1. What is your current role(s) at Vaughn Schools?
I am the special education teacher for grades 5-8.
2. What previous teaching, coaching, or other extracurricular activities have you been involved with, if any, at previous schools and how many years of experience do you have?
This is my 7th year teaching. I taught kindergarten for a few years in Great Falls, then took a break and worked at the Post Office. My two years previous to Vaughn were spent teaching Resource 2 kiddos in Fort Shaw.
3. Give us a brief history to include where you are from, where you were born, where you graduated from high school, and if/where you graduated from college.
I was born and raised in Great Falls. I graduated high school from CM Russell. I studied Elementary and Special Education at the University of Great Falls. I got my Special Education certification through the University of Montana Western a few years after I graduated with my Elementary degree from UGF.
4. Tell us about your family, spouse, or significant other.
I have the most wonderful family. They help me run and work my two businesses while I am teaching and during the busy time of the year when we are traveling to events. I would be lost without them. My dad is a retired bricklayer and my mom has been an International Dock Agent at FedEx for over 35 years. They both spend all their spare time supporting me, hauling me around and cheering me on at barrel races, ropings and rodeos. I also have a very supportive boyfriend who is a traveling welder for the railroad. He comes home on the weekends and helps me with my businesses and helps me ride and take care of our horses. I am very fortunate and don't take the love and support I have for granted because I know without them, none of it would be possible.
5. Do you have any pets?
I have 2 Boxers, 1 French bulldog, 7 horses and a feisty barn cat.
6. What are some of your hobbies and interests?
Outside of work, you can usually find me either riding my horses or working in my tack or panel shop. When my dad retired from the tack business, he gave it to me and I have been the proud owner for 5 years now. Then in November 2023, we loaded up and headed to Washington to get trained on how to make portable aluminum corrals and move the business to Montana because I was now the proud new owner of JB Portable Corrals! We were dealers of these panels for the North West region for about 5 years prior to the change of ownership. We travel in the spring, summer and fall with my businesses in the cutest turquoise and cowhide colored cargo trailer to equine events, rodeos and barrel races all across the northwest. On top of running and traveling with my businesses, I rodeo, barrel race, team rope and breakaway rope 9 months out of the year. Between all this and my teaching, I stay plenty busy.
7. Are there any other interesting tidbits you want to share about yourself?
I love Coca-Cola, chocolate & Borrie's ravioli and spaghetti.
