moved to Hobbs from Las Cruces, New Mexico with her husband who took on position as the new Fire Marshal for the city of Hobbs. They have three children: Audrey, 20, attending New Mexico State University; Zach, 17, a senior at Hobbs High School; and Ivan, 15, a sophomore at Hobbs High School.

Alycia Finkbeiner is a new First Grade Teacher at Lea Elementary. She was born and raised in Oklahoma and attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has a bachelors in elementary education with an emphasis in early childhood education. She was a member of ORU Women's Basketball team until graduation in 2007. She married Ben Finkbeiner in 2007. He is currently the Assistant Women's Basketball Coach for New Mexico Junior College. She is entering her third year of teaching.

Ana Franco is a new Dual Language Teacher at Lea Elementary. She has her associates degree in arts from New Mexico Junior College and her bachelors of science from University of the Southwest. She is married to Gerardo Franco and they have one son, Jessiel Franco who is six years old.

Mike Worley is teaching ninth grade Earth Science at the Freshman Academy this year. This is his first year in the Lovington Public School District. He has 16 years experience teaching science, English and physical education in New Mexico and Arizona. He graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1989 with a bachelors of science and in 1991 from Auburn University with an masters in education. He is currently finishing his certification requirements in education administration from Northern Arizona University. In addition to his teaching duties, Worley will be coaching both Varsity Football and Varsity Track and Field. He has over 23 years experience coaching the two sports at schools such as Artesia High School, Mesquite High School (Gilbert, Arizona) and Rio Rancho. He is married to Lisa, a native of Artesia, New Mexico, and they have a 3 year old son, Kellen.

Heather Atwood is a new Special Education teacher at Lea Elementary. She graduated with her degree in business from Eastern New Mexico University in 2005 and graduated from Lovington High School in 2001. She is married to Ky Atwood, Executive Director for the Lovington Chamber of Commerce. They have a year-old son, Payton. Her parents are Dymorie and Steve Maker of Lovington.

Jose Dorado is a lifelong resident of Lea County. He graduated from Tatum High School and attended Eastern New Mexico University, graduating with a Masters' in Bilingual Education. He has taught in the Lovington schools for 30 years and two years with the Hobbs School District. He is returning to Lovington and will be teaching fifth grade at Yarbro Elementary. Dorado is married to Maria who is a diagnostician with the Lovington schools. They have two daughters, Monica, who is a second grade teacher at Ben Alexander and Deanna who is currently attending Texas Tech. He enjoys playing golf, walking and reading. Dorado says he is very excited about returning to teach with the Lovington School District.

James Auld will be teaching Fifth grade at Yarbro Elementary. He attended school in Denver City, Texas and Tatum. He married his fourth grade sweetheart almost 34 years ago. They have three children, the youngest one in college at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. They also have four granddaughters. Auld worked for Mobil Oil Company from 1978 to 1990, primarily as a Drilling Supervisor. He graduated from College of the Southwest in Hobbs in 1995. He received his teaching certification in 1996 from the State of New Mexico. Auld has spent 12 years pastoring a church in Denver City, Texas. In January 2006, he resigned the church and took a job as a drilling consultant in the Permian Basin oilfields. In March of 2009, he started substitute teaching in Lovington and was hired to teach fifth grade at Yarbro Elementary in May. Auld says that he looks forward to teaching some of the children that he worked with in the past year and that it is his goal to invest his life in the lives of these children in order to help them become good leaders and citizens of our great nation.

Shalie Jackson attended Eastern New Mexico University in 2009 and received her Bachelors of Arts in Elementary Education degree. She will be a fourth grade teacher at Yarbro this year. She enjoys spending time with her students and family. She also enjoys baking and photography. She has been married to Greg Jackson for two years. Her parents are John D. and Shelli Anthony. She has one brother, Dustin and a sister, Shanna. They live on a ranch in Elida, New Mexico.

Twyla Smith will be a Math Intervention teacher at Yarbro Elementary this year. She has 12 years prior teaching experience. She taught for five years in Hobbs in First and Second grades and for seven years in Lovington in fourth and fifth grades. She is married to Steve Smith and together they have five children; Ty, 26; Jessica, 23; Colter, 18; Josh, 15 and Ashleigh, 14. They also have one grandchild, Presleigh, eight months.

Joe Palomo is returning to Lovington after three years of retirement. He has 36 years in the field of education, was Lovington's Bi-lingual Coordinator and grant writer for 11 years. He will be teaching 4th grade at Yarbro Elementary. His wife Mary  is a literacy coach at Yarbro Elementary.

Madonna Castro will be teaching Math at Taylor Middle School this year. She is from Manila, Philippines and is a graduate of Philippine Normal University. She has one child and enjoys reading, surfing the net and doing math problems.

Maggie Clayton is returning this year as a part time math coach for the Lovington School District. She attended New Mexico Junior College, University of New Mexico and the University of the Southwest where she obtained her bachelor's and masters degree. She is married to Lance Clayton. Together they have two children; Chantz, who is attending UNM and Chanley, who is a sophomore at Lovington High School. She enjoys reading, spending time with family , playing golf and traveling.