A Cheyenne Native

My Story

Generations of my family have been shaped by Laramie County School District #1. I’m a proud graduate of our schools, and all three of my children graduated from LCSD #1. Having experienced our schools as a student, a parent, and an educator, I have seen the difference a strong school district can make in the lives of children and families.

My family came to this area through the Homestead Act. Our family’s ranch, although no longer operational, sits just south of Cheyenne, and the original house my great-grandparents built still stands.

This is where my dad grew up. Until the age of 12, he attended a one-room schoolhouse just down the road. When it was time for him to continue his education, he began commuting into Cheyenne, where he attended Carey Junior High. He went on to graduate from what was, at the time, the new East High School building in 1963.

My mother was born and raised in Fremont, Nebraska. She moved to Casper during her senior year of high school in 1966, where she attended and graduated from Natrona County High School. She and my dad met in Casper that same year on a blind date, set up by his roommate and her friend. He had moved there to attend Casper College and was working part-time at an automotive shop. As fate would have it, they soon married and began their life together in Cheyenne, where my dad started what would become a forty-year career as a mechanic supervisor for the Wyoming State Forestry Division.

Ever seen Smokey Bear during Frontier Days? That was my dad! From 1985 to 2008, he was the one inside the costume, reminding people, “Only you can prevent forest fires.”

I grew up in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Cheyenne. I attended Bain Elementary School, Carey Junior High, and then it was my turn to attend East High School.

I remember stepping through the doors of the school and looking proudly at the white, black, and blue mosaic tiles that adorn the front lobby of East High, with the inscription, “East High School Class of 1963.” I remember thinking to myself, That’s my dad!

During my time at East High, I was fortunate to be chosen for the “Singers” group and sang with the East High Choral. During my sophomore year, I had the extraordinary opportunity to travel to England with the choir. It was my first international trip. Wow! What a big airplane!

A turning point in my life came during my senior year, when I was chosen as Assistant Drum Major for the East High Marching Band. I practiced harder than I ever had, and all that hard work paid off when we went on to win 1st place at the Wyoming State Marching Band Competition! That victory earned us an invitation to march during halftime of the Holiday Bowl in California that winter.

More importantly, those experiences marked what would become the beginning of my journey as an educator and a leader.

I went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming. In 2008, I earned a Master of Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. It was a feat I accomplished while working full time and raising three school-aged children, something I never could have completed without the support of my amazing husband and the people of this community.

That same year, I was named Laramie County School District #2 Teacher of the Year. In 2014, I was named the Wyoming Education Association’s National Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) Award winner, a statewide honor that allowed me to represent Wyoming at the annual gala in Washington, D.C., alongside some of the nation’s best educators.

The journey that began as a seed in high school has grown into nearly thirty-four years in education, and I am still in it!

Today, I am a fourth-grade teacher in Laramie County School District #2. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of teaching third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades across both LCSD #1 and LCSD #2.

I previously served as an Instructional Facilitator from 2008 to 2011. In that role, I worked as an educational coach and mentor, supporting teachers in improving their classroom instruction and helping boost student performance.

I am also the Treasurer of the Wyoming Literacy Association, a role I have held since 2019. I volunteer with Friday Food Bag and spend time volunteering at the Laramie County Library. This year, I have logged more than 100 hours at the library, something I find incredibly rewarding and that brings me so much joy.

Throughout these years, I have also had the incredible privilege of watching my own children grow up in the same schools that shaped me.

I watched my children march with the East High Band, the same band I had the opportunity to lead when I was there. I watched one of my children be crowned Homecoming King, another both Prom King and graduation speaker.

All three of my children are East High graduates and two are also University of Wyoming alumni!!

And now, my legacy in education lives on.

My middle son became a teacher, too. He recently earned his master’s degree in education from Grand Canyon University and now teaches fourth grade in Phoenix, Arizona. Fourth grade is the same grade I am teaching right now, and I couldn’t be more proud.

When I look back, it’s hard to separate my family’s story from education. This district has been part of our lives for generations. It shaped my life, helped shape my children’s future, and gave me a career I have loved for nearly thirty-four years. Now, I want to give back to the district that has given so much to my family and help shape the future for the next generation of students.

I understand this state, this county, this community.