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Kelly Pickel |
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Email |
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Principal |
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Kelly Pickel became the principal at Turtle Creek Elementary School at the start of the 2011-12 school year. Prior to that, she was the first person to hold the Associate Principal position at the school. Also, Pickel was previously the Physical Education instructor for Turtle Creek Elementary as well as the Dean of Students. She grew up in the southwestern part of Wisconsin and earned a Bachelor’s degree from UW-Platteville in Physical Education and Health in 1991. She earned both her Master’s degree in Teaching and her Administration Licensure from Aurora University in 2002 and 2007, respectively.
In her free time, she enjoys watching Delavan-Darien athletics as well as the Wisconsin Badgers. She also enjoys spending time camping with her husband and two children. Pickel enjoys working in the Delavan-Darien School District because it allows her to work with the staff, students, and families of a multicultural community of learners.
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Ramon Reyes |
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Email |
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Associate Principal |
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Ramon A. Reyes started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2009. Reyes was first the associate principal at DDHS. He became the associate principal at Turtle Creek Elementary School in the summer of 2011. Prior to his arrival in the district, Reyes taught Spanish at Badger High School in Lake Geneva. In addition to teaching there, he coached the boys and girls varsity soccer teams. His first job as a Spanish teacher was in 2000 with Big Foot High School, where he assisted the head varsity soccer coach for five years. Reyes graduated from Marian University in Fond Du Lac.
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Sue Abbott |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Susan Abbott joined the Delavan-Darien School District in 1991. After substituting for several years, she was hired to work at Darien Elementary School. She transferred to Turtle Creek Elementary when it first opened in 1993. Her job is to accept and record money she receives for lunches, milk, and school fees. She also checks students through the breakfast and lunch lines.
She lives in Darien with her husband, and has three children and four grandchildren. She enjoys reading, crocheting and playing bingo in her spare time.
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Crystal Akey |
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Email |
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Grade 4 |
Crystal Akey was a student in the Delavan-Darien School District as a child, she took on three long term substitute positions, one at Wileman and two at Turtle Creek in 2010-2011 and returned in 2011 as a fourth grade teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School! She graduated from UW-Whitewater in 2008 with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in psychology.
"I want children to know anything is possible! I am the first to graduate from college in my family and I want to encourage children to dream big and to believe in themselves!"
Akey enjoys the outdoors, cycling and spending time with her husband. She loves experiencing new things and has a passion for traveling.
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Susan Alness |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Susan Alness joined the Delavan-Darien School District in 2010. She is an aide at Turtle Creek Elementary.
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Kristen Andreoni |
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Email |
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Grades 1 and 2 |
Kirsten Andreoni is a first and second grade teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School. Having come from a large family and experiencing many teaching situations along the way, Andreoni made the decision to pursue a career in education because it seemed only natural. She began teaching at Turtle Creek in 1997 after moving with her family from Central Wisconsin. Andreoni and her family are excited to be a part of the community. She is currently teaching first and second grade in a multi-age setting. Learning how to differentiate instruction to meet students’ needs is something that she is passionate about.
Andreoni received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In April of 2010, she earned her Master’s degree in Education from Walden University. She is excited to be able to put into practice all of the many strategies she has learned while furthering her education. A future goal of Andreoni’s is to get a doctoral degree in education. |
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Francisco (Joel) Baca |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Francisco (Joel) Baca started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2004. Baca works as a bilingual aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Peggy Jo Behrens |
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Email |
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Grade 3 |
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Peggy Jo Behrens is a third grade teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary. She first came to the district as a teacher aide at Wileman Elementary in late fall of 1980. A year later, she was hired as a Title I teacher for kindergarten and first grade at both Park Elementary (a former elementary school in the district) and Wileman Elementary. She started teaching third grade at Park Elementary in the fall of 1982. When Turtle Creek Elementary opened in 1993, she moved into her current position.
Behrens has an Elementary Education degree and a Master’s in Education in Reading from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. A native to the area, she is a graduate of Delavan-Darien High School, Phoenix Middle School and Wileman Elementary.
Behrens is a lifelong Delavan resident and enjoys spending time with her husband and three daughters. She believes that children are our future and deserve a strong education. She believes that reading and education are lifetime experiences and hopes to inspire her students to become life-long readers and learners.
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Jacqueline Belken-Pecor |
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Email |
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Nurse |
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Jackie Belken-Pecor is a registered nurse serving all five schools in the district. She started here in 2004. She is responsible for ensuring that students' health needs are met during the school day.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1984 with the honor of Outstanding Senior. While in college, she served on the Academic Standing Committee for the College of Nursing and was a cheerleader. 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.
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Ken Blanke |
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Email |
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Custodian |
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Ken Blanke has worked for the Delavan-Darien School District for more than 30 years as a head custodian. He started at Darien Elementary School in 1977 and moved to Turtle Creek when the school opened in 1993. Blanke is a life-long resident of Darien, and attended Darien School and Delavan-Darien High School. He graduated from Blackhawk Tech Law Enforcement Academy in 1982. He also works part-time as Chief of Police for Lauderdale Lake Law Enforcement and is an honorary member of the Darien Fire Department and Rescue Squad. He is married with three daughters and three grandchildren. Blanke enjoys working with staff and all the children and strives to make Turtle Creek School clean, maintained, and comfortable for everyone.
