Ellsworth Community School District

🧮 Welcome, Michelle Jansen! 🧮 We’re thrilled to have Michelle Jansen join us as our new Math Instructional Coach at ECSD! 🎉 Position: Math Instructional Coach Hometown: Richfield, Minn./Prescott 🏞️ Education: University of Minnesota, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout 🎓 Hobbies/Interests: Walking my dogs, hiking, being on the river, reading, and puzzles 🐕🌲📚🧩 Family: My husband Chris, and our two grown children, Carter and Marissa ❤️ What are you most looking forward to this year? Sharing my love of learning and making math fun and engaging for all students. Can’t wait to get started! ✨📐 Math Joke of the Day: Why was the equal sign so humble? Because it knew it wasn’t less than or greater than anyone else! 😄

🌟 Welcome, Marisa McDaniel! 🌟 We’re excited to have Marisa McDaniel join our EES team as our new Math/Reading Teacher Assistant! 📚 Position: Math/Reading Teacher Assistant Hometown: Tomah 🌳 Hobbies/Interests: Outdoors, gardening, exploring new places, family, and friends 🌿🌻🌍👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are you most looking forward to this year? Sharing the joy and satisfaction of accomplishments with students and staff. 🌟📚

🌟 Welcome to ECSD, Elijah “EJ” Dorsey! 🌟 Position: High School Science Teacher 🔬 Hometown: Redmond, Wash. 🌲 Education: University of Washington (BS Chemistry) 🧪, Pacific Lutheran University (MA Education) 🎓 Hobbies/Interests: Writing ✍️, crochet 🧶, learning to code 💻, and video gaming 🎮 What are you most looking forward to this year? I can’t wait for hands-on labs and real-world applications of science concepts! It’s fun to view the world through a scientist’s eyes and mind. 🔬🌍

🎉 Welcome, Becky Hicks! 🎉 We’re thrilled to have Becky Hicks join our ECSD team as Support Staff! 🌟💼 Position: Support Staff Hometown: Menomonie 🌳 Education: UW-Stout, UW-Madison, UW-River Falls 🎓 Hobbies/Interests: Reading, hiking, and travel 📚🚶‍♀️✈️ Family: I have four grown children and 12 wonderful grandchildren 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👶 What are you most looking forward to this year? Excited to be back in Wisconsin and meet new people. Can’t wait to get started! 🌟🌲 Panther Pride

🎉 Welcome Back, Taryl Graetz! 🎉 We are thrilled to welcome Taryl Graetz, an EHS graduate, as our new Sixth Grade Social Studies Teacher! 📚🌟 Position: Sixth Grade Social Studies Teacher Hometown: Ellsworth/River Falls 🌟 Education: UW-River Falls/UW-Eau Claire 🎓 Hobbies/Interests: Exploring the Great Lakes and national parks 🌲🏞️ Family: Blessed with a loving family including my husband Trevor and our two kids 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m excited to work with sixth graders, who will be silly and curious. Looking forward to fostering a love of learning in my classroom! 📖✨ Panther Pride

🎉 Welcome Back, Grace Groh! 🎉 We are excited to welcome back EHS alumni Grace Groh as our new Special Education Case Manager at EES! 🏫💙 Position: Special Education Case Manager (EES) Hometown: Ellsworth 🌟 Education: UW-Eau Claire 🎓 Hobbies/Interests: Reading, running, and podcasts 📚🏃‍♀️🎧 Family: Just moved back to Ellsworth with my fiancé and our cat 🐱 What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m excited to meet my students, their families, and reimmerse myself in the community. 🏡📚 Panther Pride

🎉 Welcome to ECSD, Megan Feist! 🎉 Position: School Psychologist (Middle and High Schools) 🧠 Hometown: Elk River, Minn. 🌲 Education: Bachelor’s from Minnesota State University Moorhead; Master’s from UW-La Crosse 🎓 Hobbies/Interests: Hiking 🚶‍♀️, fishing 🎣, cooking 🍳, baking 🍰, gardening 🌻, and completing puzzles 🧩 Family: Living with my boyfriend of eight years and our two cats, Waylon and Dino 🐱🐱 What are you most looking forward to this year? Building relationships with students, staff, and families, and fostering a supportive environment. Go Panthers!

