Submitted photo

L-R: Peggy Daniels, Emma Roberts, Johnathan Myers, Korie Doty, Mario Heder, Debi Lorence, and Courtney Toney are joining the district this year. Not pictured: Tara Rhone

Attending school is going to be a bit different this year, but students are still preparing for an education. Those who are taking classes within Harney County School District No. 3 this year will be greeted by a few new faces.

Debi Lorence is the new principal at Slater Elementary School. She came to Burns after spending the past 17 years in Laurel, which is outside of Hillsboro.

Lorence said she is looking forward to creating community, learning about Slater, dealing with the challenges of education with the new regulations that have been put in place, and meeting the needs of the children and their families.

In her free time, Lorence can be found hiking, biking, gardening, doing artwork, and event planning.

Courtney Toney is no stranger to the district, as she grew up and attended school in Burns and Hines. She will be teaching eighth-grade English Language Arts at Hines Middle School.

Toney said she is looking forward to living and teaching in her hometown, and she is excited to be teaching where she attended middle school.

Toney is active outside of school as well, enjoying volleyball, paddle boarding, running, reading, and drinking tea and coffee.

Slater Elementary also welcomes Emma Roberts who will be teaching fourth-grade students.

Roberts comes to Harney County from Bend, but she is no stranger to these parts because her mom grew up here. Roberts spent her childhood in Texas, Germany, and Kansas, living in each location twice. She explained that her father was in the Army.

Roberts said she is eager to have fun with students and building relationships.

She added that she loves to draw, is currently in the process of reading all of Stephen King’s books, and is making herself learn how to cook Indian food.

Johnathan Myers will be teaching science to seventh and eighth graders at Hines Middle School.

Myers grew up in Southern California, moved to the Portland area right out of high school, and has spent the past 10 years in Estacada.

He said he’s looking forward to meeting new students and their families, and navigating this school year together.

“This is going to be a wonderful time to learn new things,” he said.

Outside of school, Myers enjoys hiking, basketball, board games, and video games. He added that he’s looking forward to learning new hobbies, such as fishing, hunting, four-wheeling, and whatever else he can find to do in Harney County.

Korie Doty moved to Harney County from Wilsonville, and will be teaching sixth-grade math and sixth- through eighth-grade health at Hines Middle School.

Doty is looking forward to getting to know the students and helping them reach their educational goals.

Her new environment seems to be a good fit, as she enjoys hiking, camping, and pretty much anything outdoors. Playing sports is another one of her passions. She has been coaching at the high school level for the past 12 years and said she’s “loved every minute of it.”

Mario Heder joins the Hines Middle School staff teaching electives, including agriculture, animal science, careers, and computers.

When asked where he grew up, Heder replied, “Oh sheesh… military brat.”

From 1988 to 2007, Heder lived in Mississippi, Alaska (twice), Texas, California, and Utah. From 2007 to 2009, he lived in Southern Alberta, Canada, in Utah again from 2009 to 2012, and in Spokane, Wash., from 2012 to the present.

Heder said he’s looking forward to having his own classroom and home and not working in construction.

His interests include wrestling, hunting, hiking, exploring, music, marksmanship, cars, movies, and watching most sports.

Tara A. Rhone can be found teaching math at Burns High School.

Before moving to Harney County, Rhone had lived in Aurora since she was 16.

She said she’s excited for the change and the opportunity to meet new people, and she’s also looking forward to getting to know the students and community.

Her interests include being outside, gardening, working on classic cars, and traveling.

Peggy Daniels joins the district as a bus driver, and she will be busy delivering students to and from the schools this year.

Daniels lived in Hillsboro and Bend before making the move to Burns, and said she is looking forward to getting back to work, including meeting the students who she will be transporting.

In her free time, Daniels enjoys working with horses, watching movies, and traveling to new places.