I am a 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher in Camanche, Iowa. I have been teaching in Camanche for 8 years. Along with teaching, I coach multiple sports in Camanche. I coach 7th grade volleyball, 8th grade basketball, and varsity tennis. My tennis teams have been very successful. We have won the state tournament 3 out of the last 6 years, with 2 runner-ups and 3rd place the other years. In the summer, I run our community’s summer tennis program, age’s 4-high school.

I love to travel. I have been to Spain, Germany, Norway, France, Luxembourg, Jamaica, Mexico, Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Austria. I have been fortunate to travel to many of these places because my grandma loves to travel and loves to take me with her. I have learned so much history and culture traveling that I knew I had to bring this to my classroom. For the last five years I have taken my 8th grade students on a trip to Philadelphia, Gettysburg, and Washington, D.C. We visit many sites that we study during the school year. We hold fundraisers throughout the year to help students earn money for this trip. Being able to experience history and culture firsthand is very influential in these students’ lives.

In my free time I like to stay busy. I started taking piano lessons about a year ago. I love being active. I run, bike, play tennis, and play with my dogs, Dixon and Chili. This summer I trained for a sprint triathlon that I do every summer, a couple 5K’s, and a marathon. I am proud to say I ran and finished my first marathon September 22, 2013.