Tad Wehner is the Principal of Phoenix Middle School. Prior to being named principal, he held the position of associate principal for three years. Wehner came to Delavan from the School District of Edgerton, where he was a teacher of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities at the high school. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Special Education and Master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin. Currently, he is pursuing his doctorate at Edgewood College.
Wehner is thrilled to have the opportunity to lead Phoenix Middle School. He prides his leadership in the value and importance of relationships with students, families, and staff: “Together, we make it happen.”
Charles Tollefsen is the Student Support Coordinator at Phoenix Middle School. Tollefsen came to the Delavan-Darien School District in August 2009. He has been in education since 2004 as a Mathematics and Technology Education teacher. Tollefsen, a native of Milwaukee, has earned a Bachelor’s degree from Hobart College and Master’s degrees from Alverno College. In his free time he enjoys outdoor sports, including skiing and sailing. Tollefsen enjoys working with struggling students helping them succeed.
Jennifer Bayerl has been teaching Orchestra students in Delavan-Darien since 1997. Before coming to Delavan-Darien, she taught general music in Whitefish Bay and South Milwaukee and Orchestra in Mukwonago.
Bayerl earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music with certification in Music Education from Alverno College in Milwaukee. She will complete her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Walden University in the spring of 2010. Bayerl is a cellist, having begun playing through her public school program at the age of 10. She currently performs on occasion with various orchestras and small ensembles. She is a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater String Advisory Board.
Bayerl is proud to tell people that she teaches in Delavan-Darien, believing this is a vibrant community with great families who value education and support the arts. She feels that students who study music are exercising their brains, their muscles and their souls. Music is a gift that brings people together from all walks of life.
Jackie Belken-Pecor is the district nurse, serving all five schools in the district. She started here in 2004. Her responsibilities include, but are not limited to, monitoring students for illnesses and injuries, establishing that students are compliant with immunization requirements, implementing the employee wellness program, administering vaccines to new district employees, and ensuring that students’ health needs are met in the school setting. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1984 and has worked as a nurse for 25 years. Her career has taken her to jobs in Texas, Tennessee, Maryland and Wisconsin. Belken-Pecor has always enjoyed school nursing and is proud to be the school nurse for the Delavan-Darien School District.
Barbara Birk came to Delavan-Darien in 1996 as an ESL teacher. Before coming to Delavan, she worked in Sun Prairie in 1995-96 and in Houston from 1987-95 as an ESL teacher. She is also certified to teach History, Social Studies and Spanish. Birk received her undergraduate degree from UW-Whitewater in 1986. She finished her Master’s of Education from UW-Whitewater in 1999. Birk has always enjoyed the students she has had over the years from many different countries. They have really enriched her life with many cultural experiences and made her job very fulfilling.
Jason Bousman stared at Phoenix Middle School in 2000. He is currently an eighth grade Language Arts teacher. Bousman grew up in nearby Burlington. He graduated from Burlington High School in 1992. He went on to graduate from Carroll College in 1996. Bousman was an athlete in both high school and college. He played football and was a member of the track and field teams in high school and college. He also played basketball in high school. His favorite quote as a teacher is “dream, diversify and find an angle.”
Terri Brown has been the Family and Consumer Education Teacher at Phoenix Middle School since 1994. Before coming to the Delavan-Darien School District, she taught Family and Consumer Education at Elkhorn Middle School and Adult Education at Gateway Technical College. Brown graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 1978. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Home Economics Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s degree in Education from Viterbo University. Since coming to Delavan-Darien, Brown has been awarded the Werbel Award, the Fraiser Award and is a Kohl Fellowship nominee. She enjoys coaching track and volleyball.
Brown is passionate about teaching life skills to her students. With the ever-changing economy, job market, global issues and family structures, the curriculum is consistently evolving. Brown inspires her students to grow with the times in healthy, responsible ways while preparing for the future.
Mark Butzow earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the spring of 1996 and completed his Master of Music Education from the VanderCook College of Music in Chicago in the summer of 2004. He began his teaching career as a substitute band director at Phoenix Middle School, where he continues to teach today. Academically, Butzow is responsible for Music Technology, Eighth Grade Jazz Ensemble and Wind Ensemble. His primary commitment is the success of all students of music in the Delavan-Darien School District. He is extremely proud of the excellent reputation bestowed on the Phoenix Middle School Music Department, which he credits to hardworking students and fellow music teachers.