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Elizabeth N. Calhoun |
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Email |
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Kindergarten |
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Elizabeth N. Calhoun has been the Turtle Creek Bilingual Kindergarten teacher since 2006. Prior to that she was a Bilingual Aide at Darien Elementary.
Her primary responsibility is her 5-Year-Old Kindergarten class. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from UW-Whitewater and a Master’s of Education through UW-La Crosse. Her licenses include Elementary Education, English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education. Calhoun has found education to be a very satisfying career and she is happy to be able to work with the school district community. She also enjoys family time with her husband, daughter and son.
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Lisa Christianson |
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Email |
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Grades 1 and 2 |
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Lisa Christianson began her teaching career in Tohatchi, NM, on the Navajo Indian Reservation. When she returned to Wisconsin, she taught in Milwaukee and also in northern Wisconsin before taking time off to raise her two children. Christianson obtained her MEPD at UW-Whitewater during this time. She became certified as a reading teacher, as well. When she returned to teaching, she was a Reading Recovery teacher in Spring Grove, Ill., and in Lake Geneva.
The first school year Christianson taught at Turtle Creek was 2000. She has taught first grade for nine years. In 2009, she started teaching a class with first and second graders. She enjoys teaching young children and hopes to continue teaching at Turtle Creek until retirement.
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Delores Demir |
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Email |
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Kitchen |
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Dolores Demir has been at Turtle Creek since 2008. She has three grandchildren who attend Turtle Creek. She is a food service provider who cleans and sanitizes the tables and other surfaces. She serves and replenishes all the food on the menu, and works with the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fresh fruit.
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Shelly Depka |
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Email |
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Special Education Aide |
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Shelly Depka started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2010. Depka works as a special education aide at Delavan-Darien High School.
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Abby Dobot |
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Email |
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Kindergarten |
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Abby Drobot started as a 5-year-old kindergarten teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary in 2011.
She was a 4-year-old kindergarten teacher for the Muskego-Norway School District prior to coming to Delavan-Darien. Drobot graduated from UW-Madison in 201o with a degree in elementary education.
"I love kindergarten and making a positive impression on children at such a young age. I want to provide and inspire a love of learning right away."
Drobot has experience coaching cheerleading and has adopted to pets — a dog named Lexi and a cat named Riley. She also enjoys snorkeling.
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Julie DuVal |
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Email |
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Reading Specialist |
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Julie DuVal is one of the Reading Specialists for the Delavan-Darien School District. She came to the district in 1993 as a Reading Teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She is highly involved in the reading instruction in the district. DuVal teaches Reading Recovery and small groups of students to provide them extra reading support. She is responsible for collaborating with teachers on reading and writing instruction. DuVal helped organized the R.E.A.D.S. Mentoring Program, Book Swap program, and the Summer Book Borrowing Program. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW-Whitewater and is currently working on her administration degree from Aurora University at the George Williams College campus in William’s Bay.
In her free time, DuVal enjoys spending time with her family and friends and working on creative projects. DuVal volunteers with her children’s extra activities and school when possible. One of the best benefits from her job is that it gives her the opportunity to be a life-long learner. Her job may have challenges, but when a child learns to read it is the greatest reward for her.
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Sandra Edmunds |
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Email |
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Kitchen |
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Sandy Edmunds has been with the district since 1992 and at Turtle Creek since it opened in 1993. She helps prepare and serve school lunches. She have two daughters and three grandchildren. Edmunds hopes her love of her job shows through to each child.
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Kathleen Evans |
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Email |
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Grade 3 |
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Kathleen Evans is proud to have been part of the Delavan-Darien School District for most of her life. She attended Darien Elementary School from kindergarten through eighth grade and then graduated from Delavan-Darien High School. Evans completed her undergraduate work at UW-Whitewater, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in both Elementary Education and Special Education. She subsequently received her Master’s Degree in Education from Aurora University.
After serving as a substitute teacher in the Delavan-Darien District for two years, Evans became a member of the staff at Darien Elementary School. She later transferred to Turtle Creek Elementary as a third grade teacher. As a member of the Delavan-Darien School District, Evans has been a coordinator for the Student Assistance Program and has also been a building chairperson at Turtle Creek. She is a past winner of the Werbel Award. Evans retired in 2011, but returned at the start of 2012 as a long-term substitute, teaching third grade at Turtle Creek.
Evans firmly believes that all children can learn and that all students deserve the best education possible. She feels that the Delavan-Darien School District is committed to providing this education to all students. When not teaching, Evans enjoys spending time with her family, reading, traveling to warm, sunny places, and watching sporting events, especially the Chicago Cubs.
