I am the oldest of 4 siblings and come from a PE family as my grandfather, father, uncle, brother, and 1 sister all are PE teachers! For the last 8 years, I have been a Varsity Football Coach at Essex and Winooski, Vermont certified Basketball official and Baseball Umpire, and recently starting coaching girls middle school basketball and middle school baseball in Winooski. My favorite sport is football and my favorite recreational sports to play are beach volleyball, basketball, racquetball, and weight lifting. I also enjoy heading to the beach, listening to country music, and fishing! (ice and fly fishing!)
Education and Professional Experiences
I was born and raised on the sunny and sandy beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, but went to high school at North Country Union in the mountains and lakes of the North East Kingdom. I graduated from the University of Vermont with a Bachelors Degree in Physical Education. I taught a couple years in the Essex school district, as well as high school at BFA St. Albans and Mt. Mansfield Union. I am have been teaching elementary and middle school PE at Winooski since the start of 2012.
What has been your greatest learning experience? (in or out of school)
My greatest learning experience would be in my senior year of high school playing football. We only had 17 kids on our varsity program, projected to finish last in Division 2. We started out 0-2, then the little sister of a player, who was just diagnosed with cancer came to us before our 3rd game and asked us to win for her. We were huge underdogs and about to play the defending Division 1 champions. She was our inspiration and drive, and to many of Vermont’s astonishment, we pulled the upset and won it for her and our community. Her drive and motivation allowed us to win our remaining games and make it to the title game, against all odds.
This taught me that if you put your mind to something, anything can happen with motivation, effort, and perseverance. We overcame all challenges and adversity, and allowed a little girl with many more challenges to take us to the championship.
Who do you admire and why?
I admire my father from all that he taught me throughout the years. This includes southern hospitality, proper manners and respect, the will and drive to persevere through anything, as well as putting others before me.
The athlete that I admire most would be Derek Jeter. Despite me being a Yankees fan, Derek Jeter is a class act, respectful to all, stays out of trouble, gives 100% at all time, and exhibits great leadership on and off the field.
What do you love about your current WSD position and the WSD community?
I enjoy teaching PE K-8, as it allows me teach lifelong physical activities, interact and be a positive role model to 2 different age groups, as well as allowing me to be teaching and staying physically active, myself!