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 6th grade for one year, 4th grade for 11 years, 3rd grade for 10 years and all the other years I have been an MCL (Mass Customized Learning) 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 1st to 5th grade. Hillcrest feels like my home away from home. In the MCL program, I teach the Kindergarten State Standards. The other teachers that are on the MCL team are Miss McMains, Mrs. Leite, and Mrs. Ballis.

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, bike, camp, and do water aerobics. 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 Watertown, SD. Kalina is a nurse.& Dan works for SD Games, Fish & Parks . My youngest daughter, Erika, is married to Richard Drawdy. They have two children, Cooper & Harper. Erika is a 4th grade teacher at Camelot Intermediate School in Brookings & Richard works at Great Shots in Sioux Falls. I truly enjoy & love being a grandma. I babysit our grandchildren during the summer while their parents work.  I think my grandchildren are just heavenly!