I grew up in New London, Wisconsin - a town 30 minutes northwest of Appleton.  Throughout high school I was active in National Honor Society, Forensics, Volleyball, Basketball and Student Council.  After high school, I attended Lawrence University where I majored in Spanish.  I continued to play sports at Lawrence, basketball for my first two years and volleyball all four years.  During my senior year of college, I had the privilege to spend a trimester (3 months) in Venezuela studying Spanish and traveling throughout the country.  I student taught at Appleton North High School in the fall of 1997.  My first teaching job was a Little Chute High School where I taught Spanish 1, 2 and 5 to Freshman through Seniors.  While at Little Chute High School, I coached both basketball and volleyball at the high school level.  I have taught Spanish at the Classical School since 2001.  This will be my sixth year teaching at the Classical School.  When I started in 2001, I taught 3rd through 8th grades.  Currently, I am teaching one 6th grade and two 8th grade Spanish classes.  I enjoy seeing the students progress in their knowledge of another language.  It is impressive to see students who have been with this school since it's beginning with their vast comprehension of the language.  It is also impressive to have witnessed our students converse with native speakers on the Costa Rica trip!

My husband, Hans, is also a teacher.  He joins the Classical Staff as a 8th grade homeroom teacher this year teaching Math and Science.  We have two beautiful children, Maximus and Laurel.  Maximus just turned 3 years old this September.  Laurel was born in June (this past summer).  As a family, we enjoy taking walks in our neighborhood (Max's favorite is to go look at the lake), going to the park, reading books, and playing games.  Another hobby of mine is traveling.  In addition to Costa Rica and Venezuela, I have visited Panama and Mexico.  My favorite Spanish speaking country was Venezuela (probably because it was my first).  However, Panama is a close second.

I look forward to returning to Classical in October to teach the 6th and 8th grade students.  I am excited to prepare them for their foreign language journey in high school and beyond!