Benjamin Birdsell teaches Government at LHS, as well as Economics at Tammany High School. When asked for a fun fact about himself, Birdsell stated, “I ate fried guinea pig while on a trip in Ecuador.” Birdsell says that his favorite thing about working at LHS is the relationships that he has with his students and the faculty that supports him. “[They] make my job a lot easier and more fun than it would be without them.”
Margaret G. Colas is a new PLC Lead at LHS, which means she “supports teachers and students so everyone can learn at high levels” in Professional Learning Communities, she said. When asked a fun fact about herself, she responded, “I snort if I think something is really unexpectedly funny — I snort when I laugh.” For what she enjoys about LHS, Colas said she thinks the school campus is beautiful, and she loves it when students respond to her even when she just holds the door open and says good morning to them.“ I just really like the work that I get to do here and the people I get to work with,” Colas said.
Elizabeth Davenport is a new teacher at LHS in the health and PE department. To help students get to know her, she talked about her love for bees. “I have three beehives. I have an aviary, and I love bees!” Davenport said. Davenport teaches health classes on both A and B days, and in the afternoon, she teaches at Tammany. As for what she likes most about LHS, Davenport said, “What’s not to love? Go Bengals!”
Grace Giger works as a freshman and sophomore English teacher, and she is originally from the Tri-Cities area in Washington. “LHS is great! It’s a really nice building,” Giger said of her new job. Giger’s calm demeanor and cheerful attitude noticeably fill the room, making her classroom a perfect environment for learning. When talking about her students and co-workers it’s easy to see that she loves working with them. “I like the staff — they’re great teachers,” Giger said. “I like the kids, and I like what I get to teach.”
Sally Jackson is on the Library staff of LHS and she grew up in Indiana. Jackson is in the library helping kids check out books, Chromebooks, and helping them with printer issues. Her favorite thing about the Bengal community is that it’s different, she said. “Every day is different. The kids just make it really fun.”
Laura L. Morgan teaches Speech, plus English 9 and 11. To help students get to know her, Morgan shared two fun facts. “I’ve climbed Colorado’s highest peak (and second highest in the lower 48), Mt. Elbert,” she said. She also talked about her book publishing career. “I am also a published author of soon-to-be three young adult books.” At LHS she enjoys seeing her former students from when she worked at Sacajawea Middle School. “It’s fun to reconnect with them and see how much they’ve matured,” she said.
Alyssa Rudolph is the new school secretary. She works in the main office, and she’s originally from Minnesota. Rudolph keeps track of Lewiston High School’s accounting records and books and pays all sales taxes. Rudolph also helps facilitate faculty events and student events, such as graduation. She said she loves the community of the school here. “I haven’t met a single person that I don’t enjoy talking to every single day,” she said. Rudolph also stated that she is excited to get to know more people and grow her career at LHS.
Upon entering Molly Sorenson’s classroom during her 4B prep, a student would be surrounded by a symphony of the Game of Thrones franchise’s dramatic quartet theme music, and dragons spread sporadically throughout the space. Sorenson, an Algebra 1 teacher who received her degree from Eastern Washington University, began at Lewiston High School at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. Though she only teaches one subject right now, she hopes to teach geometry in the coming years. Sorenson – who owns “over 50 stuffed cows” due to a long-lived tradition with her uncle – says she “loves the community” of LHS. “I’ve never felt excluded, and I’ve always felt very supported,” she said. Students can meet Sorenson in the math hallway, room BR209, to welcome her to LHS.
Tiara Yount is an English 10 and 12 teacher who also teaches a new class called Decoding Strategies. This new class helps students with phonemic awareness. When she’s not teaching, Yount said she loves to sing. “I have done live gigs all over town, including places like Mystic Cafe,” she said. What she enjoys about LHS the most is the students. “They are the best — they are real people and have bad days as well as great days,” she said. “Being a part of their lives each day and getting to help and be a part of those ups and downs is really special to me.”
