Glendale High School : Departments : Communication Arts

Communication Art

Communication Art Syllabi 2012 - 2013
Reading - Gillespie	ACT Prep - Gillespie

Mrs. Cara Baxley is beginning her 4th year as a Glendale Falcon. Her classes for the 2010-11school year include Technical Communications 3 and Broadcast Journalism I & II. She previously taught high school English in Florida, where she lived for 16 years before returning home to Springfield. Ms. Baxley has 3 sons, ages 14, 11, and 8, who occupy her time away from Glendale.

Mrs. Lesa Bettencourt is serving in her 8th year as Director of the Glendale Drama Program, having previously taught Special Education at Glendale 7 years. She previously served as the Music Director at Glendale in productions of Lil’ Abner, Little Mary Sunshine, Grease, The Sound of Music, Cinderella, Bye Bye Birdie, and Little Shop of Horrors. Directing duties include the shows: Wizard of Oz, Harvey, Footloose, Arsenic and Old Lace, Into the Woods, Rumors, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Curious Savage, Godspell, And Then There Were None, Little Shop of Horrors, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and You Can’t Take It With You, The 25th Annual Spelling bee, and Noises Off. She has also served as Music Director for local productions at Vandivort and Springfield Little Theater. She is a graduate of Southwest Missouri State University with degrees in Theatre and Special Education. Lesa is married to Brian and they are the proud parents of “LB”, also known as their grandson, Brian; Gizmo, a very pampered “pug-inese” and their newest addition, Bailey, a rambunctious Boston Terrier.

Mr. Dan Cogell is in his 4th year at Glendale. He has taught Communication Arts and Journalism for 19 years. He has a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing, so his hobbies obviously include reading and writing. Mr. Cogell and his wife, Julie, have three sons who graduated from Glendale: Christopher, Joshua, and Cedric. There are many things Mr. Cogell appreciates about Glendale--the quality of the students and the parental support--but mostly he appreciates the short drive to work.

Ms. Lindsay Cowan is in her 6th year at Glendale in the Communication Arts Dept. She teaches English I Honors and English II. She lives in Springfield and graduated from SMSU in 2002 with a B.S. degree in English and Secondary Education. She is also the sponsor for Girls Service Society at Glendale.

Beth Eggleston is Glendale's journalism teacher. In addition to teaching the introductory journalism course, Mrs. Eggleston also leads the staff of Quill, Glendale's premier newsmagazine, and the staff of the Falcon, Glendale's yearbook. She draws from her experience as a professional journalist as she leads her classes. Before becoming a teacher, she worked for the Springfield News-Leader for seven years, the Springfield Business Journal for two years, and the Branson Daily News for one year. While working for newspapers, she filled such roles as reporter, photographer, designer, editor and copy editor. She received a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Missouri State University in May and also holds a bachelor's degree in Communications from MSU. In her free time, Mrs. Eggleston enjoys spending quality time with her family. She is married to Shawn, who works in Springfield as a registered nurse. Their son, Alexander, will be 1 year old in November.

Mrs. Leslie Helfrecht is in her 6th year teaching in the Communication Arts department. She graduated from MSU in 2002 with a Professional Writing Degree then returned to get her teaching certification. She is also sponsor of Glendale’s Student Council and Cabinet. Mrs. Helfrecht grew up in Springfield and attended Springfield Public Schools (Parkview graduate). She has a sweet baby girl named Harper and is married to David. She likes to cook, read, and travel with her husband in her spare time.

Mr. Bill Jordan teaches Speech and Debate and is in his 27th year at Glendale. Prior to coming to Glendale, he taught at Webb City for seven years. He is a graduate of Central High School and MSU. Bill served for ten years as the southwest representative to the Speech Advisory Committee of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, and now represents the Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri on the Speech Advisory Committee. MSHSAA recognized Bill with their distinguished Service Award for 1998-99. Bill is a Sixth Diamond Coach in the National Forensic League and served as an official at the National Speech and Debate Tournament for eight years. Bill has been recognized by the National Forensic League with their Distinguished Service Key Award, and in 1997 with their Distinguished Service Plaque. Bill received the Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri’s Loren Reid Service Award for 2006-07. Mr. Jordan was recognized by the National Federation of High School Association as the Outstanding Speech, Debate, and Drama Educator of Region 5: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota for 2004-05. Bill also received the National Federation’s Citation Award for Speech, Debate and Theatre in 2007. While at Glendale, Bill has coached Missouri State champions in Cross-Examination Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Extemporaneous Speaking, and has coached two national champions in Student Congress. Mr. Jordan has also coached four National Forensic League All-American students.

Mrs. Alicia Moore is beginning her 5th year as a Communication Arts teacher at Glendale. She teaches AP English Literature and Composition, ACT Prep, English I, and Reading. Alicia is a graduate of Harding University, where she earned a B.A. in English and Spanish as well as a Master’s of Education. She first discovered her passion for teaching in a rural Kenyan village where she worked for seven months. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, being outdoors, and spending time with her husband and friends.

Mrs. Shayna Peery is beginning her 5th year at Glendale in the Communication Arts department. She graduated from SMSU in May 2000 and received a Master’s in Administration from WWU in 2006. Shayna loves spending time with her husband, two daughters, and their baby boy, who will turn 1 year old on Christmas.

Mr. Joshua Rowlett teaches Communication Arts. For the last 7 years, he has lived in or just outside Springfield. In that time, he has had the opportunity to complete both his undergraduate and graduate studies at MSU. Still, he did not come to teach through the usual means. He was first a caseworker, working for the State of Missouri for two years. He is now entering his 3rd year of teaching English I & II. Equally exciting is the fact that last year he had his first child.

Mr. Shawn Sotheran is a new English teacher at Glendale High School. He spent the past three years teaching and substituting at Kickapoo High School. Shawn graduated in 2006 from Missouri State University with a Bachelor’s of Arts in communication and is on track to complete his Master’s of Arts in Teaching this winter. He grew up in Liberty, Missouri, outside of Kansas City and graduated from Liberty High School in 2003. Shawn enjoys reading, laughing and watching sports, especially Royals’ and Chiefs’ games.

Mrs. Lisa Van Gorp has been a member of the Glendale Communication Arts Department since 2005, and she is currently serving as Department Chair. Mrs. Van Gorp received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Evangel University – majoring in English Education and Social Sciences. This year she will be teaching English II, English III Honors, and Film as Literature. Her husband Aaron is a small business owner here in Springfield. The Van Gorps spend a great deal of their spare time entertaining their chocolate lab Peyton, who has a lot of energy!