Chrissy Fait has been with the Delavan-Darien School District since the spring of 2005, and she currently teaches Social Studies at Phoenix Middle School. She transferred to Phoenix in 2010 from her Social Studies teacher position Delavan-Darien High School. Prior to 2005, she taught middle school in Clinton, Wis., and Belvidere, Ill. Her experiences include working with students with cognitive and emotional disabilities.
Fait holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She continued school at Concordia University in Madison to earn her teaching certification in Broad-Area Social Studies. She attended St. Xavier University to earn her Master’s in Teaching and Leadership.
Fait spent a semester in the spring of 2007 teaching English in Prague, Czech Republic. She enjoys working with the International Exchange students as the International Club Advisor. She also advises the Varsity Club and coaches tennis. In her free time she enjoys anything outdoors, spending time with family, traveling, reading, most athletic activities and socializing.
Patti Enger began her career as a physical education teacher at Phoenix Middle School in 1984. Enger graduated from UW-Whitewater in 1983 and earned her Master’s in Education from Aurora University in 1999. Enger has been involved in coaching volleyball, basketball and track. She also serves as the Phoenix Middle School Athletics Director and has been the Yearbook Advisor for the past 24 years.
Enger has always enjoyed the diverse cultures found in Delavan and Darien. Her goal as a physical educator is to introduce a variety of activities so that each student will find activities they can enjoy. Enger feels it is important that students understand how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. With that knowledge, Enger believes students will have what they need to be fit for life.
Timothy Foster joined the Phoenix Middle School faculty in 1999. Currently, he teaches sixth grade Math and Science. Before being hired by the Delavan-Darien School District, Foster gained teaching experience in New Mexico, where he taught in a self-contained fifth-grade classroom for four years, and as a seventh and eighth grade math teacher for five years. Foster received his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State College in 1990. In 2003, Foster earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Aurora University.
Foster enjoys living in Darien and likes to visit with past students as he sees them employed throughout the many businesses within the community. He enjoys the challenges of keeping up with all of the new technology that is commonplace in the classroom today, and believes it is important that schools keep up with modern society.
Tammy Fumall graduated from UW-Whitewater with a Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1992, and she began her adventure in teaching with special needs students in Waukesha. To better serve this population, she learned sign language and special behavioral management techniques. Her travels then took her to California to a fourth grade classroom where she worked with a diverse population of students who lived in poverty. Having a desire to return to Wisconsin, Fumall applied to Delavan-Darien in 1997 and began teaching Science and Social Studies at Phoenix Middle School. She currently focuses on teaching seventh grade Science. Fumall earned her Master’s degree in teaching in 2000 from Aurora University.
Fumall’s goal has always been to build lasting relationships with her students so that she may inspire them to believe in themselves and so they have a desire to learn for a lifetime. Fumall has been selected by parents and students as a Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year multiple times. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a child grow to become an amazing adult, she says, and she treasures every time she has contact with former students.
Kathleen Hanke, M.A., came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 1996 as a middle school teacher. Prior to that, she was working with at-risk middle and high school students in Janesville.
Originally from Illinois, Hanke received her undergraduate degree in Education from Illinois State University in Normal, Ill. Her Master’s in Teaching was awarded by Aurora University in 2000. Teaching, learning and educational excellence are her passions and her goal is to work together with peers, support staff and parents to provide excellent opportunities for her students.
Robin Hembrook has been working as a health/clerical aide at Phoenix Middle School since 2001. Hembrook, a Delavan native, graduated with honors from Delavan-Darien High School in 1965. She began working for the school district in 1981 in the capacity of study hall supervisor at Phoenix Middle School. She went on to coordinate the district’s Student Assistance Program until leaving in December of 1995 for a job with Community Action, Inc., of Rock and Walworth Counties. As Student Assistance Program Coordinator, she attended numerous workshops and training sessions and received her Paraprofessional Certification in September 2004. Hembrook has three sons — graduates of DDHS — and seven grandchildren. She demonstrates a strong commitment to the district’s students, staff and community.