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Elizabeth Fossler |
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Email |
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Grade 3 |
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Elizabeth Fossler came to the Delavan-Darien School District as a student teacher in August of 1998. Fossler received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1998 and completed her Master’s in Education through Olivet Nazarene University in 2003. She started teaching fifth grade at Turtle Creek in 1999. From 2003 to 2010, she had been taught kindergarten. In 2011, Fossler started teaching third grade.
Fossler enjoys the excitement and enthusiasm the students show for learning. To her, teaching is an extremely rewarding experience. In her free time, Fossler enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially her husband and young daughter.
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Steven Fouts |
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Email |
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Grade 5 |
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Steve Fouts came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 2004 as a fifth grade teacher. Prior to that, he taught fourth grade in Rio, Wis., and as a substitute in various districts in central Wisconsin. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Mathematics from UW-Platteville.
From 2005-2007, he guided a group of seven Turtle Creek students through the YAAYS (Yerkes Astrophysics Academy for Young Scientists) project. In 2009, Fouts was nominated for the Herb Kohl Fellowship Award for Teachers. Fouts thoroughly enjoys watching students make discoveries in math and science, and currently runs a chess club and tournament for fifth graders at Turtle Creek. He is excited to work every day with a group of professionals that are so dedicated to the children in our community.
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Sandra Getka |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Sandra Getka started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2009. Getka works as a clerical aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Jenna Glorioso |
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Email |
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English Language Learner Program |
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Jenna Glorioso is originally from Wisconsin, but grew up in countries all over the world including Peru, Mexico, Jordan and South Korea. She graduated from St. Norbert College in 2007 with degrees in both Elementary Education and K-12 Spanish Education. Shortly thereafter, she completed certifications in Bilingual/Bicultural Education and ESL. Most recently, Glorioso completed her Reading Teacher License and is working toward her Master of Arts in Education degree through Viterbo University.
Glorioso was a Bilingual teacher in the Green Bay Area Public School District for one year before joining the ELL staff at Turtle Creek Elementary in 2008. She is thrilled to be given the opportunity to work with the ELL students and families of the Delavan-Darien area. She finds working with struggling students very rewarding, and enjoys collaborating with her colleagues to meet the individual needs of each child. In her free time, Glorioso enjoys spending time with her husband, swimming, walking, and traveling!
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Maria Gomez |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Maria Gomez started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2008. Gomez works as a clerical aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Katherine Grady |
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Email |
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Psychologist |
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Katherine (Katie) Grady earned her Master’s degree in School Psychology at UW-Whitewater in June of 2002. She started working with the Delavan-Darien School District in the fall of 2002 as a School Psychologist for Turtle Creek Elementary. As a School Psychologist, Grady’s primary roles are to provide assessment, consultation and intervention to help meet student behavioral, social and academic needs. Grady believes great potential lies in all students and is passionate about discovering that with them.
Outside of working for the district, Grady has been employed by HIL Inc. since 1998 as a Direct Care Counselor for adults with disabilities. At home, she keeps busy with and enjoys spending quality time with her husband and two young children.
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Jennifer Grossen |
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Email |
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English Language Learner Program |
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Jennifer Grossen has worked for the Delavan-Darien School District since 1998. She has worked as a bilingual first grade teacher, bilingual second grade teacher, and an ELL teacher. Before coming to Delavan-Darien, she worked in Lake Geneva as an ESL teacher for two years. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Bilingual/Bicultural Education from UW-Whitewater in 1996 and her Master’s degree in Reading from UW-Whitewater in 2001. Her favorite part of her job is working with her students and their families. She enjoys watching her students progress throughout the years.
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Lisa Gosse |
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Email |
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5-year-old Kindergarten |
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Lisa Gosse has been with the Delavan-Darien School District since 2008 as a kindergarten teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School. Gosse has been an elementary education teacher since 1994, beginning her career in Wauconda District #118 at Cotton Creek Elementary School in Island Lake, Ill. She has over a decade of experience in both kindergarten and second grade. She received her bachelor's degree in 1994 from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill. She continued her education in gaining her Master's degree in Teacher Leadership from North Park University in Chicago, in 2002.
Gosse's many years experience have enriched her career beyond her wildest dreams. She has worked with all types of students who would walk into her classrooms with various diverse needs and backgrounds. She looks at her career as a constant learning experience in which to grow from and is grateful that she has been blessed with that opportunity for so many years. Gosse is happy she is able to continue to do so in the Delavan-Darien School District.
Children are our future and Gosse takes that into account each day when she begins a new lesson that will shape her students lives. Gosse says she knows what a gift it is to be able to educate these young minds and loves every aspect of her career.
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Rachel Hill |
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Email |
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Art |
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Rachel Hill came to Delavan in 1999 as an elementary Art teacher. She started her career at both Turtle Creek and Wileman elementary schools, and now spends all her time at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UW Whitewater and, in 2005, obtained a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Aurora University in Illinois.
Hill believes that art education is an essential component in the educational development of a student. Every individual possesses inner knowledge that can be expressed through a variety of different life experiences. Through these experiences, art teachers provide students with a variety of avenues to express their own individuality through works of art. In the art classroom, personal and successful art experiences allow the student’s self esteem to increase fostering art appreciation, problem solving skills, and aesthetic awareness.
