Welcome to my web page.  My name is Arlene Hicks, and I have been the Kadoka Elementary 5^th grade teacher for many years, but this year I am a COVID interventionist for grades 3-8. I have been teaching for 28 years and am starting my 29th since graduating from the University of South Dakota with an elementary education degree and taking my first teaching position at Crazy Horse School.  I have moved around the area a bit having taught first grade in Midland, Title I at Long Valley, grades 7-8 in Kadoka, Title I at Philip, Grades 6-8 at Interior, and Kadoka 5th grade prior to moving to my current position in Kadoka.  I also worked part-time for the 6^th Circuit Court Services for about five years when my children were small. Along with my new position at Kadoka Area School, I am also working part-time as the Jackson County Librarian.  This will be my final year in the teaching world, but you can find me at the library pretty much every day.    Change for me is good, and I welcome the challenges and experiences that come with each of my current positions. 

On a personal level, I am married and have two children, Kassie and Jarred.  My husband, Ted, is a home town boy and owns and operates the Double H Feed store which we began in 1996 with a rented building and eight to ten pallets of feed.  We have grown just a bit and continue to service the area farmers and ranchers with feed, tools, vet supplies, and tack.  My two children have both graduated from Kadoka High School: Kassie graduated from Black Hills State University in 2020 with a degree in Business Administration with a triple specialization in marketing, management, and entrepreneurial studies along with a social media specialization, and Jarred is currently  attending  Western Dakota Tech in Rapid City studying diesel technology.  As a family we enjoy the life of living in town, and we continue to own a ranch north of Kadoka and run cows with my husband’s family.

I believe education and hard work are key components in this changing world, and I try very hard to help each and every child in my home,  in my classroom, or at the library reach their potential.