Jason Buckner
bucknerj@ritenourschools.org

My name is Jason Buckner. I am a 4th grade teacher at Marion. I have been a teacher for 13 years, Science for 2 years and 5th grade for 1 year, all at Marion.

I am married to Dana (17 years), and we have 2 awesome daughters, Ava (14) and Alana (10).

My hobbies are cooking, Blues hockey, college football, wrestling, and lacrosse, and spending time with my family.

Some interesting facts about me: my grandpa was from the Phillipines… I used to be a police officer (a long time ago!)... My father and wife both graduated from Ritenour… I attended Marion Elementary in 1976-1978… I grew up across the street from Marion at 9802 Midland!

Wendy Gehner
gehnerw@ritenourschools.org

Hello!  My name is Wendy Gehner, and I teach fourth grade. This is my 22nd year of teaching here at Marion Elementary.  I have been a fourth grade teacher for nine years, and before that I taught third grade for thirteen years!  I am married and have three teenage boys, two dogs, and six chickens.  I love reading, walking, and spending time with my family. Even though this year will be different, I’m still excited to get back to teaching!

Kate McLaury
mclauryk@ritenourschools.org

Hi! My name is Kate McLaury and I teach 4th grade. This is my seventh year teaching and my fourth year in 4th grade. I have also taught 2nd grade here at Marion and 1st grade in a charter school! I attend The University of Northern Iowa where I majored in Elementary Education and Psychology. I am married to Brad and we had a baby girl in June named Madilyn. She is the best! We also have an 8-year old dog named Zoey. I love to spend time with family and friends and explore all the St. Louis has to offer! I also like to cook, shop online, and go for long walks! This year might look a lot different than what we’re used to, but I’m looking forward to making the most out of this year with our awesome staff and getting to know my students and their families!