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Eric Huebner |
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Email |
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Physical Education |
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Eric Huebner received his Bachelor of Science in Education Degree in 1999 from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. In 2000, Huebner was hired as a Physical Education teacher at Phoenix Middle School and as an Adaptive Physical Education teacher for the Delavan-Darien School District. Following teaching assignments at Darien Elementary and Delavan-Darien High School, he has settled in as the Physical Education teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School. He completed his master's degree through an online experience at Nova Southeastern University in 2006. Huebner has been very active in extra curricular programs at Phoenix Middle School. He has been the adviser for the student newspaper, as well as a coach for volleyball, wrestling, track and basketball teams.
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Jose Huerta |
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Email |
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Custodian |
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Jose Huerta started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1999. Huerta works as a night custodian at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Lidia Huerta |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Lidia Huerta started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1987. Huerta works as a bilingual aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Madalyn Jacobson |
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Email |
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Grade 1 |
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Madalyn Jacobson once roamed the halls of Delavan-Darien School District schools, graduating from DDHS in 2006. She returned to the school district in 2011 as a first grade teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
"I had a wonderful elementary school experience in the Delavan-Darien School District, and I would like my students to look back and remember how fun and memorable first grade was for them," said Jacobson, who has also taught summer school for the district.
Jacobson holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Carroll University. She had a double minor in science and social studies. Jacobson enjoys spending time with her family, camping, swimming and traveling when she can. She has had the opportunity to visit Australia and New Zealand.
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Jacqueline Janaky |
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Email |
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Grade 1 |
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Jacqueline Janaky has been teaching in the Delavan-Darien School district since 2001. Janaky is a 1990 graduate of UW-Parkside. She has certification in elementary education, grades K-8, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Before coming to the district, Janaky had teaching experiences in kindergarten, second, fourth and sixth grades. Janaky taught preschool for nine years. Janaky is thrilled to be teaching first and second grades in a multiage classroom at Turtle Creek.
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Kim Jedlicka |
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Email |
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Administrative Assistant - Principal |
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Kim Jedlicka is the Administrative Assistant to the Principal at Turtle Creek Elementary. She has been at Turtle Creek since 2003. Prior to that she was an Administrative Assistant to the Director of Education at the Delavan-Darien School District Administration Office. Jedlicka is a 1979 graduate of Delavan-Darien High School and is a life-long resident of Delavan. She received her Associate’s degree in Medical Technology from Madison Area Technical College in 1984 and a Computer Information Specialist Certificate from Gateway Technical College in 2002. She has always enjoyed learning and plans to pursue further educational opportunities.
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Michael John |
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Email |
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Custodian |
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Michael John grew up in Chicago. He came to Wisconsin quite often because his grandmother lived in Delavan. He graduated from grade school and high school and also attended DeVry Institute while living in Chicago.
When he moved to Delavan in the early 1970s he started working for STA-RITE Industries. He also attended Gateway Technical College during that time for mechanical drawing. Some of his hobbies include walking, swimming and playing golf.
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Amy Kelly |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Amy Kelly joined Turtle Creek as an aide in 2010. Before taking time off to take care of her children, she worked in the field of technology in education.
Amy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Economics from the University of Illinois in 1998. In 2009, she received a master's degree in Teaching from Aurora University. Kelly has substitute taught in area schools and has taught summer school at Turtle Creek. She enjoys working with children and hopes to instill a belief in oneself that with hard work, one can achieve their goals.
In her spare time, Kelly enjoys camping, taking long walks, biking and reading. She treasures the time she spends with her two daughters and husband. Professionally, she works to improve herself through coursework and reading about current educational practices.
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Kimberly Kirk |
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Email |
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Reading Specialist |
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Kim Kirk has been a Reading Specialist at Turtle Creek Elementary School since 2002. Her job involves working with students that need extra help in reading. She does this through Title I Reading and RTI Groups. She has been at Turtle Creek since the building opened and was a first grade classroom teacher there for nine years. Her teaching career began in the Delavan-Darien School District in 1988, when she taught both first and third grades at Darien Elementary School. She obtained a master’s degree from UW-Whitewater and her undergraduate degree from UW-LaCrosse. Kirk finds working with struggling readers very rewarding. She wants all of the students she works with to leave Turtle Creek reading at or above their grade level.
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Katie Kopp |
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Email |
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School Counselor |
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Katie Kopp started working as a School Counselor in the district in August of 2004. The primary role of the School Counselor is to help meet the academic, personal, social and emotional needs of all students and their families. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology in May of 2004 from UW-Whitewater. Prior to earning her master’s, Kopp worked as a therapist, providing in home intervention to children on the Autism Spectrum.
Kopp truly enjoys the work that she does with students at the elementary level because she has the opportunity to help remove barriers to learning each day.
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Joe Kowalski |
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Email |
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ELL Teacher |
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Joe Kowalski came to Delavan-Darien School District in 2010. He teaches English Language Learners in 5K and fifth grade.
