Lake Highlands has eight married couples who each come with their own unique story. When they’re together, they make a fun environment for Wildcats.
Lauren & Andrew Shimko
Lauren and Andrew Shimko met while teaching at another school. Andrew used Lauren’s classroom when she wasn’t teaching.
“He would give answers secretly so I could beat his students at Kahoot!”
Andrew fell in love with her since she laughed at his jokes, and they had a lot in common.
“We always had chemistry even though neither of us taught it,” Lauren joked.
Lauren started working in LHHS before Andrew decided to follow. Andrew is a Science teacher and is the department chair and Lauren is a Social Studies teacher.
They have a daughter who just turned one and a dog who’s three.
Chris & Rachel Robbins
Chris and Rachel Robbins met at the Liberty University sports office in 1996. For him, it was love at first sight.
“I just instantaneously fell in love with her beauty and incredible personality,” Chris explained. “She was so easy to converse with and we got along from the start.”
The Robbins are new to LHHS. Rachel is an AP US history teacher and Chris is the Photojournalism teacher.
They have a daughter and a son. Their son is training to be a F-16 pilot in the Air Force, while their daughter is finishing her masters in journalism.
Judy & Randy Scrudder
The Scrudders met at a STEM conference and realized they were a match for each other. Randy stated that there was an “instant connection.”
“We thought so much alike and had many similar opinions about life. We just synced,” Randy replied.
Judy shared he changed her perspective.
“He opened my eyes to see the world differently,” she answered. “The way that he spoke about what he wanted in the future and the way he treated other people made me want to be around him more and more.”
In 2020, Judy started working at LHHS, teaching Statistics and Geometry. Randy, who teaches Construction, came to LHHS last year.
Together they have a blended family of five children and no pets because they cannot agree on which type to get.
Asaco & Michael Adkins
Michael and Asaco Adkins met while working in Japan and they got married pretty quickly.
Michael clarified he was drawn to her because she was a person who’s compassionate.
“Sometimes, a person is strong, and sometimes a person is kind but rarely is a person both,” Michael stated. “When I realized that she was both strong and kind, I knew she was the one for me.”
Asaco is a Japanese teacher who started working at LHHS before Michael. Michael teaches Ceramics.
The Adkins adopted two puppies recently. Their names are Merlyn and Mobi.
Veronica & Jimmy Tackett
Veronica and Jimmy met while they worked next door to each other at LHHS. Jimmy started teaching in the fall of 2008, but Veronica got hired before him.
“We got along really well. I think we were friends before we decided to start dating,” Veronica explained. “It made the early stages of dating easier because we knew a lot about each other before we started dating.”
Veronica teaches Biology, while Jimmy teaches Digital Media and is also a coach.
They have two children together, a daughter who’s a fifth grader and another daughter who’s a first grader. They have one dog who’ll be three years old in November.
Jamie & Brian Rote
The Rotes met on a blind date while they were teaching in Mesquite ISD. At Lake Highlands, Brian got hired first, then Jamie followed along.
“We had similar values and interests,” Jamie mentioned. “I felt that Brian was someone I wanted to be with more and more.”
Both Rotes are Inclusion teachers.
They have two kids together. Their oldest son is a junior at the University of Arkansas while their youngest daughter is a freshman in community college.
Crystal & Daniel Ivy
Crystal and Daniel met each other at Ball State University in Indiana. After being best friends, they both fell in love with each other in 1997. They later got married in June of 1998.
Crystal said she married Daniel because he supported and respected her for who she was.
Crystal started working at Lake Highlands before Daniel. Crystal is a CTE Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement teacher, and Daniel is an ISS teacher.
“Mr. Ivy is not only a great person, but he’s better than he was when we first met,” Crystal mentioned. “He’s a very wonderful husband and spiritual person. He teaches me how to have fun and not be serious.”
