TEACHER'S CORNER: SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS SURPRISE TO STUDENTS

LEOPOLD -- Jenny Nenninger's students thought they had planned the perfect surprise birthday party, but the surprise was on them. Their hours of planning resulted in a surprise party for Nenninger. Her birthday was months away.

Nenninger has taught business and home economics at Leopold High School for 28 years, and surprises are part of the job.

She has been pleasantly surprised at the changes technology has brought into her classrooms.

In fact, she said the most exciting and challenging part of her career has been working to set up a 25-station computer lab at Leopold. Nenninger was instrumental in writing two grants that provided nearly $40,000 for the lab. It was hooked up to the Internet in 1996.

"This has been very exciting for the students as well as myself," she said. "When I began working with computers a few years ago, it was as though I started teaching again from the very beginning. With all the new technology, almost everything I taught 10 years ago was outdated."

This year, Nenninger also taught a night computer class for adults. The response was good, and the school hopes to offer more adult classes.

She also taught a unit on career exploration with eighth-graders this year. Students researched careers, took field trips, conducted interviews and chose a career path.

Nenninger said her job in Leopold is gratifying because of the students and staff at the school. "There is no other place I would rather be," she said.

She sponsors the pep club, business club and serves as freshman class sponsor.

Nenninger is a graduate of Leopold High School. She received a bachelor's degree in business education and a master's degree in home economics education from Southeast Missouri State University. She and her husband, Greg, have two daughters and a son. She is a member of St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold where she is active in the Parish Council of Catholic Women and has taught 11th grade religion class for the past 25 years.