In 2006, Joe began his career teaching in Elgin, Illinois, a highly diversified district with 40,000 students. There, he was a bilingual substitute K-12 teacher. The positive interactions with students and staff there propelled him to become a certified teacher. He acquired his knowledge of Spanish, teaching carpentry to immigrants. Although educated at Northern Illinois University, 2004 Bachelor of General Studies, and 2009 Masters in Teaching, Aurora University, he considers people, life and faith to be the best educators of all.
Joe spends his free time with his wife and children, who complete him. He believes in the American public educational system as the greatest means of empowerment for all. To him, teaching is all about placing the students first. |
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Anne Landis |
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Email |
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School Counselor |
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Anne Landis is School Counselor for both Darien and Turtle Creek elementary schools. She came to the district in August 1994. She received her bachelor’s degree in 1984 from Minot State University in North Dakota and her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1994.
Landis has enjoyed teaching students about how to achieve success in life. Landis follows the Wisconsin School Counselor’s Comprehensive Program, covering standards of academics, personal/social and careers for all students. Landis teaches this in classrooms, sees individual students, runs small groups, facilitates parent meetings, and is on committees to enhance the achievement of student success in all areas of life. She is honored to be a part of the staff, empowering students to be successful in academics as well as life.
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Susan Lehmkuhl |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Susan Lehmkuhl started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2003. Lehmkuhl works as a health aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Erin Lemirand-Fedorko |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Erin Lemirand-Fedorko is an aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She loves working with children and has previous experience volunteering at her daughter’s school for two years. Outside of school, she enjoys running, swimming, biking, reading and cooking.
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Natalie Lippens |
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Email |
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Special Education |
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Natalie Lippens started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2007. Lippens works as a special education teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Diane Lowenthal-Lambert |
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Email |
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Special Education |
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Diane Lowenthal-Lambert is a special education teacher at both Wileman Elementary and Turtle Creek Elementary. She started with the district in 2011, having taught previously at Lakeland School in Elkhorn and in the Waukesha School District as a special education teacher. Lowenthal-Lambert holds an English degree from Eastern Illinois University and her teacher certification from Roosevelt. She and her husband have five children at home. In her free time, Lowenthal-Lambert enjoys reading.
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Michelle Marshall |
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Email |
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ESP - Special Education Aide |
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Michelle Marshall started with the district in 2012 as an aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She has previous experience as a substitute teacher in Whitewater, Elkhorn and Milton, and has been a long-term substitute in the Whitewater School District. She also worked at the Association for the Prevention of Family Violence (APFV) in Elkhorn, helping children who were at risk.
Marshall has degree in Educaiton with a minor in health, speech and coaching. Ghe attended UW-Whitewater and Aurora University.
Marshall enjoys working in smaller school districts, where students can get hands-on experience and instruction. Outside of school, Marshall follows the University of Wisconsin Badgers and North Carolina Tar Heels. She also likes soccer, basketball and football. Marshall enjoys spending time with her huband and her two beeagles, named Shoes and Laces.
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Tom May |
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Email |
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Music - Instrumental/Strings |
Tom May began his teaching career at the middle school level and came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 2001. He currently teaches all orchestra and band students at Darien, Turtle Creek and Wileman elementary schools. His goal is to nurture and develop the musical abilities of each participating student through challenging and enjoyable experiences in music. May feels fortunate to teach in a district that highly values the arts and finds his work of helping students through the beginning stages of playing an instrument to be a very rewarding experience.
May received his undergraduate degree in Music Education from UW-Whitewater in 2000. In 2004, he also received a Master’s degree in Music Education from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. In addition to teaching, May also remains active as an accompanist for solo and ensemble events and as an adjudicator for area piano festivals.
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Elizabeth Meinen |
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Email |
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Kindergarten |
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Elizabeth Meinen came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 2008 as a kindergarten teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School. Previously, she had been a first grade teacher in Beloit, starting in 2005. Meinen grew up in the Delavan-Darien area and attended the Delavan-Darien School District throughout her childhood. After graduating from DDHS in 2000, Meinen went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She also earned a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from National-Louis University in 2007. Meinen is thrilled to be back in her home district and to be working with students in her home community.
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Michelle Minton |
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Email |
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Grade 5 |
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Michelle Minton began teaching fourth grade at Turtle Creek Elementary in 1994. Prior to that she taught sixth grade in the inner city of Milwaukee for three years. A switch to teaching fifth grade at Turtle Creek was made in 2000. Minton received a Master’s in Reading from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1996. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in December 1990.
Her passion is in finding what motivates students to learn and reach their full potential. Minton regards the diversity found in this district to be an asset both to herself and her students. She is honored to be surrounded by dedicated professionals that are constantly striving to provide the most current and effective practices in our field.
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Mae Mohr |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Mae Mohr became the READS (Reading Enrichment And Developmental Success) Coordinator for Turtle Creek Elementary in September 2006. READS is a volunteer-staffed program that promotes one-on-one mentoring with students that need practice reading. In 1994, Mohr married her husband Rob. They have two daughters who attend schools within the district.
