Meet Brittany Armel – Kindergarten Aide
Brittney Armell has been working at Paw Paw Schools for just one month, but she’s already making a big impact. Each morning, she helps students with meals and cleanup, supports children with a variety of skills and needs, and gives extra help once classwork begins. She says Mondays are the most challenging part of her week. Since Brittney is still new, she hasn’t made many memories yet, but she looks forward to creating them in the years ahead. Brittney chose this job because she has always wanted to work with kids. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her own children. She says, something students may not realize is the level of hard work that goes into her job. Her advice to students about respecting and appreciating school staff: “Be nice! You never know the day someone has had or is having”. Interview conducted by Nathan Dick and Braylen Paul
Today we celebrate our school service personnel. Paw Paw Schools is thankful everyday for the love and support our school service personnel have for our students and our school!
Meet Jennifer Hoopengardner – School Cook
This is Jennifer Hoopengardner’s first full year as a cook at Paw Paw Schools. She enjoys the school environment and especially appreciates the close-knit feel of a small school. So far, she hasn’t found anything too challenging, and she wanted to work here because it makes it easier to be where her children go to school. A typical day for Jennifer begins early, preparing breakfast so students can start their morning with a good meal. After cleanup, she helps plan and cook lunch, serves students, and makes sure the kitchen is cleaned and ready for the next day. Like all school cooks, she works hard behind the scenes to make sure students are fed, safe, and cared for throughout the day. Outside of school, Jennifer loves riding horses. Since she’s still new, she hasn’t made too many memories yet, but she knows they’ll come with time. Many students don’t realize how much hard work goes into being a school cook. Her advice to students about respecting and appreciating school staff: “Be respectful to all staff”. Interview conducted by Nathan Dick, Braylen Paul
Today we celebrate our school service personnel. Paw Paw Schools is thankful everyday for the love and support our school service personnel have for our students and our school!
Meet Kim Galliher – School Cook
Kim Galliher has been part of Paw Paw Schools for 15 years and has worked in Morgan County for a total of 22 years. Inspired by her children, Kim chose a career as a cook and has enjoyed working with kids ever since. Her days start early, preparing breakfast so every student begins with a healthy meal. After cleanup, she moves straight into planning and cooking lunch, checking food orders, and making sure everything follows food safety standards. Thursdays are the hardest day of the week, since that’s food delivery day, and it takes extra time and energy to unload and organize supplies. Beyond the daily routine, Kim also helps prepare food for school field trips, making sure students are cared for outside the cafeteria too. Outside of school, Kim enjoys camping, swimming, and spending time with her grandchildren. She says most students think cooks just open boxes and cans, but there’s much more to the job. Over the years, she has gathered many wonderful memories from her time in the kitchen. Her advice to students about respecting and appreciating school staff: “Cooks deserve more respect”. Interview conducted by Nathan Dick and Braylen Paul
Meet Heather Kesner – High School Special Education Aid
Ms. Heather Kesner is a special education aide and autism mentor who has been working at Paw Paw Schools for four years. She spends her days attending classes with 9th grade students and assisting them with assignments, finding joy in seeing their faces light up when they finally understand a difficult task or when she hears their laughter. While she enjoys the rewarding moments, she finds it challenging to help students navigate social skills since everyone wants to fit in and make friends. Ever since she was a little girl playing school with her dolls, Ms. Kesner dreamed of working in education. Outside of school, she enjoys family time, camping, visiting waterfalls, participating in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, attending church, and continuing her college studies. Many students may not realize that aides attend just as much training as teachers. One of her favorite memories was chaperoning a Skyzone field trip in Hagerstown, where a dizzying ride left her laughing along with her students. Her advice to students is: “Remember that words hurt no matter what the role is, or a person's age. If you wouldn’t want it to be said or done to you, do not do it to others. Kindness makes the world go around.”Interview conducted by Ms. Ritenour
Meet Stephen Mcdoniel - Bus Driver
For the past three years, Stephen Mcdoniel has been the morning and afternoon bus driver for Paw Paw High School. His day begins at 6:00 a.m. picking up students and making sure they arrive safely by 7:30, and he finishes around 4:30 after the afternoon routes. In addition to his daily schedule, he also drives for field trips and helps with volunteer events like “Stuff the Bus.”
Stephen says his favorite part of the job is interacting with students. He loves being the first person to greet them each morning and watching them grow up year after year. The most challenging part, he admits, is driving new routes, which can be intimidating at first.
Before joining PPHS, Stephen retired from the fire department and wanted another way to give back to his community. Outside of school, he enjoys crafting, building, and traveling. He reminds students that driving a school bus requires constant attention and care not only by operating such a large vehicle but also making sure everyone on board is safe.
Meet Dave Bohrer – Custodian
Mr. Bohrer has been a custodian for Paw Paw School for ten years. A typical day for him is filled with lots of work, with the most difficult part being cleaning the bathrooms. His favorite part of his job is working with and helping the staff and students. He also enjoys being close to home. He started working at the school because he thought it would be a nice place to work, and he needed a job. Outside of school Mr. Bohrer enjoys racing, hunting, fishing, riding four-wheelers, and watching old western movies. He says most students don’t realize just how much time and effort it takes to keep the school running. His favorite part of the day is getting thanked for what he does. When asked for advice to students on how to respect and appreciate school staff, Mr. Bohrer said: “Learn to listen to your elders, do what you’re told, learn all you can and get a good education” Interview conducted by Kyndal Corbett and Matthew Abrell
Today we celebrate our school service personnel. Paw Paw Schools is thankful everyday for the care and support our school service personnel have for our students and our school!
