Greetings Aspire Family,

It is with great excitement that I write this letter of introduction to you as the new Director for Online and Virtual Learning.  I am honored to have the opportunity to lead such an innovative online school with such persevering students, an extremely dedicated staff, and a supportive school community. 

I am excited to embark on my 18^th year in education and begin my new journey as part of the Deer Valley Unified School District family.  I am originally from Houston, Texas where I  was a dedicated English Language Arts teacher for the Houston Independent School District for over a decade, transitioning into my second passion as a counselor, and then into district administration with the Career and Technical Education division. In this capacity, I served as director for CTE helping students to learn and obtain skills needed not only to be successful in a post-secondary option but for life outside of school. I am thrilled to bring my skills as an educational leader to DVUSD and to work with you as a partner in education to ensure your child's success.

On a personal note, my husband and I are excited to have our two daughters begin their new educational experiences here at DVUSD. We love the outdoors and traveling when we can. We also have two amazing fur babies, Marley and Mango, which we take with us when and where ever we can.

Education, in my personal view, is a life-long process and I expect that I will continue to learn much about the exceptionality of the DVUSD this year and in the years to come.   Most importantly, I bring a belief that students are at the center of all school-related decisions.  I am excited to unite my experience, my willingness to learn, and my child-centered approach to support our students.  Because the relationships between families and the school are vital to the success of our students, I encourage you to become involved in every way possible.  I look forward to meeting you soon!

Hello Aspire Community, 

I am the very proud Aspire K-6 Principal! Aspire is a unique school of choice. Our students enroll at Aspire for many reasons. We use the same curriculum as all schools within the Deer Valley Unified School District and hold our students to the same high standards. Our students in grades K-8 learn online in live (synchronous) instruction and have time to work independently (asynchronously) on their assignments. This provides our scholars with the opportunity to be part of an online community. It also allows our teachers to help ensure that our students understand and master the state standards. In addition, we offer a hybrid model. Three days a week, students are able to come to our in-person site at the Innovation Center. Teachers work with students to provide remediation as well as enrichment. Our students can work with their general education teachers as well as spend time in person with music, PE, and art. We offer clubs for our students such as: Student Council, Announcements Club, Jump rope Club, Choir, Spanish Club, and many more! Our PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) also provides opportunities for our students to build relationships with each other and supports the school in many ways.

I have been in education as a teacher and administrator for over 25 years. I earned my Doctorate in Education from Arizona State University in Leadership and Innovation.  I am as passionate about what I do now as my first year in the classroom!  On a personal note, I was born and raised in Michigan and have split loyalties to all sports teams from Michigan and Arizona. On many Saturdays, you will find me with my family cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.  

As a staff, we work to ensure that your child is able to achieve at the highest levels.  We create caring communities in our classrooms and value each scholar in their journey to excel and feel valued.

At Aspire, our students are # Online But Not Alone!