CATALINA FOOTHILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT

Our Staff

	Name		Position	Education

	Amy Acuña		Teacher	Amy returned to CFSD in 2021. Fluent in Spanish, she taught Spanish Immersion at the elementary level prior to joining VVELC. She has a BA in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood Endorsement from the University of Arizona and a MS in Education Methods from the State University of New York.
	Jodi Boone- Sampsel		Inclusion/Special Education Teacher	Jodi joined VVELC in 2021. She has a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona. She is certified in Elementary and Early Childhood Special Education and has an endorsement in Early Childhood Education.
	Kami Carr		Educational Assistant	Kami joined VVELC in 2016. She has an AA in Business from the University of Phoenix.
	Adilia Dauria		Spanish Immersion Educational Assistant	Adilia started working for CFSD at the elementary level in 2017. She joined VVELC in 2020. She has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the National Engineering University of Nicaragua and a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology from the University Centroamericana of Nicaragua.
	Mckenzie DeCoite		Teacher	McKenzie has been with VVELC since 2014. She has a BA in Early Childhood Education from Western Washington University.
	Laura De Luca		Inclusion/Special Education Teacher	Laura joined VVELC in 2018. She has a Masters in Early Childhood Education from St. Ambrose University, Davenport, IA and is certified in Early Childhood Special Education. She brings 20 years of experience in Early Childhood programs and has a passion for Project Work with young children.
	Jennifer Dooley		Principal	Jen started her CFSD career in 2005 as a teacher at Valley View. She has a Masters in Early Childhood Education as well as a Masters in Educational Leadership with a principal certification.
	Emma Evers		Educational Assistant	Emma started at VVELC in 2022. She is currently working on earning her Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education through Grand Canyon University.
	Clara Felix		Spanish Immersion Teacher	Clara joined VVELC in 2017. She has a BA in Early Childhood Education from the University of Arizona.

	Vanessa Herrera		Spanish Immersion Teacher	Vanessa has been with VVELC since 2015. She has a BA in Early Childhood Education from the University of Arizona. She recently completed her Masters in Language Reading and Culture with an ECE emphasis also from the University of Arizona.
	Karynina Johnson		Educational Assistant	Karynina joined VVELC in 2019. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Arizona State University. She has worked with children and families in the educational setting for over twelve years.
	Dana Lee		Teacher	Dana returned to VVELC in 2018 upon completing her BA in Early Childhood Education. She taught several years at VVELC as an Inclusion Educational Assistant. She is working on a Masters in Early Childhood Special Education.

	Maricarmen Leon		Educational Assistant	Maricarmen joined VVELC in 2022. She is new to Tucson, and is currently taking classes at Pima Community College to further her professional and personal life.
	Samantha Mainman		Teacher	Sam has been the Lead Teacher in an inclusion classroom at VVELC since 2019. She has a BS in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona as well as a Masters in Early Childhood Education from the College of Charleston.
	Lu Marx		Educational Assistant	Lu joined VVELC in 2016. She has a BS in Physical Education and Health Education from the University of Wisconsin at La Cross.
	Gina Meislin		Teacher	Gina joined VVELC in 2022. She has a Bachelor's in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona. She is certified in Elementary Education and has an endorsement in Early Childhood Education.
	Anna Orphan		Educational Assistant	Anna joined VVELC in 2021. For over 10 years, she has worked in Early Childhood Education in a private setting as a lead teacher, educational assistant and trainer. She has a BA in English from Kent State University in Ohio. She has volunteered as a reading coach with Literacy Connects and as an ESL coach with Literacy Volunteers of America.

	Leah Rosthenhausler		Teacher	Leah has been with VVELC since 2015. She has a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Arizona. She holds an Elementary Education certification with an Early Childhood Endorsement.
	Daniela Salazar		Teacher	Daniela joined VVELC in 2022. She has more than 14 years experience in early childhood education, and has a BA in Education from La Salle University in Monterrey, Mexico.
	Lizette Sanchez		Spanish Immersion Teacher	Lizette has been with VVELC since 2016. She has a BA in Early Childhood Education from the University of Arizona & MA in Bilingual and Multicultural Education from the Universidad de Alcalá in Spain.
	Beth Semonsky		Speech and Language Pathologist	Beth has been with VVELC since 1999. She has a BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Marywood University in Scranton, PA and a MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from American Speech Language Hearing Association.
	Zhiwei Shepard		Chinese Immersion Teacher	Zhiwei has been with CFSD since 2015 and joined VVELC in 2018. She has BA in English Education from Qufu Normal University, China. She has an Arizona Standard Professional Elementary, K-8 teaching certificate and an Early Childhood Endorsement. She has been teaching Chinese Immersion classes since 2011.
	Anna Simon		Inclusion Educational Assistant	Anna has been with VVELC since 2015. She has a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies-Speech Language Sciences and Technology from Northern Arizona University.

	Aiko Stevenson		Teacher	Aiko has been with VVELC since 2017. She has a BS in Early Childhood Education from Grand Canyon University and is excited to teach in one of the Young 3’s classrooms.
	Ming-Hui Tseng		Chinese Immersion Educational Assistant	Ming-Hui has been with VVELC since 2019, initially working as a substitute teacher for CFSD. She has a BA in Fashion Management from University of Art London, U.K. and a BA in Fashion Design from Shin Chien University, Taiwan.
	Sasha Tucker		Educational Assistant	Sasha joined VVELC in 2022. After graduating from medical assistant school, she realized her passion for working with children. She has over ten years experience working with children from birth - age 12.
	Elva Vasquez		Spanish Immersion Educational Assistant	Elva joined VVELC in 2007. She has an AA in Social Studies from Cochise Community College.
	Beatriz Villaba		Educational Assistant	Beatriz joined VVELC in 2016. She has a BS from Midwestern State University.
	Camille Warner		Inclusion Educational Assistant	Camille started in CFSD in 2004, and joined VVELC in 2005. She looks forward to completing her BA in Early Childhood Education once her children are a little older.
	Cara Williamson		Educational Assistant	Cara joined VVELC in 2022. She holds a certification in Mental Health. For over 10 years, she has worked with children of various ages through being a summer camp counselor, teacher assistant and nanny.