Meet Wendy Cowgill – Secretary
Wendy Cowgill has been part of Paw Paw Schools since 2006. Her days are always busy managing attendance, lunch counts, and sometimes even stepping in as the school nurse. She enjoys the social side of her job, especially meeting and talking with new people. The most challenging part, she says, is handling the financial responsibilities. Wendy chose to work in a school so she could spend summers with her daughter. Outside of work, she loves playing games, watching the river from her porch, and spending time with her daughter and grandchildren. Something most people don’t realize is just how many responsibilities her job really involves. One of her funniest memories was when she tried fixing a jammed copier, only to spill toner all over the floor. Her advice to students on respecting and appreciating school staff: “Always respect and appreciate school staff, because they are dedicated to helping you succeed”.
Interview conducted by Kyndal Corbett and Matthew Abrell
It has a taste like a tropical-flavored fruit, which tastes like a mix of banana and mango. You can observe the day by visiting farmers' markets, picking pawpaws yourself, or trying out pawpaw recipes.
While once common, it is now considered a "forgotten fruit" but is a staple at many farmers' markets and can be foraged locally.
Our dedicated service personnel provide vital services to our children and we could not run our school systems without them. For many children, our hard-working service personnel are the first people who greet them in the morning, whether it be on the bus or serving breakfast in the school cafeteria. They keep our offices running smoothly, ensure our facilities are clean and well- maintained and provide critical assistance to our special needs students. It truly takes a village to educate and nurture our students, and our state’s school service personnel are a essential part of the village!
College for West Virginia (CFWV) coordinates three annual college-planning milestones to help students in West Virginia plan their pathway to education or training beyond high school. High schools that successfully participate in all three pathway events and meet specific criteria are recognized as CFWV Champions of College Access and Success schools. The three milestones have specific components to help students in West Virginia transition to postsecondary pathways.
IT Pro Day recognizes the critical role IT pros play in managing and maintaining the essential systems and applications powering our digital experiences. Morgan County IT Pros help maintain our school software, school networks, technology work tickets, Chromebook and other technology repair, new systems installation, cyber safety and security, and most of all they help Paw Paw Schools everyday!
https://www.morganschools.net/page/technology-department
As we finish out two successful weeks of school for the 2025-2026 school year , we would like to take a moment to recognize our students who are post- secondary and the number of collegiate athletes starting their trainings/ seasons. I cannot remember a time when we have been able to say that we have 11 students in college from PPHS during any one year or that we have 4 athletes competing at the collegiate level during a calendar year. Although these stats are typical for a larger school, they are incredible for one of the smallest high schools in the state of WV. We would like to recognize the following PPHS graduates / their colleges and their sports. I would encourage you to visit the college athletics pages for each of their colleges to catch these former Pirates in action . # Pirates succeed in college and college athletics
Class of 2025
Pricilla Corbin- ACM- basketball
Donovan Tanouye- Fairmont- CC and track (running)
Dreden Heath- Fairmont
Myley Mullins- WVU
Rylan Meese- WVU
Trenton West- Shepherd
Class of 2024
Karynn Kerns- ACM
Miah Smith – WVU
Class of 2023
Dalton Kasekamp- Frostburg State – track (throwing events)
Tyler McGraw- Frostburg State- track (throwing events)
Lexie Patterson- Shepherd
Dear Paw Paw Community,
The Yearbook Staff is excited to begin collecting photos for this year’s Paw Paw High School Yearbook! We want this year’s book to capture not only school events, sports, and activities, but also the everyday moments that make our students and community so special.
If you have photos of students in grades 7–12 from:
School events, sports, or classroom activities
Students involved in clubs or hobbies
Everyday life (working, volunteering, hanging out with friends, spending time in the community)
…we’d love for you to share them with us!
How to Submit Photos:
Visit: https://books.yearbooks.me/ca/h3cjjx95fne38j9ccrxndfqmrg9fycaeg
Enter the password: #Yearbook2026
Upload your photos (In the File Name, include a short description if possible: event, activity, or names)
A few tips:
Submit high-quality photos when possible.
Make sure photos are school-appropriate.
Not all submissions will be used, but we’ll try to include as many as possible.
Thank you for helping us create a yearbook that truly represents Paw Paw students in school and in their daily lives.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Yearbook Advisor Ms. Ritenour at rhiannon.ritenour@k12.wv.us
Sincerely,
Yearbook Staff & Advisor
Paw Paw High School
Every 9 weeks, we will recognize staff members who go above and beyond for our students and schools.
This year, we want the community’s help in celebrating these incredible staff members! 🙌
👉 Click the link below to recognize someone who has gone the Extra Mile:
https://form.jotform.com/251754924917063
Let’s shine a spotlight on the people who make our schools such a special place! 🎉
