The Rector School District welcomed several new teachers this year. Three are profiled this week, and the others will be featured in a story next week.

Sonya Edington

Sonya Edington

Sonya Edington has joined the Rector High School faculty as the new ninth and 10th grade English teacher.

Edington, 23, is a recent graduate of Williams Baptist College at Walnut Ridge, where she earned a degree in May. Though she focused on a career in physical education, she also has a love for reading, which led her to become certified in English as well.

"I think a lot of students get nervous about English," she said. "I want to help change that."

Edington wants her students to enjoy class, with the ultimate goal of preparing for the future.

"Hopefully my students will take something out of this class and enjoy it," she said. "If they do that, I think it will help them better prepare for college-level courses."

A native of Campbell, Mo., Edington has been familiarizing herself with the school and the community of Rector.

"So far, it's been really nice," she said. "The teachers and students are really helpful and polite. I think I'm going to like working here. It seems like a really good school."

Edington says she's looking forward to becoming more familiar with her students.

"I really like working with adolescents. This is an age group where you really begin to see the types of people they're going to become. It's also a time when a lot of students start to find out who they really are. I want to do what I can to help them make the most of their education."

The youngest of three children, Edington enjoys spending time with her family. She says she is very close to her parents, Don and Joyce Edington.

"My family is very important to me. They've always been there for me and have helped make me who I am today."

While at Williams, Edington played softball and volleyball. She says she has always been active and continues to enjoy athletics in her spare time. She also enjoys fishing and camping, as well as most outdoor activities.

Jami Palmer

Jami Palmer

Jami Palmer has joined the Rector Elementary faculty as a second grade teacher.

Though this is her first year as a certified teacher, Palmer has visited the Rector campus in the past, working as a substitute. She has much experience in educating young children, having worked at Paragould's School of the 21st Century over the last three years.

Palmer cites a desire to help students achieve their full potential as a motivation to becoming a teacher.

"I think the main thing is that I wanted to help the children and watch them grow," Palmer said. "I want to make sure these kids have a good experience and look at school as somewhere they want to be, not just a place they have to go."

As an elementary teacher, Palmer says she wants to help her students in building good study habits for the future.

"It's very important to teach them good learning habits from an early age. A lot of kids don't know how to study. If you can establish good routines with them now, then they can carry those with them into the future."

Palmer says she is familiar with many of her fellow teachers from having been a substitute in the past.

"All the teachers have been welcoming and very helpful," she said. "They've been so good to me."

She also has a family member in the building. Her mother-in-law, Dereta Palmer, is a third grade teacher with a class just down the hall.

"She's been a savior. She has helped me with so many things. I know that no matter what, I've got someone I can go to for any questions I have."

Palmer has a daughter, Dominique Coln, in the fourth grade at Rector. She and her husband, Bret, also are expecting a child. The family lives on their farm at Holly Island.

Palmer, 28, is a graduate of Paragould High School. She received her degree in Early Childhood Education from Arkansas State University.

Sara Wright

Sara Wright

Sara Wright is the new Rector High School family and consumer sciences teacher. In her classes, Wright covers several subjects, including parenting, child development, foods and human relations. Her classes feature students in grades 8 through 12.

With a wealth of topics covered in her classes, Wright says she wants her students to use the information covered in class in the world outside of school.

"I have a lot of goals for my students this year," she said. "I want my students to leave my classroom understanding the subject areas. Family is the most important thing. You need to be able to care for them and provide for them. That's what my class teaches. That's what I want for my students."

A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Wright has been teaching for six years. She started in Cape Girardeau, Mo., but has been with the Brookland School District for the last five years.

Originally from Piggott, Wright says she is happy to be back in the area she considers home.

"I'm happy to be here at Rector. I'm excited to be teaching here in this area."

Wright and her husband, Brad, have a child and are expecting another. The family plans to make their home in the area.

"This is a great place to raise a family. This is a small county, but it's made up of caring people and communities. That's not really something you can measure."

Wright also has a family connection to the school. Her sister, Shana Simmons, is a fourth grade teacher at Rector Elementary.

"Any time you go into a new place, it always makes it easier if you know someone," Wright said. "With my sister at the elementary and having met some of the other teachers, it makes me feel more comfortable."

Wright says she is looking forward to her classes.

"I'm excited. I look forward to meeting all my students and getting to know them. This is a new beginning for them and me."