Mohr attended Greenfield Community College and is enrolled at Gateway Technical College. In her free time she enjoys snow and water skiing, coaching soccer, playing softball, and spending time with her family and friends.
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Amy Mueller |
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Email |
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Special Education Aide |
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Amy Mueller is a special education aide for Turtle Creek Elementary. She started with the district in 2010.
Mueller has an associates degree as an occupational therapy assistant from Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton. She worked as a Special Education Aide for the New London School District for five years before taking time off to raise her daughter. She is excited to be back in a school system working with children again.
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Barbara Nava |
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Email |
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Kindergarten (4-year-old) |
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Barbara Nava has been teaching in the Delavan-Darien School District since 1990. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from UW-Whitewater in 1989 and began teaching half-day kindergarten at Darien Elementary. She also has experience teaching first graders in the district at Park School. Nava has been at Turtle Creek Elementary since its opening in 1993, where she started teaching 5-year-old kindergarten. She became the 4-K teacher in 2006.
Nava lives in Beloit with her daughter, Gianna, who is a student in the Delavan-Darien School District through open enrollment. She enjoys reading, spending time with her daughter and creating new projects for her students.
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Leah Nickolai |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Leah Nickolai started at Turtle Creek in 2011 as a 5-year-old kindergarten aide. She attended Carroll University and received a bachelor's degree in Elementary Educational Studies in 2008. In 2011, she received a master's of Art/Elementary Education at George Williams College.
She has previous teaching experience in the Burlington Area School District, for the Rock-Walworth County Head Start program and at St. Francis de Sales School in Lake Geneva.
Nickolai is active in musical theatre at Haylofters in Burlington, playes the flute, sings in choire and plays tennis.
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Christine Niles |
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Email |
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Special Education |
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Christine Niles has been a special education teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School since 2005. The elementary special education program is cross-categorical and serves students identified as having a disability in grades PreK – fifth. Niles has been a special education teacher since 1995. Before coming to Turtle Creek School, she taught in Janesville, East Troy and at Lakeland School in Elkhorn.
She started in social work after receiving her bachelor’s degree from UW Oshkosh in 1978. She worked in vocational rehabilitation for 15 years, including 10 years at Vocational Industries in Elkhorn (now called VIP Services) and five years at the School for the Deaf in Delavan. In 1994, Niles earned her teaching certification and Master’s in Special Education. Her specialty is cognitive disabilities.
Niles is happy to be teaching in the Delavan-Darien District alongside some of the teachers who taught her own children. Her children attended Delavan-Darien schools from kindergarten through graduation. As a teacher in Delavan, Niles enjoys helping children reach their educational goals while having the opportunity to collaborate with regular education teachers to meet student needs.
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Janet Palmer |
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Email |
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Music - Voice |
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Janet Palmer is an Elementary General Music Specialist at Turtle Creek Elementary School, and she also serves as the Fall Play Director and Assistant Musical Director at Delavan-Darien High School. She has been teaching music since 1981, when she graduated from Millikin University in Decatur, Ill. Prior to coming to Delavan, she taught vocal music at all levels in districts in Illinois and Wyoming. She spends her free time traveling to watch her children’s music, theatre, and dance performances, and as accompanist for her church’s adult choir. Palmer also plays piano in for community and professional theatre groups.
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Betsy Perkins |
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Email |
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American Sign Language Interpreter |
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Betsy Perkins is an American Sign Language Interpreter for the district. She is working this year at both Turtle Creek Elementary School and Delavan-Darien High School. She has been an educational interpreter for many years at schools throughout Walworth County.
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Pamela Polster |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Pam Polster started as a substitute teacher with the district for three years before being hired in 2003. Prior to that, she was a registered nurse in various specialties. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Winona State University, where graduated from in 1985.
Polster enjoys working with and serving elementary school children because they are eager to learn and try new things, and because children of this age are trusting, respectful, and are generally very accepting of others.
Polster, whose own four children have gone through Delavan-Darien schools, has taught religious education since 1998 and is currently working on a basic Catechetical Certification program. She also is a member of the St. Andrew Church Choir. Polster would like to further her education with the hopes of combining her faith and nursing skills to serve others in the community.
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Tom Reichert |
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Email |
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Police Liaison |
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Bio coming soon.
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Megan Riviere |
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Email |
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Grade 4 |
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Megan Riviere has lived in the Delavan community for more than 10 years and has two children attending school in this district. She received her Master’s in Teaching in 2008 from the Lake Geneva Campus of Aurora University, and her ESL certification in 2010. She has worked in both the Delavan-Darien and Beloit school districts. Prior to obtaining her teaching certification, Riviere was the executive director of the Child Care Resource and Referral of South Central Wisconsin, working with early care providers. Prior to that, she was the executive director of Holiday Home Camp, a nonprofit organization that works with children from at risk communities. In her free time, Riviere enjoys reading, horseback riding and spending time with her family.
