Hello, my name is Jill Alessio and I am Wright’s Gifted and Talented Consultant.  I have been with Des Moines Public Schools for 25 years.  I have served students and staff as a classroom teacher, Math Leader, Instructional Coach, and Dean of Students.  I am married with three children.  I enjoy family time, vacationing, and advocating for children.  I look forward to getting to know the Wright Community and learning how I can serve them.

Hi! My name is Erin Anderson. I graduate from the University of Northern Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2010 and then again in 2015 for my master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. I was fortunate to complete my student teaching at an international school in Germany. I have taught 5^th and 3^rd grade in Des Moines since 2010. I am very excited to teach 2^nd grade at Wright!

In my free time I enjoy reading, baking and spending time with friends, family and my dog Zoey.

My name is Maddy Swift, and I am so excited to be in the Instructional Coach role at Wright Elementary! I have been at Wright since 2017!  I graduated from Simpson College with endorsements in Reading, Language Arts, Special Education, and Early Childhood Education. I am originally from Aurora, Colorado, but I love living in Des Moines. In my free time I enjoy cooking, watching the Broncos, drinking coffee, wandering around Target, being outside, and spending time with my friends and family. I am looking forward to a fantastic year!

Twitter: @swiftin4th

My name is Amy Beumer and I joined the Wright team in 2013.  I am originally from Dubuque, Iowa but have lived in Des Moines since 2008. While living in Des Moines I have found that I love walking at Gray’s Lake, attending the farmers market and riding on the bike trails. In addition I enjoy reading and making art. I am looking forward to a productive, art-filled year with the student artists at Wright!

Twitter:  @WrightArtists

My name is Natalie Bradley. I have been at Wright Elementary since 2015. Before I came to Wright, I taught preschool, kindergarten and fifth grade. I have a degree in Elementary Education from Iowa State with endorsements in reading and language arts. (GO CYCLONES!) I love working with children and helping them learn and grow. My favorite part of teaching is watching a child gain confidence when they complete a difficult task. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family camping, hiking, watching movies, and playing board games.

Twitter: @MrsBsABCs
Blog: MrsBsABCs.edublogs.org

Welcome to Room 115! My name is Wendy Call. I have been teaching in the Des Moines Public Schools for over 20 years, with most of those years being here at Wright. I received my Bachelors in Education at Grand View University and my Masters in Education from Viterbo University. My past time is spent walking, reading, shopping and spending time with my family. I am looking forward to a great year at Wright!

Twitter:  @wendycall4

Hi, my name is Courtney Christenson.  I graduated from Iowa State in 2004 and I am a big Cyclone fan!!  I was new to Wright in 2012 and absolutely love teaching 2nd Grade and being part of the Wright family.  In my free time my husband and I enjoy traveling, camping and riding bikes together. I am an avid collector of moose items and a cat lover!

 Twitter:  @christensongrade2

Hi!  My name is Melissa Dohlman, and I support literacy at Wright through Reading Recovery and Academic Intervention.  I have been teaching at Wright since 2016.  I graduated from the University of Iowa in December of 2004 and have been teaching since August of 2005. I have spent my years teaching Reading Recovery, 1st and 2nd grade.  I have a passion for literacy and hope that it shows in my teaching, and encourages my students to have a passion for literacy as well.  I am married to a middle school teacher, and we have four children.  I don’t seem to have a lot of spare time on my hands, but I love watching the Hawkeyes, reading, and being a “dance mom”.

Iowa State University;  BA K-12 Music Education

I have been teaching elementary music for Des Moines Public Schools since 2003 and I joined the Wright team in the fall of 2013.

I love music and enjoy playing the piano and singing.  I also like to run, do aerobics, ride my bike, run and play with my two sons and pretty much anything else I can do to stay fit.

Hello, my name is Jacob Gebelein and this is my first year at Wright! This is my third year of teaching, as last year I was at East High School. I went to Upper Iowa University and Ellsworth Community College where I played football at both schools. I have spent most of my life in Des Moines as I grew up in West Des Moines and attended Valley High School. In my spare time I like to workout and spend time with friends and family. I am very excited to teach your child the importance Physical Education and the benefits it can have in his or her life!

I started my teaching career with Des Moines in 2008. I have taught 2^nd grade at Findley Elementary and will now be an Instructional Coach at Wright. I am married to my husband Ryan and have two daughters, Addyson and Lilyan. We have a mini zoo at our house with our dog, cat, fish, and two hamsters. We like to travel, spend time with family and friends and hang out at home. I also love to run and bake in my free time. Teaching children has always been a passion of mine. Knowing that I can make a difference in a child’s life is a very rewarding feeling.

