New fifth grade teacher a familiar face

Carol (Peabody) Spencer is in her first year teaching in her hometown.

The 2009 Carter County High School graduate said that her and her husband, Rusty, made the decision to move back to Ekalaka to be closer to her family ranch and because they wanted to be a part of the community.

"Rusty loves Ekalaka too," she told the Eagle on Tuesday.

After finishing high school, Spencer headed to Dawson Community College in Glendive to continue her education and compete in rodeo. Throughout four years of college, she competed in goat tying, breakaway roping and team roping on a rodeo scholarship.

After community college, Spencer headed to Dillon and finished her elementary education degree at the University of Montana Western.

In 2014 she landed her first teaching job back in Glendive molding the minds of first graders.

Spencer next took a job in Utah, the home state of her husband, where she spent two years at a charter school teaching first and second grade.

Before this school year in Ekalaka, she spent the last four years in Plevna teaching fifth grade. While in Plevna, she also spent time working as the athletic director and coaching. She has coached junior high boys and girls basketball and varsity girls basketball.

Carol and Rusty Spencer were wed in 2016. They have two sons, Dallas (age 3.5) and Houston (1.5), that keep them busy. Rusty works for Denbury, Inc. He has also helped coach junior high football in Ekalaka for the last two seasons.

Aside from teaching fifth grade in Ekalaka, Spencer is also assisting Ms. Olsen with athletic director duties at CCHS this year. In her free time, she spends time with the boys, helps at the ranch and continues to do a little bit of rodeoing, something she hopes to do more of in the future.