ABOUT THE TEACHER

I started teaching at Hillcrest in August of 2003.  Before I taught at Hillcrest, I taught at Sioux Valley Elementary in Volga, SD for eight years. I started teaching 5th grade at Sioux Valley in March of 1996 for a teacher who passed away of cancer. I taught 6^th grade for one year, 4th grade for 11 years, and all the other years I have been a 3rd grade teacher. I graduated from SDSU with my Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction in December of 2012, my teaching degree from Kansas State University in December 1995 and from Brookings High School in 1983. 

I love teaching at Hillcrest, because this is where I went to school from 1^st to 5^th grade. Hillcrest feels like my home away from home. I will be your teacher for reading, math, and social studies. Mrs. Nass will be your science teacher & Mrs. Gasper your language teacher.

I have many interests. I like to watch sports, especially, soccer and hockey, because they are fast moving games. I attend many of the home Brookings Bobcats and SDSU Jackrabbit games throughout the year. I like to walk. I usually walk to school every day, even in the cold winter. I like to read, swim, bike, camp, and go to water aerobics at the college. My favorite things include the following: green, blue, coke-cola, any food that is chocolate, and my family.

Finally, my family is very important to me. My husband, Philip, works at an insurance agency in Brookings. My oldest daughter, Kalina, is married to Dan Sternhagen. They have two children Alanna & Brody. They live in Estelline, SD. Kalina is a nurse at the nursing home there. My youngest daughter, Erika, is married to Richard Drawdy. They have a son named Cooper and a daughter named Harper. Erika is a 4th grade teacher at Camelot Intermediate School in Brookings.  I truly enjoy & love being a grandma.  I babysit grandchildren during the summer while their parents work. I think my grandchildren are just heavenly!