Riviere said she loves the diversity and potential that the Delavan-Darien School District offers its students. Her experience here has demonstrated an amazingly talented and committed staff, she says. She wants her teaching to be a very positive experience for the students and families that she works with.
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Kathleen Roberts |
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Email |
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Bilingual Kindergarten (4-year-old) |
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Kathleen Roberts came to the Delavan-Darien School District as a bilingual teacher in 2004. She currently teaches in the 4K classroom at Turtle Creek Elementary School. Roberts has been an educator for more than a dozen years and brings with her a variety of teaching experiences. She began her career in Waukesha, teaching fourth grade at a bilingual school. From there she held the position of Instructor of Technology for grades K-8 at a private institution. She also has taught music, language arts and literature, and the gifted and talented programs at the middle school level.
Roberts has a Bachelors degrees in Regular, Bilingual and Early childhood education. She earned all of her degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She will complete a master’s degree through Concordia University in 2013.
Roberts enjoys her job because she has the rare opportunity to be a child’s first teacher. That is a gift she treasures and takes quite seriously. She values the insight of children at this precious age. She also believes that the Delavan-Darien School District is the most professional one she has worked for in all of her years in education. In her free time, she enjoys camping, hiking, biking, and being outdoors with her husband and two sons. Roberts is also very active in her church.
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Susan Russella |
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Email |
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Aide/Clerical Aide |
Susan Russella started as an Aide/Clerical Aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School in 2011. She has an associate’s degree in business from the University of Phoenix. “I am so exited to be able to help our community’s children grow.”
Russella enjoys travel, movies, tennis, bowling and being with her children. |
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Brenda Scheff |
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Email |
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Grade 1 |
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Brenda Scheff teaches first grade at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She joined the district in 1996. Scheff received her bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University and her Master’s degree in Reading from Aurora University/George Williams College. She also holds a Reading Teacher and Reading Specialist license. She enjoys collaborating with her colleagues in order to improve student achievement. Sharing the love of reading and helping her students achieve success is her highest priority.
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Christine Schleden |
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Email |
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Grade 2 |
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Christine Schleden, came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 1999 as a second grade teacher at Darien Elementary School. She now teaches at Turtle Creek Elementary School. Prior to joining the district she was a reading specialist and a first grade teacher in a suburb of Chicago. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Reading. Her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction was awarded by Concordia University.
Schleden strives to instill a life-long love of learning in all of her students. She enjoys making school and learning fun and interesting. Schleden has a passion for reading and she loves passing that feeling onto her students. One of her favorite parts of teaching is seeing the smiles on students’ faces as they discover something new.
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Pat Schlicher |
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Email |
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Special Education Aide |
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Pat Schlicher started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1988. Schlicher works as a special education aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She is a certified paraprofessional and has completed her Crisis Prevention Intervention training. Schlicher is a familiar face in our district. She has work experience in all of our schools, working currently out of Turtle Creek Elementary. She loves working with all students and tries to make learning fun by using humor while teaching. She has been married for more than 35 years and has two sons and two grandsons.
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Jodean Schuk |
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Email |
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Grade 3 |
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Jodean Schuk started at Turtle Creek elementary as a third grade teacher in 2011. She has prior experience as a first grade teacher at Blakewood Elementary in South Milwaukee, as a kindergarten teacher in West Allis and West Milwaukee, as a third grade teacher at Blessed Savior School, and as a reading interventionist for the Elmbrook School District.
“I love being creative and teaching students how to think creatively, as well,” Schuk said.
Schuk has a bachelor’s degree in journalism/communications from UW-Milwaukee and earned her teacher certification from Cardinal Stritch University in 2005. Her husband has been a lawyer in Delavan for more than a decade. Schuk is an avid athlete, playing softball, volleyball, and tennis and working out. She enjoys spending time with her husband and their two daughters.
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Jeri Schultz |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Jeri Schultz started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1997. Schultz works as a clerical aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Lisa Seitz |
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Email |
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Grade 2 |
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Lisa Seitz has been a part of the Delavan community for years, spending a decade working at Delavan Christian School. She joined the Delavan-Darien School District in 2011 as a second grade teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School. Prior to coming to Delavan, Seitz worked in Milwaukee Public Schools for seven years. She has a degree in Elementary Education from UW-Whitewater and earned a Master's Debree in elementary education through Cardinal Stritch University.
“I look forward to serving the community. Teaching is a privilege and being a part of a child’s future is exciting.”
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Michele Sheets |
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Email |
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Grade 4 |
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Michele Sheets is a fourth grade teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary. She was a substitute teacher for two years in the district before accepting her current position for the 2003-2004 school year. Sheets grew up in Houston, and attended The University of Texas at Austin, where she was a member of the 1979 National Champion Swim Team at UT.
A 1983 graduate of Texas State, Sheets began her teaching career in Austin, where she taught fifth grade for two years. She also taught fifth grade in Colorado Springs, and was a substitute teacher in West Palm Beach, Fla. After attending graduate school at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, she moved to Oshkosh and substitute taught in Oshkosh and Neenah for a year. Sheets is happy to have finally settled with her family in Lake Geneva. She is looking forward to seeing students she has taught graduate from Delavan-Darien High School.
