Year started in education: 1997
Year started at Downtown School: 2010
Path that led you to working at DTS: I started my career teaching under a sabbatical at Lovejoy Elementary for one year. Then was hired to teach at Walt Disney Elementary in Marceline, Missouri as a Title 1 Reading Teacher for one year, It will always be a special memory. From there, I moved to San Bernardino, California to teach 3rd grade. I taught at Davidson Elementary and Salinas Elementary during my time there. While teaching in San Bernardino, I met and married my husband, David, who is from Anaheim, California. We had two wonderful boys, and who were 2 years old and 3 1/2 years old when we decided to move back to Iowa in 2008. I started to substitute regularly at the Downtown School and fell in love with it! I was hired first to be a part time teacher that quickly developed into a full time position. It’s hard to believe I have been a part of the Downtown School team for 13 years and a teaching career of 22 years!
Favorite thing about DTS or education: My favorite thing about DTS is the relationships that are built between teachers, students, and families. The culminating events are one of the things that bring families together and into our building. This is a time that students get to show off what they have been learning and parents are very appreciative of these events. What I love about education is the interaction with students. Watching them learn and grow is very rewarding to me.
College(s) attended: Upper Iowa University for my Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education . This winter, I will be attending Drake University to begin working on a Master’s Degree in Culturally Responsive Leadership and Instruction and graduate in December of 2025.
Endorsements: Reading, English, Language Arts
Year started in Education: 2008
Year started at Downtown School: 2021
Path that led me to DTS: After I graduated from UNI I opened restaurants as a corporate trainer, then I moved to Minnesota and took a job with educational sales. After my husband and I had our daughter we moved back to Iowa and I started teaching preschool. I finished my reading endorsement and started substitute teaching all over the metro in Des Moines. I was hired at Saint Theresa Catholic school and spent the majority of my career there. When I was at Saint Theresa’s I taught first, second, fourth, and fifth grade in various years. I also held many leadership type roles over the years and had a lot of fun using my creativity and training to develop professionally. The diocese didn’t have many opportunities to advance professionally so I chose to get my masters and move forward to other opportunities, which led me to DTS! I started a couple years ago at DTS and was able to teach in the K/1 classroom and this year I get to teach 3rd!
Favorite thing about Downtown School or Education: I love working with students and watching them learn and grow! I am a lifelong learner, so growing professionally and helping students and families is at the core of my educational philosophy. The community at DTS is very supportive and that has made it a wonderful place to work.
College(s) attended: University of Northern Iowa, Grandview University, Iowa State University
Endorsements: Reading, Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction with Technology