Benjamin Herland joined the Delavan-Darien School District in 2010. He teaches physical education at DDHS and Phoenix Middle School.
Herland graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 2009 with a degree in Education (physical education/health). He has a passion for 21st century physical education and an enthusiasm to work with adolescents in our progressive schools. Herland is excited to implementing the new physical and health curriculum, expanding our technology base and advancing the Delavan-Darien physical education program.
Herland is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys recreational activities such as boating, wakeboarding, skiing, snowboarding, playing competition sports and traveling.
Jill Hummel came to Phoenix Middle School in 2005 as a Special Education Aide. She says it’s a privilege to to work with all three grade levels at the school. Hummel received degrees in Elementary Education 1-8 and Art Education K-12 from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1989. She taught third and fourth grades at Brookwood Elementary School in Genoa City, Wis., for two years before moving to Watertown, NY. In Watertown, she taught fourth grade at Wiley Intermediate School, an open-concept school. This school had three wings with 18 classrooms per wing and no inner walls to separate the classes.
After taking time off from teaching to raise a family, Hummel feels blessed to be in an excellent school district working with talented and wonderful students and staff.
Mary Beth Katzenberger became a seventh grade math teacher at Phoenix Middle School in 2010. She had previously taught math at Delavan-Darien High School since 2006. She has been a Photo Club advisor and Senior Slide Show coordinator at DDHS, as well as the freshman volleyball coach since 2009. She also advised the NovaNet program in 2008. Her lifelong dream was to become a teacher, and she enjoys every opportunity to teach her students academically and to be involved in other aspects of their lives, as well.
Katzenberger is a 2001 graduate of Delavan-Darien High School. While attending DDHS, she was involved in volleyball, soccer, basketball, wrestling (as a statitician), band, choir, Student Council and National Honor Society. She was also an active member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Youth Group and Ridge Prairie 4-H Club. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Carroll College in 2006 and her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2009 from Olivet Nazarene University. She has been and will continue to be a lifelong learner, and hopes to instill similar values to her students.
Tim Koepnick teaches seventh grade Science at Phoenix Middle School. He attended Phoenix Middle School as a sixth grader when it first opened in February 1967. He graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 1973. Koepnick had a career as a banker before returning to UW-Whitewater, where he received his teaching degree in 1994. He taught fifth and sixth grade at Sharon Grade School until 1995, then taught second grade at Darien Elementary for the for the 1995-96 school year. In 1996, he was hired as a seventh grade science teacher, where he taught until 2009. In the fall of 2009, Koepnick transferred to sixth grade science at Phoenix Middle School, where he continues to teach today.
Koepnick is married and his three children all attended and graduated from the Delavan-Darien School District.
Patricia Kozlowski-Nielsen started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1999. Kozlowski-Nielsen works as a clerical aide and technology aide at Phoenix Middle School.
Suzanne Kuenzi, EEN, came to Delavan-Darien in 2002 as the seventh grade special education teacher at Phoenix Middle School. Before becoming a special education teacher, she was the Kindergarten Club director at the Schaumburg Illinois YMCA and a day care director in Munising, Mich., where she developed and implemented the programming for the center. In addition to earning her Special Education Degree from UW-Whitewater, she holds a Bachelor’s degree Communicative Disorders from UW-Stevens Point.
Kuenzi strives to help her students become more independent learners, both in and outside of the classroom, to enable them to reach their future secondary and post secondary goals. She enjoys teaming up with students, families, and fellow teachers to provide each of her students the best possible opportunities in education.
Patricia LaPlante, MS, CCC-SLP, came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 2008 as the speech-language pathologist at Phoenix Middle School and Delavan-Darien High School. She earned her Master’s degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders in 2008 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Human Development in 2005 from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. LaPlante enjoys working with students to improve their communication skills, as well as preparing them to be successful in the classroom and beyond.
