Over the course of the summer, students and staff have been privileged to have multiple upgrades. Renovations, new technology and new staff and teachers have all came to our building this year.

English teacher Alicia Brungardt is excited to be returning to Hays High for a second time.

“I am not nervous at all about teaching at Hays High,” Brungardt said. “I taught 15 years here prior to working as an instructional tech and then a middle school teacher at Kennedy and Hays Middle School.”

Brungardt said students and staff here are her “people”.

With instructional tech being part of her teaching career, Brungardt looks forward to this year with the new tablets.

“I’m excited to use the new Surface 3s,” Brungardt said.

As well as being excited to use and learn more about the tablets, she is also looking forward to exploring a bit more and teaching student’s cultural literature.

“I’m looking forward to exploring new skill sets and exposing students to literature that is part of our culture,” Brungardt said.

English, technology and artistic expression are some of Brungardt’s strong points and she hopes to intertwine all three while teaching this year.

“I hope to integrate all three areas into my classroom and make learning interesting as well as educational,” Brungardt said.

Brungardt’s love and passion for teaching has really shifted her to all sorts of teaching environments. From teaching to a Jewish, all-girls boarding school to high school, then middle school and high school again, she looks forward to coming back to Hays High.

“This is my home,” Brungardt said. “I feel comfortable here.”

16hbaxter@usd489.com