Deborah Maki became Turtle Creek’s principal in July 2009. She came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 1995 as the principal of Phoenix Middle School. Prior to that, she was an assistant principal in the Neenah Joint School District. Maki began her 30-plus year career in education as a German teacher in Manitowoc. 

Kelly Pickel is the first person to hold the Associate Principal position at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She 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.

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. 

Susan Alness joined the Delavan-Darien School District in 2010. She is an aide at Turtle Creek Elementary.

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 have 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. 

Francisco (Joel) Baca started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2004. Baca works as a bilingual aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

Katie Baker came to Delavan-Darien in 2005 as a fourth grade teacher at Turtle Creek. Prior to that she was a fourth grade teacher in Phoenix, Ariz., from 2002 to 2004. Her years of educational experiences include teaching students with diverse backgrounds, teaching in low economic areas, and coaching soccer. 

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. 

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.

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.

Elizabeth N. Calhoun became the Turtle Creek Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher in 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 is seeking her 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 satisfying career and she is happy to be able to help the school district community. She also enjoys family time with her husband, daughter and son.

Jean Caucutt began working in the District in the 2009-10 school year as a substitute aide and teacher and then was employed at Turtle Creek Elementary School as an office aide. Her degree is in elementary education and she has a minor in French from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. She has over 30 years teaching experience. Jean is an enthusiastic educator who continues to inspire students to succeed. She will begin work as a Special Education Aide for the 2010 – 2011 school year.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

Jim Fairbairn began teaching at Turtle Creek Elementary School in 2010. He had previously been a teacher at Darien Elementary School since 1988. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University in 1982. At Lawrence, he majored in Sociology with an emphasis in Psychology and Education. He went on earn his elementary certification from UW-Oshkosh in 1988. Through the years, Fairbairn has taken many courses for graduate credits. The most rewarding part of teaching is watching the students learn, grow and catching that special moment when it all begins to make sense for the student.

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. Since 2003 she has been teaching kindergarten. 

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.  

Sandra Getka started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2009. Getka works as a clerical aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

Maria Gomez started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2008. Gomez works as a clerical aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

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. 

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.

Kathy Hankins is on the third grade team at Turtle Creek Elementary School. She began her career in this district in 1985 at Darien Elementary and then moved to Turtle Creek in 1993. An Illinois native, Hankins received her bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University. Her teaching career began in central Illinois in a Mennonite community, where she taught for seven years. She received her Master’s degree in Education from George Williams College in 1997. 

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.  

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.

Jose Huerta started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1999. Huerta works as a night custodian at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

Lidia Huerta started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1987. Huerta works as a bilingual aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

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.

Heather Jedlicka began as an aid at Turtle Creek Elementary in 2010. She is a 1999 graduate of Delavan-Darien High School.

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.

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. 

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 Reading Recovery. 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.

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. 

Carol Lamb has worked as a special education aide, homebound instructor and substitute teacher in the Delavan-Darien School District since 2008. She grew up in Chicago and graduated from North Park University with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She has taught in both public and private schools in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. She has taught and worked often with special education students. Lamb taught for 10 years at Delavan Christian School in its upper elementary classrooms and supervising/teaching in its K-8 resource room. Lamb has always loved teaching and appreciates the special opportunities to help students one-on-one.

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.

Susan Lehmkuhl started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2003. Lehmkuhl works as a health aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

Natalie Lippens started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2007. Lippens works as a special education teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

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 the use of challenging, meaningful, 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.  

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.

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. 

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. 

Lynn Mork is a special education teacher for both Darien Elementary and Turtle Creek Elementary. She started with the district in 2010.

Amy Mueller is a special education aide for Turtle Creek Elementary. She started with the district in 2010.

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. Nava has been at Turtle Creek Elementary since 1993 started teaching 5-year-old kindergarten. She became the 4-K teacher in 2006.  

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. 

Janet Palmer is an Elementary General Music Specialist at Turtle Creek Elementary School, and she also serves as the Drama Sponsor, 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, as accompanist for her church’s adult choir. Palmer also plays piano in for community and professional theatre groups.

Jennifer Peden has been in food service at Turtle Creek since 2008. She has two children and enjoys karaoke with friends and Zumba (the dance fitness program).

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.

Kari Pfeil came to the Delavan-Darien School District in 1992. She works at Turtle Creek as a second grade teacher. Hard work, dedication, high expectations, and communication with students and parents are all priorities in Pfeil’s teaching. She hopes that everyone who leaves her classroom has gained knowledge, respect, and knowing that they had a teacher who cared. Pfeil believes the Delavan-Darien School District gives students many excellent opportunities to learn and in all different ways.  

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. 

Jenna Prust is originally from Wisconsin, but grew up all over the world, including Peru, Mexico, Jordan and South Korea. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from St. Norbert College with certifications in first through eighth grade education, K-12 Spanish education, bilingual education, and English as a second language. Prust was a bilingual teacher in the Green Bay Area Public School District for one year before joining the ELL staff at Turtle Creek Elementary School in 2008. She is currently working toward her Master’s in Education degree as well as her 316 reading teacher license through Viterbo University. Prust is thrilled to be given the opportunity to work with the ELL students and families of the Delavan-Darien area.

Bio coming soon.

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. 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.

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. 

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 is currently working on her Master’s degree in Reading from Aurora University/George Williams College. She is a member of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). She enjoys collaborating with her colleagues in order to improve student achievement. Scheff was president of the TPO in 2000/2001. She volunteers her time at Phoenix Middle School’s activity nights and the Harvesters 4-H.

Pat Schlicher started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1988. Schlicher works as a special education aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

Jeri Schultz started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1997. Schultz works as a clerical aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

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. 

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.

Lindsey Smith came to Delavan-Darien in 2004 as a second grade teacher. Smith has been in education since 2001 and has taught various grade levels, including kindergarten, first, second and fifth grades. She has been a first and second grade teacher in Delavan.  

Angela Swanson is an aide for the 4-year-old kindergarten class. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Children’s Ministry from Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minn. Swanson has been with the district since 2008.

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. 

Andrea Turner started her teaching career in the Delavan-Darien School District in 2000 as a fourth grade teacher at Turtle Creek Elementary. She taught fourth grade for three years and then became a second grade teacher. She spent some time as a first-second grade looping teacher, and currently focuses only on second grade. Turner earned her bachelor’s degree from Carthage College and her Master’s degree in Education from Olivet Nazarene University. She enjoys working with the staff and students at Turtle Creek Elementary.

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.  

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.  

Maria Vidal started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2006. Vidal works as a bilingual aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

Mary Ann Wagner started with the Delavan-Darien School District in 1994. Wagner works as a clerical aide at Turtle Creek Elementary School.

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.

Michelle Woods started as an aide with the Delavan-Darien School District in 2010. She is assigned to Turtle Creek Elementary School.

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. 

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. 

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.