RANGELY I Rangely School District’s 2018-19 year features some fresh faces at both Parkview Elementary School and Rangely Junion/Senior High School. Below are short bios of eight new teachers.
Heather Zadra will be taking on a full-time job teaching the fourth grade students this year at Parkview Elementary. She graduated from Rangely High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Wyoming, then earned a master’s degree at the University of Illinois while working in the academic writing program.
Zadra came home to Rangely to work as a developmental and college reading/composition instructor at Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) in 2002. In 2017, she began teaching dual-enrollment courses at Rangely High School to juniors and seniors.
She and her husband, Mike, have three active boys who will be in sixth, fifth, and second grades this fall: Colin (12), Drew (10), and Reid (7).
Megan Wick will begin her first year as a Parkview Elementary fourth grade teacher. She grew up in Delta, Colo., graduating from Cedaredge High School before earning her degree in elementary education with a concentration in earth science from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC).
Wick finished her student teaching in Delta this spring and intends to continue her learning through UNC and complete a master’s degree in either earth science or special education.
When not working in her classroom, she enjoys spending time in the outdoors hiking, fishing, jeeping and snowmobiling with her golden retriever, Aspen Rae.
Carrie Swails will become a new Parkview Elementary third grade teacher this fall. She is a product of Colorado State University, where she gained her background in K-12 art education. With this background, she will be finding creative ways to teach and incorporate art skills into her classroom while encouraging growth in her students.
Swails enjoys photography, where she is a business owner and wedding photographer. In the summers, she spends a lot of time pursuing this passion, taking photos all over the U.S. She also works in her big vegetable garden as well as in her apiary, working the beehives with her husband.
Abigail Rump will be joining the Parkview Elementary School as a second grade teacher this year. She graduated from high school in Medina, Ohio, before receiving her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Akron. After taking even more online classes from several different schools, she received her licenses to teach all the way through grade five.
Rump has worked as a substitute teacher for three years and taken on two long-term teaching positions but will be taking on her first full time teaching position here.
She enjoys living an active lifestyle with swimming, participating in 5K’s and spending time with her dog and niece.
Samantha Slosser will be joining the ranks of Parkview Elementary as she takes a third grade teaching role. She is a Colorado native, earning her bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in elementary education from Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Slosser did her student teaching for grades 3-5 in Denver, and since graduation, has been a substitute teacher in Denver and Aurora, Colo. She is ready and excited to jump in as a full time teacher, helping students to reach their full potential.
She grew up in a musical family, going to shows and having spent some time as a professional stage dancer, band manager and working at her university’s radio station. She is very involved in community activism, being heavily involved in Feeding Denver’s Hungry, a non-profit that distributes food, clothing, and hygiene items to those in need.
Michelle Wilkie will be spending her first year in Rangely as the junior high math teacher and a high school drama teacher. She graduated from Steamboat Springs High School, then earned a degree from the University of Wyoming, and then went through graduate school at Grand Canyon University.
Wilkie has spent the last several years teaching at the Hayden School District before moving to Rangely with her husband and daughter. She loves spending time with her family in the outdoors, camping, fishing, and canoeing and is a huge sports fan.
Elizabeth Wiley will be taking on a part-time art teaching position at Parkview Elementary. She graduated from Annandale High School in Virginia before receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology from James Madison University. She then earned a master of fine arts from Ohio University.
Wiley has spent several years in Rangely running her own art/pottery studio. As a self-employed artist and a part-time educator, she is always busy, but she enjoys her work. She also loves gardening, spending as much time with family as possible, and being involved in all sorts of community service.
Shanelle Hillbery will begin her first year in Rangely as the High School agriculture and shop teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree in agricultural education upon graduation from Montana State University.
She spent the last three years in Vernal, teaching in the areas of science and agriculture. Hillbery is aiming to help students find their passions and become continuous learners.
By HEATHER ZADRA | Special to the Herald Times
