Features

Ahoy! New teachers aboard

Mahlia Black, Myla Johnson, and Anahlaya Johnson • October 5, 2023

With the new school year at Marshfield High School starting, students, and even some teachers, are adjusting to a new environment. This year there are several teachers who have joined the MHS staff; the radio, English, band, library, and math departments all gained new staff, as well as a new culinary program joining the mix.

“I love teaching English and creative writing and I hope to teach a creative writing course in the future as well,” said Jerri Benson, freshman English teacher.

Before teaching high school English, Benson graduated from Boise State and was teaching college level creative writing. This year is her first year of teaching at the high school level; she has taught for the local community college in the past. She hopes to interest students in reading and help them develop a genuine love for it.

New radio adviser Christopher Green moved halfway across the country to be closer to his son. Along with that, he applied and was hired to run Marshfield’s KMHS radio and the broadcasting department. He brings a plethora of experience with him. Before MHS, Green was a teacher in Indiana and his goal was to continue teaching on the West Coast.

“I really enjoy my time teaching and I was hoping for opportunities to continue that here at Marshfield,” explained Green. “There’s lots of different elements to radio and broadcasting that many people don’t know about.”

Being a teacher comes with many rewarding moments. Sometimes it can be as little as when a student is working on an assignment and it just clicks.

“It is most rewarding to see students have ‘aha’ moments where they not only understand it but they like it and are all of a sudden completely immersed in what we’re doing,” Green stated.

This year at Marshfield there is not only a new culinary teacher but the entire culinary course is new. Darrell Folk, also known as Chef Folk, has been active in the community for many years. Before becoming a teacher he owned his own restaurant in downtown Coos Bay, and also taught pastry and culinary arts for over 18 years.

“When it comes to teaching, I’ve been doing it for many years,” said Folk. “Before I actually opened Darrell’s Devil’s Food. It’s really nice to come full circle from teaching for so many years to owning a bakery and now, teaching again.”

“I really enjoy Mr. Folk’s class. He is very encouraging and teaches you skills that will help you later in life.” said sophomore Marina Mascarenas.

Issue 1

Donate to The Marshfield Times

Your donation will support the student journalists of Marshfield High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the Contributors

Mahlia Black, Co Editor-in-Chief

Junior Mahlia Black is a third year member of the Marshfield Times. This will be her first year as co-editor-in-chief. This is also her third year being on the Marshfield Upbeats dance team. In her free time she enjoys listening to music, practicing choreo for an upcoming dance performance, blasting music while driving around with friends, getting Dutch and going to the beach. She is involved in school activities including being a member of NHS and Vice President of SNHS. Future plans include attending George Fox University to get the required degrees to become an RN and work in the emergency room. She hopes to one day travel to the East Coast to visit family.

Myla Johnson, Managing Editor

Junior Myla Johnson is a third year member of The Marshfield Times journalism staff and has taken on the role of Managing Editor this 2024-2025 school year. She is also a proud member of the Marshfield Upbeats dance team and has been dancing since she was five years old. Outside of school she is involved in pageants and was Miss Coos County’s Teen 2023. Her career aspiration is to be an optometrist (eye doctor) and attend Pacific University after graduating high school. Her favorite subject in school is science and she is the community outreach officer for SNHS. Her favorite foods are mac and cheese and baja blast. She likes to say that she enjoys reading but never seems to have time to actually pick up a book anymore.

Anahlaya Johnson, Reporter

Anahlaya Johnson is a senior at Marshfield, and this is her first year in Journalism. Her favourite extracurricular is theatre, especially musical theatre; she has been in many productions, such as The Music Man, Alice in Wonderland, Seussical Jr, and Beauty and the Beast Jr (to name a few). Her hobbies include singing, drawing, playing video games, writing, and reading. She hopes to teach in the future, whether it's Biology, Theatre, or Choir.