Wirin new Marshalltown Christian School administrator

Marshalltown Christian School recently announced that Bethany Wirin has been named administrator following the retirements of Dr. Joan Gerbo and Ned Sellers in June.

“I am excited about the opportunity to serve as administrator of Marshalltown Christian School because I believe in its mission and what MCS is doing in the lives of its students, families and our community.”

A longtime Marshalltown resident, Wirin knows the community well, having been elected and currently serving in her third term as a member of the Marshalltown City Council. Educated in the Marshalltown Community School District, Wirin graduated from MHS with the Class of ’91 as a National Honor Society member, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College, and her Master of Business Administration at the University of St. Thomas. Local involvement includes memberships in Assistance League, First Presbyterian Church, Reach Out and Read board member, and co-founder of Devoted Dance.

Wirin’s family includes husband Bruce, a financial advisor at Edward Jones Investments, 6-year-old twins Ben and Betsy, kindergartners at MCS, and parents Doug and Gail Reese, of Marshalltown. “My husband Bruce and I have been greatly encouraged by what we have seen God do in the lives of our children through MCS. MCS offers an encouraging learning environment with teachers, parents and other supporters dedicated to its mission of: Glorifying God through biblical, Christ-centered education, providing academic excellence, and preparing students for service and leadership.”

MCS is a kindergarten through eighth grade interdenominational Christian school located at 1408 S. Seventh Ave. “I look forward to the opportunity to provide support to the teachers, students and their families, and to find more ways of engaging the school in the life of our community and our community in the life of the school.” For further information regarding MCS, call the school office at 641-753-8824.

MHS teacher selected as part of James Madison Fellowship Program

For the second straight year, a social studies teacher from Marshalltown High School has been selected for the James Madison Fellowship Program.

Brad Rahmiller, government teacher at MHS, has been selected for the fellowship this year, after MHS teacher Alex Abbe received the honor last year.

Rahmiller’s application included his educational and professional organization background, essays and letters of recommendation. As part of this fellowship, Rahmiller will have his master’s degree work funded at Ashland University in Ohio and attend a four-week summer institute in 2018 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

“It’s really exciting,” Rahmiller said. “The main reason I’m doing this is to be able to teach government dual credit classes at MHS.”

Rahmiller has taught at MHS since 2008. He is a native of Iowa Falls and is a University of Northern Iowa graduate. He grew up attending a wide range of political events with his father, Eldon Rahmiller, which led to his interest in government. Rahmiller looks forward to bringing knowledge gained from this fellowship work back to his classroom at MHS.

“I think it’s good for the school,” Rahmiller said “It’s nice for Marshalltown to have two (James Madison Fellows). The more background you have is going to help the students.”

MHS Principal Jacque Wyant wrote a letter of recommendation for Rahmiller and called him an “excellent candidate” for the fellowship.

“As I have come to know Brad, I have seen his teacher leadership in multiple areas,” Wyant wrote as part of her letter. “Not only does Brad demonstrate a broad understanding of curriculum as it ties to national and state standards, he is able to articulate the appropriateness for particular topics based on the developmental needs of students.”

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship was created by Congress in 1986 for the purpose of improving teaching about the Constitution. Rahmiller is one of just two educators in the state of Iowa selected for the honor this year, with 53 total selected throughout the nation.

Retirement open house planned for Abbe on June 5

Woodbury Elementary School secretary Mary Abbe has announced she will retire at the end of June. A retirement open house is planned for Abbe from 3:30-5 p.m. on June 5 at Woodbury.

Abbe has worked at Woodbury for 43 years, starting as a paraeducator in 1974 before becoming secretary in 1988. She has been secretary at the school ever since.

Abbe said she’s enjoyed her work at Woodbury, which is why she stayed at the job. She’s getting a lot more hugs from students and staff since announcing her retirement.

“Being around the kids all the time, that’s what I’ll miss a lot,” Abbe said. She also wanted to thank the Woodbury staff through the years for their hard work.

“I’ve had wonderful staff people,” she said. “They are so dedicated to helping students.”

Woodbury teacher librarian Sue Cahill called Abbe the glue that holds the staff together and the first face families, students and staff see each day.

“She always has a smile and is helpful to all,” Cahill said. “She is kind and generous to all who pass through our doors.”

Abbe looks forward to a slower paced retirement.

“I think it’s time that I did something different and took it easy for awhile,” she said.

HCSB promotes six employees at annual meeting

ELDORA — The annual meeting of the Hardin County Savings Bank took place on May 11 at its principal office location in Eldora. Reelected as bank directors were Jim Brown, Martin Brown, Drew Lewis, Donna Lawler, Cornelia Throssel, Maurice Hyde, Larry Wolf, David Vander Wilt and Steve Gehrke.

David Vander Wilt, president, announced the following promotions:

• Barb Matthews to senior vice president and cashier. Matthews has been an essential part of HCSB for almost 37 years.

• Kathy Balvanz to senior vice president, BSA officer, trust officer and to the senior management team. She has been with HCSB for 31 years and has worn many hats during that time.

• Christie Pence to senior vice president and to the senior management team. Her tenure will soon be 26 years. She is the marketing director and has moved into a supervisory role in the customer service and data processing area.

• Jamie Rotgers to assistant vice president and assistant cashier in charge of the data processing department of the bank. She has worked in the data processing department for 13 years.

• Ben Engler to vice president. Engler is an ag loan officer and a livestock expert. He has been with the bank for almost two years and joined the lending team with 10 years of previous experience.

• Krista Weber to assistant vice president and executive secretary. Weber has been with HCSB for seven years and is the board secretary and director of human resources.

The Hardin County Savings Bank continues to be a locally owned community bank serving Hardin, Marshall, Grundy and other central Iowa Counties. Hardin County Savings Bank is the sixth oldest bank in the state of Iowa having served their communities for 149 years.

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