Eddy Cisneros — Valley Southwoods Freshman High School, Spanish Family Engagement Specialist
Eddy works tirelessly to support WDMCS’ Spanish-speaking students, families, and staff. He is an all-star relationship builder, and that helps him be an exemplary warm-demander to help ensure students are reaching their full potential. 

When Eddy and I are at Valley for RISE, countless students run up to him to say hi, including non-Spanish speaking students who all know him from their time at Southwoods. Eddy builds relationships and is then able to have difficult conversations with compassion, respect, and the needed firmness. I’ve witnessed him navigate delicate situations and hold high expectations, all while strengthening relationships. He is also an excellent advocate for our students and families, speaking up when it matters, and is always open to creative collaborations to meet students and families where they’re at.

Sierra Coleman — Stilwell Junior High, Communications/Drama Teacher
As an eighth grade student at Stilwell, I’ve seen how Ms. Coleman is a very nice teacher who is always helping me through my anxieties and panic attacks due to panic disorder. She is very caring and kind and will always reassure you and make sure you’re having a great day. 

She is an amazing teacher and always writes great comments on assignments to show what went well and what can be improved on without seeming too upsetting. She hardly ever gets mad and is always in a great mood! Ms. Coleman genuinely makes school a better place for everyone who goes to Stilwell Junior High.

Michelle Dirks — Hillside Elementary, English for Speakers of Other Languages Teacher
Michelle Dirks is making a PAWsitive impact to young multilingual learners at Hillside Elementary. She is a veteran English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher who actively builds relationships with students, families, and colleagues.  

Mrs. Dirks meets each student where they’re at and teaches them how to read, write, and communicate in a new language and new school setting. She gives kids clear and consistent learning environments and helps make connections between home and school. Students have book bags and get to choose books to share with their families. 

With colleagues, she asks questions, seeks to understand, collaborates, and supports new team members. You can tell she cares deeply about her students and being part of the Hillside school community.
 

Jill Egger — Valley High School, Special Education Teacher
Jill loves on all of her students and provides a warm, safe environment for all. She also holds students accountable knowing that they will need to act professionally in the real world. Jill is a gem at Valley!

Randi Glaser — Walnut Creek Campus, Science Teacher
She cares deeply about all of her students, and she wants what’s best for us. She’s patient and understanding, she’s super funny, and uses humor a lot in her teaching. She’s also very willing to sit down and explain assignments in deeper detail to students who don’t understand her instructions originally, and she’ll help you through some of the questions when you need her to. 

She’s an amazing support system for students — you can easily create a connection with her. You can talk to her about anything and everything, and she’ll give advice when she can, and even if she doesn’t have advice for the situation, she’ll listen and respond.

Melanie Haupert — Western Hills Elementary, Kindergarten Teacher
Our son Jack is so fortunate to be a kindergartener in Miss Haupert’s class this year. After back-to-school night, Jack said he was “overwhelmed and a little scared” about going to kindergarten. But the night before school, he put his “ready confetti” he got from Miss Haupert under his pillow and woke up ready for his first day. 

That first day, he came home and said his day was “awesome” and that Miss Haupert was “soooo kind.” He’s come home every day since with a huge smile and some great stories. Miss Haupert has made Jack (and I’m sure all of her students) excited about going to school and interested in learning new things. I don’t know if she knows the magic she is doing every day, but today Jack said “she is the teacher I always wanted to have.” 

Haley Hockensmith — Valley Southwoods Freshman High School, Associate Principal
Haley handles challenges confidently and calmly. She brings a comforting strength to the building, and her love for the students shows. I am so happy to have such supportive administration.

Amy Jensen — Fairmeadows Elementary, Fourth Grade Teacher
I work with so many incredible colleagues. One who always comes to mind is Amy Jensen. Her classroom is the epitome of educating, empowering, and inspiring. Amy has a remarkable ability to blend creativity and learning. She constantly is taking ideas (big or small) and making them a reality. This translates directly to student growth. She helps every learner who enters her classroom develop a deeper sense of confidence and curiosity.

To her students, Amy is the teacher who truly believes in them. She fosters a classroom where they’re not only encouraged to take risks but are also given genuine opportunities to be leaders. 

Her positive impact extends to her colleagues as well. She’s constantly willing to share innovative ideas, offer support, and celebrate the successes of others. Amy is a constant source of inspiration, modeling what it means to be a truly dedicated and compassionate educator. Her unwavering passion and commitment create a ripple effect, making our entire school community a better place to learn and grow.
 

Ann Krois — Valley High School, Social Studies Teacher
Ann spent her summer taking students abroad and engaging in her own professional learning. She was accepted to an institute in New York about 9/11. While there, she was interviewed by CBS, and they filmed her in her classroom teaching her 9/11 lesson. It aired on CBS Evening News on September 11. She is always looking for new and innovative methods for teaching US History to students.

Jenna Pressley — Western Hills Elementary, Principal
Jenna is a constant at Western Hills. What she has done to support students, staff, and families goes above and beyond. Jenna can name every single student that walks by her — it’s like some kind of superpower. She is present in the hallways, showing up where she 
is needed. She works so hard every day to make Western Hills a place that people want to be. She shows everyone their value and allows all of us to grow alongside her. 

Jenna is truly a lantern for our school, lighting the way to guide us where we need to be to make Western Hills the greatness it is. 

Jenna, you are appreciated! You spend your days educating, empowering, and inspiring, and we are all better for it!
 

Katherine Thomas — Western Hills Elementary, School Nurse
Nurse Katherine is on the ball. She makes sure the whole school is taken care of. She doesn’t just have a room to lay down in. She cleans up bodily functions, makes sure everyone takes their meds, sends reminders home, and talks to parents about symptoms to look for. She’s on top of all the illnesses going around. She is very knowledgeable of EVERYTHING! She is quick to answer TalkingPoints, and she goes the extra mile to make sure kiddos and parents feel comfortable in her care.

Brynna Yocom — Jordan Creek Elementary, Special Education Teacher
I have so enjoyed how warm and caring Brynna has been in all her interactions with everyone she engages with as one of our newest Special Education teachers at Jordan Creek this year. I especially want to celebrate her professional manner and compassionate care toward our students we serve. It has been so inspiring to witness and hear Brynna’s positive growth mindset toward the needs of each of them, and how she has embraced them as “our” kids!

Brynna shows a professional maturity way beyond a first-year teacher, and I could not be more thrilled to welcome her to our team as she continues to educate, empower, and inspire our students every day. 

Elizabeth Zúñiga — Indian Hills Junior High, Spanish Family Engagement Specialist
Elizabeth is excellent at building relationships and holding students to high standards at the same time. She never hesitates to sign up to provide extra, outside of school support to our Spanish-speaking students and families. 

She helps host Al Éxito at Indian Hills, Salir Adelante each spring, the food pantries, and countless other outreach events. She has also been very involved in helping support the Summer Scholars program for the last two summers. She filled in for me while I was on maternity leave, and she put so much care and time into ensuring the program was academically, culturally, and emotionally sustaining for our newcomer students. 

Some of our families faced some big events this summer, and Elizabeth was immediately responsive bringing in supports to ensure the students and their families had what was needed to navigate the moment. Elizabeth is an incredible member of the WDMCS team!