Editor’s note: These profiles were submitted by Montezuma Schools staff members.
Hannah Garland
Agriculture
Ms. Hannah Garland is a new agriculture teacher in the Montezuma Community School District!
Ms. Garland is originally from Dixon, Iowa. She attended Calamus- Wheatland Community Schools.
She received her undergraduate degree in Horticulture from Iowa State University and graduated in May 2021 with a master’s in agriculture education.She was an active member of her FFA chapter in high school and participated in conduct of meetings, parliamentary procedure, prepared public speaking, served as chapter secretary and vice president, and received her American FFA degree.
In her free time she enjoys reading, tending to her houseplants, and watching Iowa State football.
Ms. Garland looks forward to getting involved in the community and she is excited to begin her teaching career here at Montezuma!
Mikey Lyons
Social Studies, English
Mikey joins joins the Montezuma Community School District as the new 6-7 Social Studies and English teacher.
He is a 2015 Montezuma alum, and a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa. He student taught in Williamsburg School District, and said he is excited to manage his own classroom.
Mikey comes from a large Irish-Canadian-American family, and is very excited to welcome a baby in January with his wife, Alisha.
Mikey and Alisha currently live in Iowa City with their dog, Odin. He loves spending time with them, watching NBA games and playing video games.
As a former football and track team member, Mikey is looking forward to cheering on the Braves and Bravettes again.
He said he is excited to join the wonderful team of teachers at Montezuma that previously taught him.
Welcome back to Montezuma, Mikey!
Rylie Little
Head Volleyball Coach
Rylie will serve as the high school head volleyball coach this fall.
She is a 2017 graduate of Albia Community High school. After high school she attended Southwestern Community College where she obtained an Associate of Arts degree.
Rylie will attend College in the fall to achieve her Bachelor’s in Business Management.
She works at Jeld-Wen, in Grinnell, as a warranty assistant.
Rylie lives in Grinnell with her boyfriend Isaiah, and their dog Buck. In their free time they enjoy being outdoors, hanging out with friends and exploring new places.
Rylie enjoys riding horses, spending time with her parents and siblings in Mississippi, as well as in Iowa.
Rylie has a passion for working with children and sports.
She said coaching for Montezuma is an extraordinary opportunity to kick-start her high school coaching career. She is excited to join the Montezuma community!
Ana (Lopez) Hanna
6-12 Special Education
Ana is serving as 6-12 special education teacher.
She grew up in a small town in Minnesota before moving to Alta, Iowa, her freshman year of high school where she graduated in 2008.
She attended Iowa Central Community College, then transferred to Buena Vista University. She graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education.
She has continued her educational path and will graduate with her Master’s Degree from Morningside College in June.
Ana began her teaching career at St. Mary’s in Storm Lake. She transitioned to teaching for the district she graduated from, Alta CSD.
At Alta, her experience ranged from K-12 ELL to elementary classroom generalist.
Since moving to Montezuma two years ago, she has been teaching general education at Marshalltown CSD.
She said she has enjoyed the different teaching experiences she has acquired the past nine years.
Ana lives in Montezuma with her husband, Kurt, where they manage their six kids, Leslie (14), Tate (11), Alyssa (7), Leah (6), Olivia (6), and Brylee (6).
She loves spending time with her children and supporting their hobbies. They especially love fishing, taking their dog, Blu, for walks, and swimming at their “up north” lake!
Ana said she is super-excited to start her journey at Montezuma and to be part of the great district her children attend!
Vanessa (Minner) Hilton
Special Education
Vanessa will be serving a special education teacher.
She graduated from Montezuma in 2015, and later from William Penn University.
She began her career in Oskaloosa as a special education teacher, and was at the Grinnell Middle School for the past two years where she taught the Behavior Disorder Program.
Vanessa, and her husband, Lucas, are building their lives here in Montezuma. They have two children; Delaney is two and Dawson is a month old.
In their free time, they enjoy playing outside, watching movies and eating popcorn, and watching Vanessa’s younger brother, Peyton (or as Delaney would call him…”Uncle Potty”), in all of his activities.
Coming back and being able to teach in Montezuma has been a dream of Vanessa’s. She said she excited to be able to work with the best teachers who taught her as a student, but also have taught her so much about how to be a great teacher.
Welcome back to Montezuma Vanessa!
Olivia Smith
Secondary School Interventionist
Olivia joined our school in the role of a secondary school interventionist.
Her primary role is working with students in small groups or individualized settings on academic skill deficits.
She will also serve as the assistant girls basketball coach.
Olivia said she is excited to be joining Montezuma! She has had the opportunity to experience how amazing and welcoming Montezuma is through her husband, faculty member and coach, Cal Smith.
Olivia graduated from Central College in May of 2020 with a major in Natural Science and a minor in Spanish.
She started her career at BCLUW High School, where she taught integrated science, biology, environmental science, and anatomy & physiology.
She was also the assistant girls basketball coach.
Olivia has loved the connections and experiences that she had at BCLUW, and said she is looking forward to becoming part of the team here at Montezuma and getting to know everyone.
Kelly O’Rourke
Secondary Principal
Kelly O’Roucke is Montezuma’s new secondary principal.
O’Rourke previously served as a fourth grade teacher at Viola Gibson Elementary School in Cedar Rapids. His career has been geared toward the empowerment of students.
He has a strong passion to educate young minds and help them blossom into well-rounded, responsible, and successful individuals.
He has been passionate in his commitment to three things: maximizing individual student performance, inspiring students’ interest in technology and instilling a sense of self-worth among all students.
His strengths include collaborative leadership, development in technology, creating flexible learning environments, creative thinking, and the ability to communicate to all.
He has also spent several seasons serving as a coach.
O’Rourke currently lives with his wife, Kaylee, and their son, Koy.
Montezuma Superintendent Nathan Wood stated, “It was clear to me that Mr. O’Rourke’s passion for learning, positive attitude and demeanor, and work ethic all align with our school goals to be the best in everything we do.”
“Mr. O’Rourke spoke directly with myself and the board about how he plans to collaborate with staff and student families to provide all of our students with the academic and social skills and experiences to make them successful students, and ultimately, successful adults.” Wood said.
Kelsey Sheets Schechinger
Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Schechinger is serving as our preschool teacher for the 2021-2022 school year.
She is a Montezuma & ISU graduate who has taught in Harlan CSD for the last eight years in both kindergarten and preschool.
Her husband Brad, owns All Purpose Contractors- APC working out of Harlan and the Montezuma areas.
They have three sons. Atticus (6) – will be in first grade, Avram (4) will be in be in kindergarten, and Emmerich (16 months).
Kelsey and her family enjoy going to ISU sporting events, spending time camping, exploring outside with their dogs, and lake life. They say they are very excited to be moving back home to raise their boys in the Montezuma community.
Welcome home Kelsey – we are excited to have you joining our school and community!