Kay Lee is a Business Educator at Phoenix Middle School. She came to the district in 2001. She is responsible for the sixth grade Computer Literacy, seventh grade Computer Applications and eighth grade Business and Computer Technology classes. She is also the Allied Arts Team Leader and Project SWEETT Building Leader. Prior to teaching in the district, Lee received an Associate’s Degree in Marketing from Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, a Bachelor’s degree in Business/Marketing/Co-operative Education from the University Wisconsin-Whitewater, and her Master’s degree in Business Management from Cardinal Stritch Universtiy in Milwaukee.
Lee is a Lorraine Missling Outstanding Achievement Award for New Business Educators in Wisconsin and also is the 2009 recipient of the Werbel Award. In her free time, Lee enjoys the outdoors, biking, skiing and hiking the Kettle Moraine State Forest. She enjoys working in the district because the students are given opportunities that are unique to our district, which can take them a long way in their academic and professional careers.
Jeremy Leibfried is the Technology Education instructor at Phoenix Middle School. He came to Delevan-Darien School District in 2001. Leibfried earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. In addition to his teaching, Leibfried has been coaching basketball at Phoenix since 2002.
Sue Mansfield is the Administrative Assistant to the Principal at Phoenix Middle School. Mansfield began working for the district in 1998 at Wileman Elementary as the H.O.S.T.S. (now R.E.A.D.S.) Coordinator and then later as an aide in the Library/Computer Lab. In the summer of 2008, she joined the staff at Phoenix Middle School. Mansfield is a 1980 graduate of Delavan-Darien High School. Prior to working in the school district, she worked in the banking industry for a number of years before she decided to take some time off to raise her three children. Mansfield enjoys working with the staff, students and parents at Phoenix Middle School and feels she learns something new everyday.
Officer David Markley is the school resource officer for Phoenix Middle School and gang intelligence officer for the City of Delavan Police Department. A Delavan Police officer since 2002, Markley began working at Phoenix Middle School in 2006. He received an Associate Degree in Police Science from Blackhawk Technical College in 2001. Markley enjoys using a proactive style of policing to communicate with students and parents about gang and drug awareness/prevention along with responding to community related questions and concerns. Most importantly, Markley enjoys establishing a positive relationship between the students and the police.
Sandy McLaughlin is a special education teacher for Phoenix Middle School. She began teaching at Phoenix in 1988 after previously teaching for the Elkhorn Area School District and Lakeland School. She graduated from UW-Whitewater with a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education. Her Master’s degree with an emphasis in Educational Leadership is from Silver Lake College. McLaughlin is an Adjunct Instructor for Aurora University working with their Master’s Degree Program.
Kris Meyer has served as a seventh grade Math teacher at Phoenix Middle School since joining the district in 1991. Meyer earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Mathematics Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1990, and her Master of Arts Degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2002. Meyer was honored with the Kohl Educational Foundation Fellowship Award in 2003. She has also served as a middle school coach for volleyball, basketball and track, as student council advisor and is currently the seventh grade Academic Team Leader.
Thea Murphy came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 2004 as a special education teacher at Phoenix Middle School. Prior to that, she was a special education teacher at Whitewater Middle School for 11 years.
A Beloit native, Murphy received her undergraduate degree in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and her Educational Leadership certification from Cardinal Stritch University.
Clay Nelson came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 1990. He attended undergraduate school at UW-La Crosse and has Master’s degrees in Educational Leadership and in Education. During his 20-plus years in the district, Nelson has taught Science, Math and Algebra at Phoenix Middle School. He has also instructed driver education and has coached soccer, wrestling and football at Delavan-Darien High School. He also coached wrestling, football and track at the middle school. Nelson is currently the Gifted and Talented Coordinator at Phoenix Middle School.
Adam Nielsen is an eighth grade Science and Social Studies teacher at Phoenix Middle School. He came to Delavan-Darien in 2003 with four years of middle school teaching experience. Nielsen received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education K-8 in 1999 from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill. He earned his Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction through the University of Southeastern Florida. He also coaches boys and girls basketball as well as track at Phoenix Middle School.
Barb Perez has been employed by the Delavan-Darien School District since 1986. She first came to the district as an aide for the Migrant Program working with the bilingual teachers and their students. She took the position of sixth grade Math teacher in 1987. Perez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Trinity International University and a Master’s in Teaching and Learning from Nova Southeastern University.