🌟 Welcome to ECSD, Shelly Larson! 🌟 Position: Special Education Teaching Assistant/PKC Hometown: Bay City/Hager City Education: Hastings Beauty School Hobbies/Interests: Traveling to Jamaica 🌴, spending time with friends on the river 🛶 Family: Married for 19 years 💍, with a stepdaughter, stepson, and two grandchildren 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are you most looking forward to this year? Learning my new role as a teacher’s assistant and meeting all the kids! 🎓😊

📣 Meet Samantha Hunter 👋 Position: Teaching Assistant/PKC Staff Hometown: Red Wing, Minn. Education: CVTC-Eau Claire 🎓 Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with family and friends, traveling ✈️, reading 📚, and learning 🧠. What are you most looking forward to this year? Getting to know the staff and students and watching the students grow and learn throughout the year. 🌟

💜 Panther Pride! 💜 📣 Introducing Myah Olson Position: Fourth Grade Teacher Hometown: Hammond Education: UW-Eau Claire Hobbies/Interests: Being outdoors, spending time with family and friends, reading. Family: Living in Hammond with my fiancé Alex and our Golden Retriever, Rubee. Expecting a little girl in January! What are you most looking forward to this year? Getting to know my students and their families, and building relationships with my coworkers. 🎉📚

What an exciting time of year! The anticipation of a new school year, new learning opportunities, new friendships, and more provide the positive energy as we return to learn. Thanks to the Chamber of Commerce, we were able to honor the ECSD staff at the Salute to Educators celebration. This is a wonderful way to show gratitude and appreciation for our staff! The focus on students returning to school begins the last week of August with three interim days. The focus of these days is to establish and cultivate positive relationships between students and staff, conduct team building activities, provide time for students to reacclimate to the school environment, and provide a runway to excellent learning opportunities throughout the year. There is much to be thankful for as we prepare for students to return. I am grateful for all the work that was completed over the summer in preparation for the 24-25 school year. Our buildings look fresh and clean thanks to our custodial crew. Our transportation fleet is ready to go and has been getting students to and from summer school. The office staff in each building have been working to ensure supplies, materials, schedules, and so much more are in place for enrolled students as well as for students and families new to the district. Many teachers have worked on curriculum improvements and professional learning community practices. Our PKC staff worked tirelessly all summer to provide a positive and caring environment for kids. The IT Crew worked to ensure up-to-date technology tools were in place for all staff and students that needed it. The Food Service crew provided a fantastic lunch for all staff during Inservice. The District Office staff on boarded new hires, enrolled new students, overhauled the business software, and made sure all licensing requirements were met during the summer months. There is so much more, and without missing out on anyone, I want to shout a huge “THANK YOU” to everyone who had a part in the projects that were completed and the preparation to make the ECSD a great place to learn, work, and grow. Brian Nadeau Superintendent nadeaub@ellsworth.k12.wi.us

Welcome back to Ellsworth, Olivia! We’re thrilled to have you join the team as a Kindergarten Teacher! 🎉 🌟 Meet Olivia Lynner! 🌟 Position: Kindergarten Teacher Hometown: Ellsworth Education: UW-River Falls Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy being with friends and family, playing with my dog Remi, playing and watching sports, going to concerts, and traveling. 🐶🎶⚽✈️ Family: I live with my parents, Pat and Kristin, in Hager City. I also have a younger sister, Victoria. ❤️👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m excited to get to know my students and their families. I can’t wait to work with the amazing staff and be back in this fantastic district! 🏫🌟

