The Kiwanis Club of Hanover recently welcomed new teachers and school professionals with a dinner and meeting. This event was held Thursday, November 17th at Perkins in Hanover. Each new teacher was welcomed with a dinner, a gift, and an opportunity to share his or her background. The Hanover Public School District would like to thank Kiwanis President Garrett White, and Community Services Director, Dave Zinn, and the club’s members for the generous event. The following new teachers (left to right) were in attendance:

Maria Balafoutas: I grew up here in Hanover and attended HPSD and graduated in 2017. I had decided at an early age that I wanted to be a teacher. As a senior in high school I had the opportunity to work in a kindergarten classroom at Washington Elementary. Through this experience I knew that a career in elementary education was for me. I attended York College of Pennsylvanian as an Early Elementary Education major and graduated in 2021. Last school year I was a long term substitute for the second part of the school year in a first grade classroom here in Hanover Public School District. I am so excited and blessed to be back home.

McKalley Bolam:

I grew up close to Reading, PA and graduated from West Chester University with my bachelor’s degree in K-12 Health and Physical Education this past May. I am new to the Hanover area and have been enjoying getting to know the area and all it has to offer. The staff at HPSD have been extremely helpful and welcoming for me as a first year teacher. The students are great to work with and hope to build more relationships as the school year progresses.

Kyle Krout: I grew up in Hanover PA where I attended Hanover for my entire educational journey. My college years were spent at Juniata College for 1 year to pursue a degree in environmental science, which then took a turn to Messiah College where I changed my major to Biology w/ a secondary education concentration. I played collegiate basketball those four years, and I am now the varsity basketball coach at Hanover. I spent the past two years at Southern Middle School teaching 7th grade science, but I am ecstatic to be back in my home district of Hanover.

Briana Martin: I grew up in Hanover, PA where I attended Hanover and graduated in 2018. I then went to Messiah College and graduated in the Spring of 2022 with a degree in Early and special education. I am now teaching 1st grade at Hanover Street Elementary. This past fall I had the opportunity to coach Hanover’s middle school field hockey team. I am so excited to be back with my nighthawk family.

Brooks Keeney: I grew up in Hanover, PA where I attended Hanover for grades K-12 and graduated in 2018. I then went on to study early elementary education at York College of PA and graduated in the Spring of 2022. I am currently teaching 2nd grade. I have spent the last 3 years as the assistant varsity basketball coach at Hanover as well as being a volunteer assistant for the boys tennis team. I am so thrilled to be back at HPSD!

Madison Maloney: I was raised in Hanover, PA and I am a proud graduate of Hanover High School’s Class of 2017. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Lebanon Valley College in 2021. I continued my education at LVC and earned my Master’s Degree in Speech and Language Pathology in 2022. During my clinical rotations, I got the opportunity to serve a wide range of clients in a variety of settings including an outpatient clinic, a rehabilitation hospital and within a school setting. Upon graduation, I was blessed with the opportunity to come back home and work for the Hanover Public School District. I knew from early on in my educational career that I wanted to work with children so I could not be more delighted to call Hanover Public School District my home.