Dianne Taylor
I am the Special Education teacher for grades 5th-8th and the Reading Interventionist for middle school students. I have been teaching at Woodrow since 2002. I am a native Colorado resident and graduated from Regis University in Denver. At Regis, I met my husband and we have been married since 1992. I have three adult children, two of which, attended Woodrow when it first opened.I enjoy working with the middle school students and find their joy for learning (and pushing boundaries) an exciting part of my job. I enjoy spending time with my family, my dogs, watching the Broncos, and traveling.
Email [email protected]
Betsy Ressler
I am the Special Education Teacher for grades K-4th. I am from northwest Iowa and attended The University of Northern Iowa to obtain my degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. I have been teaching at Woodrow since 2005. I spent 11 years teaching Kindergarten and am excited to still be here as the Elementary Interventionist!
I met my husband here at WWA and we have 2 beautiful daughters, Tobey and Hudson. I love spending time with my family, being outdoors, and crafting/sewing.
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Melissa Schwartz
Hi! My name is Melissa Schwartz; I started working as the Occupational Therapist at Woodrow Wilson Academy in 2014. I’m a native of Minnesota, but attended college and graduate school in South Dakota. I’ve been working as an OT with kids since 2000, first in Arizona and now in Colorado. When not working, my family and I enjoy camping, hiking, and skiing.
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Michelle McDonald
Hi, my name is Michelle McDonald and I am delighted to be the reading coach here at Woodrow Wilson Academy. My job is to support those students who are not currently reading at grade level. I retired from teaching in 2011, after being a classroom teacher for 34 years. During my career, I taught in grades 2nd through 6th. In the fall of 2014, Mrs. Bartusiak asked me to be the reading coach for grades K-5. I jumped at the opportunity. I am glad to be here, and enjoy working with students. One interesting thing about me is, that my parents moved to Colorado in 1955 and built their own house in Arvada, when many of the back streets were dirt roads. My family has lived here ever since. I love to read, travel, listen to music, sing in the car, and spend time with my three grown up kids.
Email [email protected]
Eric Thompson
Hello Wildcats! I am extremely excited to be home again here at Woodrow Wilson Academy! I am back to fill the role of Full-time Speech-Language Pathologist, which I also held from 2003-2009, and as a SLP-A supervisor the past two years. I bring 27 years of working in education experience with me, and look forward to providing amazing learning activities to you. I’m most looking forward to administering speech screenings to all incoming kindergarten students, as well as universal social skill building to many of the primary grades to better navigate expected behaviors in school and in your community. Feel free to drop by with any and all speech-language development questions you may have. Cheers!
Email [email protected]
Eve Sandler
Hello, my name is Eve Sandler and I am the School Social Worker for grades K-8. I was born and raised on a small farm in Upstate New York. I received my Mater’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from Smith College. While earning my graduate degree, I spent time working as a clinician in Massachusetts, Texas, and Maryland. My previous experience includes working with individuals, families, and groups in different clinical settings.
I am just getting settled in Denver, after making the move from Austin, Texas. I am excited to join the WWA community and to begin providing any social and emotional support that students and families may need during the year.
Email [email protected]