📚 EES Open House Reminder! 🎉 Join us for the EES Open House & Pictures 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 from 2pm-6pm! Bring your best smiles 😁 because we’ll be taking school pictures too! 📸 Let’s kick off the school year with some fun and capture those memories! We can’t wait to see you there! 🎒✨

📢 Reminder: EMS Open House is TODAY! 🏫 📅 Date: August 20th 🕓 Time: 4pm-7pm 🎒 New Student Orientation: 4:30pm in the cafeteria We can’t wait to welcome you back! Don’t miss this chance to get ready for the school year and meet your teachers. See you there! 🎉📚

📣 Introducing Ally Marson! 📣 Position: High School Math Teacher Hometown: Berlin, Wis. Education: UW-Eau Claire Hobbies/Interests: I love scrapbooking, playing cards, and practicing piano (even though I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like). 🎹🃏📚 Family: I met my husband while in college, and that’s how I ended up here in Ellsworth. We just got married in July and are excited to start our new life together and get involved in the community! 💍❤️ What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m thrilled to meet the kids and hope they see me as someone who cares about them and wants them to succeed. I’m also looking forward to their sporting events, shows, and concerts. 🎉🏅🎭 Welcome to the team, Ally! We can’t wait for you to inspire our students and be a part of our community! 🌟

📚✨ We are thrilled to welcome back around 350 amazing employees for our school in-service day today! We also welcomed a few new faces to our team, and we couldn't be more excited to kick off the 2024-2025 school year at Ellsworth Community School District! 🎉 As our new Superintendent, Mr. Nadeau, beautifully said, "My hope for you is that you have the best year yet, that you feel inspired and honored to be able to serve students, and that on the days you don’t feel inspired, you have a support network to lean on so you can lean into the work. I’m humbled and honored to be here with you, doing the work that matters so greatly to our kids and community. Let’s make it an incredible week and the best year yet! "💜🤍🚀 LET'S GO PANTHERS!!!! #ECSDPantherPride

📢 EHS Open House is TOMORROW! 🏫 📅 Date: August 20th 🕠 Time: 5:30 pm-7:30 pm 🎒 New Student & 9th Grade Orientation: 6 pm We’re excited to see you at the EHS Open House! Don’t miss out on this chance to get familiar with the school and meet your teachers. Let’s make this school year amazing! 🎉📚

🌟 Welcome Riley Jahnke! 🌟 Position: Fourth Grade Teacher Hometown: River Falls Education: UW-La Crosse Hobbies/Interests: Going to my family cabin, playing pickleball, and watching football games. 🏡🏐🏈 Family: My mom, stepdad, younger brother, and our Mini Golden Doodle, Charlie. 🐶👨‍👩‍👦 What are you most looking forward to this year? Building a class family with my first group of kiddos and meeting staff, parents, and other students throughout the year. 🎉📚 We’re thrilled to have you join our team, Riley! Welcome aboard! 🎉

Welcome to the team, Michael! We’re excited to have you with us this year! 🎉 📣 Meet Michael Rundle Position: Math and Reading Teaching Assistant Hometown: Janesville Education: UW-River Falls Hobbies/Interests: Hiking, watching anime, reading, and driving manual transmission cars. 🚗📚🌄 Family: Married for 28 years, with two sons and a daughter. ❤️👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are you most looking forward to this year? Meeting other staff members and helping students meet their goals. 🌟📚

🎉 Meet Katy Van Gorden! 🎉 Position: PKC Wrap Around Teacher Hometown: Tomah Education: UW-River Falls Hobbies/Interests: I love to bake, garden, hike, fish, camp, and spend time with my family. 🍰🌻🏕️🎣 Family: I have two girls, ages 8 and 10, and a Corgi named Ralph! 🐶👧👧 What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m excited to get to know the elementary staff and students and help the 4Kers feel confident and comfortable as they transition to full-time students! 📚🌟 Welcome to the team, Katy! We’re excited to have you with us this year! 🎉