By Katee Underwood, Staff Writer
Tyler Bates is stepping into a new role at USD 300 this school year, taking the helm as the district’s high school principal.
For Bates, however, the school district isn’t an entirely new place. He grew up in Protection and attended school in the district through his freshman year before moving to Oklahoma as a sophomore. Now, after five years in education, Bates is returning to the district – this time as a principal.
“I loved my time growing up here, and I grew up in Protection, so I’m just really excited I’m back,” Bates said.
Bates said his decision to pursue education was rooted in a desire to make a difference in the lives of students.
This year will mark his first year as a principal, bringing a new set of responsibilities and opportunities to the career he began as a teacher.
One of his biggest priorities is getting to know the people who make up the school and community.
“I’m just really excited about meeting all the new students and staff and community members and building those relationships,” Bates said.
While his role will put him in contact with students throughout the school, Bates said he hopes to model the importance of hard work, toughness and dedication.
Those values are part of what he wants students to carry with them beyond their time in school.
“I hope they just learn the value of hard work and toughness and dedication,” he said.
Bates also brings a connection to the district that students may not expect. As a student, he was heavily involved in music and learned to play four different instruments. His favorite subject was history, another reflection of the interests he developed during his own school years.
Although stepping into the principal’s office represents a significant change from his years as a teacher, Bates said his focus remains on creating an environment where students can succeed.
His goal for his first year is to help make the school a place where students feel safe, supported and able to learn.
“I want my goal to be for this school to be a school where everybody feels safe, where they feel like they can learn, and a positive environment,” Bates said.
And when it comes to the advice he wants to give students as they begin the new school year, Bates keeps it simple: Treat others as they want to be treated.
For Bates, the new position represents both a new chapter in his career and a return to a community that was part of his own childhood. This time, he comes back not as a student, but as one of the people responsible for helping shape the school experience of the students who follow.
Lance Longhorn
USD 300 has welcomed Lance Longhorn as its new technology director for the 2026-27 school year.
Longhorn comes to the district with a background in technology that began while he was still in high school, where he took networking and computer repair classes at a vocational technology center.
After working in larger school districts, Longhorn said he was interested in experiencing a smaller district environment.
“I kind of want to try my hand at a smaller set,” Longhorn said.
As technology director, Longhorn will work behind the scenes to help ensure students and staff have the technology support they need. One of his goals during his first year is to build on the technology already in place while making sure users can get help when problems arise.
“My goal is to increase the technology needs of the district, ensuring that the users and the staff are in capable hands of getting their technology questions or problems solved,” he said.
Longhorn said he is also looking forward to getting to know the staff and students and learning how the school environment functions within the district.
Outside of work, Longhorn enjoys video games and music. He is also ranked in the speedrunning community for a horror survival video game.
As students begin the new school year, Longhorn offered a simple piece of advice: “Show up to class, pay attention and do your best.”
Alondra Rivero
Alondra Rivero is returning to familiar hallways this school year, but this time, she will be standing at the front of the classroom.
A graduate of the school, Rivero has joined the staff as the new high school math teacher. She will teach algebra I, geometry, algebra II and advanced math.
While becoming a teacher was not always part of her long-term plan, Rivero said her decision came naturally after years of working with students.
“Honestly, it was just kind of a last-minute decision on my part,” Rivero said. “But I’ve always loved being around students and helping them get wherever they want to go.”
Rivero has tutored high school students since she was 19 and said one of the things she enjoys most is watching students finally understand something they have been struggling with.
“I’ve always really liked seeing them have a little light bulb moment when they actually finally get something,” she said.
Those moments are something Rivero is especially looking forward to as she begins the school year. She understands that math can be one of the more challenging subjects for students and knows that not every concept will come easily.
Still, she hopes to help students experience those moments when everything finally begins to make sense.
“I’m most excited for them to be able to get those light bulb moments,” Rivero said.
Rivero said her decision to teach at her alma mater was also influenced by her connection to the school and its students. Her sister is currently a student there, and Rivero said she had conversations with a former school administrator about the difficulty of finding someone to teach math in the district.
There had been discussion about students potentially taking math classes online, something Rivero said she did not want to see happen.
With her experience tutoring students, Rivero said she has seen some of the challenges students can face with online learning and wanted to help ensure they had an in-person teacher.
Although her job will involve teaching the state-required math curriculum, Rivero hopes her students take away more than equations and formulas.
“I want them to get out of the classes critical-thinking skills, problem-solving, being responsible, respectful and just becoming functioning members of society,” she said.
Rivero said she expects students may not immediately appreciate all of her classroom rules.
“I think the kids are going to hate me and my rules the first couple months,” she said with a laugh. “I feel like they’re going to appreciate it. They’re going to see that it’s necessary.”
A bilingual teacher, Rivero said students may also be surprised to learn that she dreams in both languages.
She said the language she thinks and dreams in often depends on who she is communicating with.
While math will now fill much of her classroom time, Rivero said physics was one of her favorite subjects when she was a student. Her interest in the subject continued into college, where she learned even more about it.
As she begins her first year teaching at her former school, Rivero said she wants students to remember that they do not have to know everything.
Her advice to students for the upcoming school year is simple: “It is okay to not learn everything – and don’t act a fool.”
Abigail Robles
For Abigail Robles, becoming a teacher is about giving students the same kind of guidance she once received from one of her own teachers.
Robles is joining the high school staff this year as an English teacher, beginning her first year as a classroom teacher.
Her decision to pursue education was strongly influenced by a teacher who made a lasting impression on her during high school.
“Miss Lindsay was a big inspiration for me,” Robles said. “Whenever I was in high school, she really helped guide me to the right path and always ensured that I was successful. I want to do the same for other students.”
Robles is no stranger to the community or school district. She student-taught at Protection Elementary/Middle School last fall, giving her an opportunity to become familiar with the students and community before beginning her teaching career.
Her connection to the area is one of the reasons she chose to return.
“I love Protection. I love this county. I love everything about it,” Robles said. “People are so helpful and they never hesitate to lend a hand. You just can’t find that anywhere else.”
As she begins her first year, Robles said she is looking forward to more than just what happens inside the classroom. She is especially excited about attending football and basketball games and experiencing the community support surrounding the students.
“I love the sporting events because you really get to see everybody come together as a community to support our students,” she said.
While English may not be every student’s favorite subject, Robles hopes her students leave her classroom with a lesson that extends beyond writing and literature.
She wants students to learn how to tackle difficult things, even when they don’t necessarily want to do them.
“There’s a lot of people that don’t like English, that don’t like writing,” Robles said. “But learning how to do the hard things even when you don’t want to do them” is an important lesson for life.
Robles said students may also be surprised to learn just how young their new English teacher is. Outside of school, one of her interests is music; she used to play guitar.
As for her first-year teaching goal, Robles offered a response that came with a laugh: “Survive.”
More seriously, she said she hopes to encourage students to be comfortable with who they are and not feel pressured to follow the crowd.
“Just be yourself,” Robles said. “Don’t be afraid to go against the grain.”
For Robles, her first year in the classroom represents the beginning of an opportunity to become the kind of teacher she once needed herself – one who helps students find their path and succeed along the way.