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Kathleen Sibilski |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Kathleen M. Sibilski is an aide in the morning 4-year-old kindergarten. She also works as a room aide and all-around art resource. Sibilski has been working at Turtle Creek since 2004. She has an associate degree in television production, and two years of graphic design classes from Milwaukee Area Technical College. She loves sharing her love of reading and art with the students at Turtle Creek. In addition to being a teacher’s aide, she is a freelance artist, an avid reader and a mom.
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JoAnne Tully |
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Email |
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Speech Pathologist |
JoAnne Tully, MS, CCC-SLP, has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for the district since 2003. Tully attended Delavan schools from kindergarten on, graduating from DDHS. She received Bachelors degrees in French and Psychology from Purdue University and obtained her elementary teaching certification at UW-Madison. Tully taught at pre-school and elementary levels in Delavan for eight years. She obtained a Master’s degree in Communicative Disorders from UW-Whitewater in 2003.
Tully is married and the mother of five. At home, she enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dogs, and reading.
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Cindy Turner |
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Email |
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Grade 5 |
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Cindy Turner is a fifth grade teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary. She began her teaching career in 1998 at Darien Elementary School as a third grade teacher for a year before coming to Turtle Creek to teach fifth grade.
Cindy is a Delavan-Darien High School graduate. She received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from UW-Whitewater. Her Master’s of Education degree was awarded from Olivet University. Turner hopes to make a difference in the life of her students.
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Michelle Turner |
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Email |
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Grade 4 |
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Michelle Turner joined the Turtle Creek team as a fourth grade teacher in 2003. She began her teaching career in 1974 as a fifth grade teacher in Eagle, Wis. She was a Gifted and Talented teacher in the Whitewater School District before being coming to Turtle Creek in 2003.
Turner earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with Art and Dance emphases. She has coached Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination teams for 12 years. Turner has been inducted into the Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in 2006-2007, and again in 2007-2008. The inductions mean a lot to her because the nomination process is student generated. Students are given an opportunity to nominate a teacher who has been influential during their academic career. Turner has also received an award from the Whitewater Optimist Club for her work with the Lakeview Student Council.
Turner looks at teaching as a calling and not a job, and finds the best part of her position is being with the people she loves…children. The Delavan-Darien School District has some very dedicated, loving teachers with whom she is proud to be associated. Her classroom is very child-driven, allowing for creativity, self-expression and teaching to the individual child’s interests and intellectual needs. Her goal is to help create life-long learners.
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Maria Vidal |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Maria Vidal started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2006. Vidal works as a bilingual aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Mary Ann Wagner |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Mary Ann Wagner started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1994. Wagner works as a clerical aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.
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Melodie Wisdom |
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Email |
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Kitchen |
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Melodie Wisdom is a member of the kitchen staff team at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She started with the district in 2011.
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Diane Woodbury |
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Email |
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Grades 1 and 2 |
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Diane Woodbury is a first/second grade looping teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She came to the district in 1995 as a Library Media Specialist for all three elementary schools. She was the Media Specialist at Turtle Creek for 11 years before moving to a second grade position. Woodbury received her undergraduate degree from UW-Whitewater. In her free time she enjoys playing with her grandchildren, working in her gardens and baking cookies.
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Patrick Wrubbel |
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Email |
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Grade 5 |
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Patrick Wrubbel came to Delavan-Darien in 2003 as a fifth grade teacher. Wrubbel has been in education since 1994. He served as a sixth grade teacher for nine years prior to coming to Delavan.
Wrubbel received his undergraduate degree in education from Lakeland College in 1994. In 2003, he received his master’s degree from Silver Lake College, as well as obtaining a Reading Teacher license. His future goal is to become an administrator in a school district since obtaining his administration degree from UW-Madison in 2011.
He enjoys the challenges and successes that each day brings in teaching. Wrubbel’s other passion is coaching young adults in cross country and track. He is currently a track coach at the high school.
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Sarah Yakes |
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Email |
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ESP |
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Sarah Yakes has been with the Delavan-Darien School District since 2005. She started out as a substitute in the elementary schools. Since 2006, she has worked as a kindergarten aide and also as a library aide at Turtle Creek Elementary. Yakes is a 1988 graduate of Badger High School in Lake Geneva and attended Gateway Technical College in Elkhorn and Alverno College in Milwaukee, studying Music Therapy. Prior to coming to the district she worked at the Dance Factory and Community Shoppers Inc. in Delavan.
Yakes also teaches piano lessons and is an accompanist for church, choir and solo ensemble. She loves to work with kids of all ages and hopes to make a positive impact on their lives as they do on hers.
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Cynthia Youngs |
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Email |
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Kitchen |
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Cindy Youngs is from Milwaukee and raised her family in West Allis. She worked in the West Allis schools for eight years. She moved to the Delavan area in 2006, and started at Turtle Creek in 2008. She has six grandchildren and enjoys anything Disney, crafts, and traveling.
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