Carl Barnhart
High school English
Carl Barnhart is originally from New Vienna and graduated from Western Dubuque High School and the University of Northern Iowa. He lives in Cedar Rapids with his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Kyla.
Barnhart has previously taught at Center Point-Urbana High School, College Community (Prairie High School) and Linn-Mar High School.
When he’s not teaching, he enjoys reading, walking his dog, hiking, fishing and kayaking.
What do you love most about teaching? “Interacting with students and getting to share in their excitement when they master a new skill.”
What teacher influenced you growing up and what did you learn from them? “Mrs. Milbert, my fifth grade teacher. I learned perseverance from her. She helped me become a better reader by showing me that practicing was the only way to get better.”
Andy Brandt
High school business class
Andy Brandt grew up in Iowa City. He graduated from Iowa City Regina High School and then received a bachelors in marketing and management from Saint Ambrose University and a master of arts in education from Morningside University. He and his wife, Molly, and their children Mazie (5), Emmitt (3) and Sadie (1) reside in Iowa City.
Brandt has 13 years experience in banking and mort- gage lending. This is his first year teaching.
Outside of teaching, he enjoys playing and watching sports (a fan of the Chicago teams), golf and family time which includes playing outside with his kids, tackling house projects and watching movies.
What do you love most about teaching? “The connections I can make with young people and the impact I hope to have in preparing these young people for life after high school.”
What teacher influenced you growing up and what did you learn from them? “I loved most of the teachers I had growing up, that it is almost unfair to only pick one or two. Going through this journey and reflecting on my education, I realized what these teachers had in common, they each made me feel important. To pull from Maya Angelou ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’”
Donovan Eastburn
Seventh grade social studies
Donovan Eastburn grew up in Monticello, graduating from Monticello High School. He earned his bachelors degree at the university of Northern Iowa.
He and his wife, Lauren, and their daughter, Maggie (5) and son, David (2), reside in Mount Vernon. Eastburn previously taught at Springville Secondary School for 11 years.
Outside of the classroom, he enjoys cycling, running and hiking, watching movies, playing sports/keeping active, and playing video games.
What do you love most about teaching? “The kids, easily. Teaching allows me to watch kids grow and develop into the people they will be. That is far and away my favorite part of the job.”
What teacher influenced you growing up and what did you learn from them? “Mr. Hospodarsky was my high school history teacher. He showed me how to blend humor into the classroom while still making it a good learning environment. I have tried to mold my classroom after his.”
Ryan Frank
Washington Elementary school counselor
Ryan Frank grew up in Garner until the age of 10, when his family moved to Cedar Rapids. He graduated from Linn-Mar High School in 2016 and went on to receive his bachelor of arts in social work with a minor in music from the University of Northern Iowa and his master of arts from the University of Iowa.
He currently resides in Marion. Frank helped create the Learn- ing is for Everyone program at the Catherine McAuley Center in Cedar Rapids during its pilot year. He also volunteered for a majority of his adolescence at the Extended School Year program in the Linn-Mar Community School District. His grad school and internship experiences were both completed at Linn-Mar schools. He also served as an AmeriCorps member for two years at different non-profits.
Outside of teaching, he enjoys singing, making pottery, cooking/baking, watching movies, traveling and enjoying nature.
What do you love most about teaching? “I consider myself a lifelong learner, and so I have a huge passion for teaching/education. I believe that K-12+ education is essential not just for personal development, but for shap- ing the future of our communities and society. Therefore, I find it extremely important that every child/family has access to an education that sees their strengths and helps them grow.
“What I personally love most about teaching is how we can learn just as much from our students as they do from us. It’s incredible to witness the impact we can make by creating a safe and positive learning environment, and equally amazing to see how our students inspire and help us grow as educators and human beings.”
Allison Hamm
High school math
Allison Hamm is originally from Riverside. She graduated from Highland High School, and earned her bachelors degree from Cornell College and masters degree from Aurora University.
She and her husband, Brent, reside in Mount Vernon with their two-year-old son and two dogs. Brent is a wrestling coach at Cornell.
Hamm has taught at Lone Tree High School for a year and seven years at Solon High School. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, crocheting, reading and simply being active outside.
What do you love most about teaching? “I love the rela- tionships that come with teaching. It is amazing to see students grow as individuals throughout their four years in high school.”
What teacher influenced you growing up and what did you learn from them? “Mr. Swain was my high school science teacher. In his classroom, I always felt like I belonged and was valued. His classes were the perfect mix of working hard and having fun. He taught me that it is important to bring joy to teaching and learning.”
Kaia O’Neill
Seventh grade science
Kaia O’Neill grew up in Waukon, graduating from Waukon High School. She attended the University of Iowa, where she earned bachelor of arts in geo- science and a master of teaching in science education.
She and her husband, Tyler, reside in Mount Vernon. Tyler is a flight nurse in Davenport. The couple are expecting their first baby in early December.
O’Neill has taught two years at Alburnett Com- munity Schools, teaching seventh and eighth grade science and ninth grade science including chemistry and physics.
Outside of the classroom, she enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and spending time with her family, friends and dog.
What do you love most about teaching? “What I love most about teaching are the students. I love getting to know them and building relationships.”
What teacher influenced you growing up and what did you learn from them? “I had so many amazing teachers growing up. The one who influenced me was my high school English teacher. She cared about her students academic success, but was even more invested in her students as individuals.”