West End Public Schools has hired several new staff members for the 2024-25 school year and would like to welcome those joining the district. They are as follows:
Keoni Souza
Keoni Souza comes to Nucla from Jeffco Schools most recently, but hails from Hawaii by birth. He has a passion for teaching young children and has four years of experience teaching preschoolers, prior to coming to the district and agreeing to teach kindergarten.
“If you have met Mr. Keoni, then you already know that he could be the most calm and kind teacher we have in the district, who instinctively practices restorative teaching and discipline, which fits beautifully into the WEPS philosophy.” Bray said. “You will also know that he loves sports!”
Keoni has jumped into coaching as the middle school assistant football coach and has recently been approved to be the middle school boy’s basketball head coach.
Keoni has a wife, Destiny, and together they have a third grader, Willow, and a baby on the way in December.
“We are so happy to welcome this family to the West End,” Bray said.
Kate Andrews
Kate Andrews has come as a very experienced paraprofessional from Norwood. She has many years of experience working with students of all age groups and ability levels.
"She brings that expertise into the kindergarten room in the mornings and as a special education paraprofessional in the afternoons,” Bray said. “Her kind, but firm approach works wonders with some of our most challenging students, and she has already developed deep relationships with her students.”
“Mrs. Kate” is married to Bo Andrews, and they have two daughters, Cooper (eighth grade) and Maggie (10th grade), who joined the Nucla school as well this year.
“We are so lucky to have such a great family join our school family,” Bray said.
Jennifer Perkins
Jennifer Perkins was born and raised in the state of Nevada, but lucky for Nucla, found herself in a relationship with someone who lives in the West End. When her son graduated high school in Nevada last spring, she began looking for work that would bring her to Colorado to work on developing her relationship.
With her experience as a mother of a son with special needs, she was drawn right away to an ad online for paraprofessionals at the school.
“‘Ms. Jennifer has a passion for helping students with special needs succeed in the classroom, and that has become obvious as she works with our students,” Bray said. “We are so fortunate she found our area and that we were able to bring her on board at WEPS.”
Melinda Bowen
“Mrs. Mindy,” as she likes to be called, has been a long-time parent in the West End. Her two children began their school career in Paradox and then moved into the elementary school a few years ago. Now, those children are sixth-graders, and Mrs. Mindy was looking for a way to stay involved with their schooling, while also making a living.
“It was a perfect fit for the West End, as we found ourselves in need of another paraprofessional after the school year began,” Bray said. “Mrs. Mindy comes to us with personal experience of raising a child with special needs and also a passion for working with young people. We are so glad to welcome her, husband Curtis, and their two children Orianna and Matthew to the West End Schools.”
Katey Herland
Katey Herland joined Nucla this school year as a part-time teacher to help fill gaps in middle and high school electives. She is teaching a high school home economics class, a middle school PE class, and a middle school agriculture class.
“Her versatility of skills made her the perfect candidate to fill so many gaps we found ourselves with at the beginning of the school year,” Bray said. “She is doing a fantastic job of lesson planning, building relationships with students, and passing on her many skills to the students in the West End.”
Herland with husband, Brandon, and their three children, Josey (eighth), Emma (seventh) and Norah (fifth) “make a fantastic addition” to the West End team.
Dana Saxton
Dana Saxton is not new to West End schools, but she is playing some new roles.
“We were ecstatic to welcome her back as our middle school home economics teacher at the beginning of the school year,” Bray said. “Since then, she has also stepped up as a substitute for our elementary music program, while we are trying to hire a new music teacher.”
Bray said her love of young people coupled with her incredible creative abilities has made Saxton “a huge blessing” to the school. She and husband, Jay, have watched two children, Eli and Anika, graduate the West End, and they are raising one more Mustang, Eden (eighth). Their passion for, not only the school, but the entire community is obvious with the many positions they take on to help students and the community succeed.
“We are so fortunate to have Mrs. Saxton back in our schools,” Bray said.
Ann O’Neal
Ann O’Neal was a Nucla High School graduate years ago and made a career in the health science administration industry. Recently, she was ready for a career change and saw our ad for a science teacher.
“With her degree in biology, and her strong background in health sciences, she was the perfect fit,” Bray said.
Now she is teaching high school biology, chemistry, intro to health sciences, and environmental science, as well as a middle school astronomy elective.
“She has brought new life back into the high school science department, and we are so happy to welcome her and her daughter, Violet, (kindergarten) to the West End,” Bray said.
Rachel McNiel