She currently works at Phoenix Middle School teaching Math and Science to sixth graders. Perez has had the honor of receiving the Wurble Award for outstanding teacher twice in her career. She has been an advisor for the National Junior Honor Society, coach for the Forensics team, served on the Mentor Cadre, and has been involved in a grant project with Yerkes Observatory to increase student awareness of careers available to them in the field of science.
Perez truly enjoys being able to work with adolescents. She looks forward to challenging them to be the best they can be. Perez believes that every child has the potential to achieve great things and she is excited to be a part of their education.
Hugh Petersen is the Art teacher at Phoenix Middle School. He came to Delavan-Darien in August 2005. Petersen started teaching in 1980. He first taught art in western Wisconsin at La Farge School District, then became an art teacher for the New Holstein School District, where he worked for 22 years.
Petersen received a Bachelor’s degree in Art/Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1980. He was published in the 2005-06 edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers and, since 1990, has been a contributing writer to the nation’s leading art education magazine Arts & Activities. He enjoys seeing his students’ artwork published frequently on Artsonia.com, the world’s largest kids’ online art museum.
Laura Prado joined the district in 2008 after receiving undergraduate degrees in Spanish, English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education through UW-Whitewater. Prado joins Phoenix Middle School as an ELL and Spanish language teacher after gaining valuable experience working with young learners at Turtle Creek Elementary. Born to undocumented immigrants in northeastern Wisconsin, her parents’ hard work motivated Prado to become an educator. She has been able to overcome many barriers that US Latino youth continue to face today and looks forward to working with youth at the secondary level.
Prado is currently pursuing master’s degrees in Spanish, Interpreting and Translating through UW-Milwaukee. Prado enjoys working and living in a district with a high percentage of Latino families, because she can interact with her students’ families and the community at a closer level. She looks forward to the future of her children, who are also a part of the district and the future of all students who are faced with language and or cultural barriers. Prado is not only a teacher, but also a mediator between cultures in diverse settings. She is truly bilingual and bicultural.
Shelley Robb came to Delavan-Darien in January 2003 as a long-term sub for the high school library. She was hired full-time as the high school librarian the following fall and was at the library until June 2006. In the fall of 2006, Robb moved to Phoenix, where she is currently a seventh grade Language Arts teacher. Robb is also the co-advisor of National Junior Honor Society at Phoenix and the advisor for the Delavan-Darien Ski/Snowboard Club at the high school.
A Delavan-Darien High School graduate, Robb received her undergraduate degree in Education with a minor in Library Media from UW-Whitewater in 2002. She is currently working on her master’s degree at UW-Whitewater. Teaching and learning have been a passion Robb’s and she enjoys the opportunities to help students in and out of the classroom.
Julie Ropers-Rosendahl joined the Delavan-Darien School District in 2004 after teaching band and choir in Illinois for 10 years. Her undergraduate degree is from UW-Eau Claire, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Music Education. She did additional vocal work at UW-Green Bay. Her Master’s of Curriculum and Instruction from the College of St. Scholastica was earned in 2000. She currently teaches Choir, Piano Lab and General Music at Phoenix Middle School. In addition, she is a co-director of the school musical.
Patricia Ryan came to Delavan-Darien in 2003 as a Special Education Teacher for the sixth grade. Prior to coming here, she was the fifth/sixth grade Special Education Teacher at Sharon Community School in Sharon, Wis. Before moving to Wisconsin, she taught third and fifth grade at Cottonwood High School in Cottonwood, Ala. Ryan graduated from Troy State University in Dothan, Ala., with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1997. In 2003, she received a Master’s in Special Education from Cardinal Stitch University in Milwaukee. Ryan enjoys working with middle school students. Her goal is to see students with learning disabilities be successful.
Thad Schmitt started his teaching career at Phoenix Middle School in 1999. He has taught a variety of subjects in the seventh grade classroom, and currently focuses on Math. Schmitt received his bachelor’s degree from the UW-Stevens Point and has earned a master’s degree during his teaching career at the Delavan-Darien School District.
Carole Schroth teaches sixth grade Language Arts and Social Studies. She has been with the Delavan-Darien School District since 1988. She holds an undergraduate degree from Carlow College, Pittsburgh, where she majored in Elementary and Special Education. Schroth received her Master’s Degree as a Reading Specialist from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Penn. She has also attended Purdue University, taking classes in Gifted Education. Schroth received a license in Curriculum and Instruction from Alverno College in Milwaukee, in 2001.
Schroth has worked as a reading specialist, peer coach and team leader at Phoenix Middle School. She is excited to share her love of literature with her students and encourages her students to do their very best every day. Carole enjoys working with the students and staff of Phoenix Middle School and finds working with middle school students to be very rewarding.
Ashley Sheppard started as a special education aide with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2010. Sheppard works at Phoenix Middle School. She is also the DDHS cheerleading coach.
Katie Sperle says her love of teaching began when she accepted a job as a camp counselor while in college. After one summer of being with kids, she knew she desired to dedicate her life to helping students grow and learn. Sperle graduated from UW-Whitewater in 1995 with a Bachelor’s in Education and a minor in Spanish. To learn the Spanish language, she spent a summer in Cuenca, Ecuador, taking two college classes and living with an Ecuadorian family. This immersion opportunity expanded her horizons greatly and provided Sperle with an appreciation of other cultures.
Sperle’s first teaching experience was in Eagle, Colo., from 1995 to 2000, where she taught seventh grade language arts, science and math. While in the Eagle County School District, she held the position of Team Leader for two years and won the Best First Year Middle School Teacher Award.
Sperle furthered her career in the Delavan-Darien School District where she was hired as a seventh grade Language Arts teacher in 2003. At Phoenix Middle School, she is the National Junior Honor Society advisor and enjoys working with the diverse group of students in the Delavan-Darien community.
Troy Stelzer has been a school counselor at Phoenix Middle School since 2003. Prior to coming to Phoenix, he served as a school counselor at Almond-Bancroft High School. His 15 years of experience in working with youth includes five years working for the Wisconsin Department of Justice as a juvenile detention counselor, and four years as a resident counselor at Chippewa County Youth Home. Stelzer earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from UW-Stout. In 2006, he earned the Mary Frazier Memorial Award, recognizing curriculum innovation. In 2008, the American School Counselors Association recognized him as a finalist for School Counselor of the Year.
Stelzer very much enjoys the diversity within the Delavan-Darien School District, as well as the gifted and dedicated staff. He also feels that it is an honor and privilege to have an opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of all students.
Kristin Teska is a sixth grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Phoenix Middle School. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education (grades 1-9) with a minor in Science from Carroll University in Waukesha in 2002. After graduation, she returned to Illinois and taught pre-kindergarten. After a year of teaching, she returned to Wisconsin in 2003 and has been teaching at Phoenix Middle School since. She also received her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Literacy and Contemporary Curriculum from Carroll University in 2007.
In 2007, Teska had the opportunity to participate in a grant funded by the National Science Foundation through Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay. The program was called Yerkes Astrophysics Academy for Young Scientists, YAAYS. The goal of the program was to encourage and challenge students to explore topics in astronomy, engineering, science, math and technology.
Teska has been a judge for district forensics meets and is presently the advisor of Spirit Club. She enjoys providing an exciting and challenging learning experience for all middle school students, and she believes witnessing a student’s excitement of learning is the greatest reward in teaching.
Paul Yanko is a Physcal Education instructor at Phoenix Middle School. He came to Delavan-Darien in 1996. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His Master’s in Education degree was awarded by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He is certified in K-12 Physical Education and Health Education.
Michelle Ziegler came to Phoenix Middle School in 2003 as a sixth grade teacher, and she currently teaches Language Arts and Social Studies. She graduated from Carroll College in 2002, where she earned her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education with minors in Language Arts and Mathematics. Ziegler continued her education at Carroll College to earn her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, along with her Reading Teacher 316 license, which she obtained in 2007. For the last several years, Ziegler has advised both the school newspaper and the student council. Her goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of her students and to do whatever possible to promote a positive atmosphere in the middle school.