Hello! My name is Jillian Hansen. I have taught at Wright Elementary since 2018. I taught first grade for two years and now teach 3rd grade. I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Elementary Education and Minor in Technology. . When I am not at school, my hobbies consist of reading, exercising, and enjoying the outdoors with my family and friends.

My name is Mrs. Rachel Harmon.  I figured out I wanted to be a teacher when I was a first grader, and I love helping shape the lives and minds of our young learners!  I graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana with Bachelor’s degrees in both Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education.  I started my teaching career in Delaware in 2011 and moved to Iowa and Wright Elementary in 2016.  I am married to my high school sweetheart, Matthew, and we have three fantastic children: Marcus, William, and Theresa.  Outside of school, I love to read, sing, visit new places, and be creative.

Twitter: @KinderHarmon

Hello! I’m Jamie Hart. I’ve been with DMPS since 2004, and this is my first year at Wright as an Instructional Strategist. Before coming to Wright, I was an Instructional Strategist Coach for 8 years, as well as worked at Capitol View and Moulton. I’m looking forward to working more closely with students again! When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family, working on our farm, and reading.

I grew up in Des Moines Public Schools and graduated from Roosevelt High School. I attended the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!) where I received a Bachelor’s in Social Work, followed by a Master’s in Counseling from Drake University. I have been with DMPS since 2012, and this is my seventh year in the role of school counselor. I love the students and staff at Wright Elementary and am always excited for a new school year!

In my free time I enjoy spending time with my husband and three children, as well as our two dogs. I also enjoy spending time outdoors, music, and traveling.

My name is Zen, and I love being the therapy dog at Wright! I am a five year old Labradoodle and hanging out with kids is my favorite thing to do! I completed 18 weeks of obedience training, including advanced and specialized obedience. With the support of my family and lots of practice at home, I became a certified therapy dog. When I am not at school helping students feel calm and happy, I enjoy hanging out with my family, going for walks, and eating Milk Bones.

Instagram: @zenthetherapydog

Hello! My name is Holly James (formerly Albers). I am the ELL teacher and an interventionist at Wright. I started teaching in 2018, and I have spent all those years at Wright! I also taught at King Elementary my first year. I went to school at Drake University and loved it. My favorite thing is being at school teaching, but when not at school I love spending time with my husband Denis and our two cats, Giana and Lucy.

Hi!  My name is Erin Jennings, and I teach Kindergarten!  I started teaching at Wright in 2007.  Before teaching Kindergarten, I taught Special Education Behavior Disorders for ten years at Wright, Smouse, Orchard Place, and Muscatine.  I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa.  My husband Ed works for Street Smarts Driver’s Education. We live in Ankeny with our two boys.  Our oldest is Evan, and he will be in 6th grade. Our youngest guy is Elliott, and he will be in 2^nd grade this year.  I also have a big dog named Henry, a Hermit Crab named Big Mac, and a bunch of fish!  I love to travel, camp in our camper, hike, garden, ride my bike, read,  play and be silly with my guys.

 Twitter:  @JenningsKinders

Hi! My name is Caitlin Johnson, and I have been teaching at Wright Elementary since 2020. I graduated from Grand View University in 2020 with a degree in Elementary Education and endorsements in reading, language arts, and mathematics. I grew up in Altoona, Iowa and currently live in Ankeny. I enjoy reading, playing with my dogs, and spending time with my family in my free time.

Hi! My name is Grace Nelson, and I am Wright’s Speech-Language Pathologist. I started with DMPS in 2020 when I moved to Des Moines from the suburbs of Minneapolis, where I was born and raised. I received my Bachelor’s in Linguistics from Iowa State University in 2017 and my Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from St. Ambrose University in 2019. I am very excited to be part of the Wright team! In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, reading, exercising, traveling, and cheering on the Vikings and Cyclones!

My name is Bobbi O’Brien.  I have been teaching Kindergarten and 5^th grade since 2005, with 13 of those years spent teaching in Houston, TX.  I am originally from Iowa and moved back to be closer to family in 2018.  I have a daughter and a rescue dog, named Harlow.  In my free time, I enjoy cooking, baking, reading, traveling and spending time with my family.  I am truly fortunate to be able to learn with and share knowledge with students, hopefully inspiring them along the way as well.

My name is Jessica Ramirez, and I have been teaching at Wright Elementary since 2014. I graduated from Drake in 2014 with a degree in Elementary Education with specializations in reading and mathematics and received my masters in administration from Viterbo University in 2018. I have lived in Iowa my whole life and currently reside in West Des Moines. Some of my interests include reading, exploring the outdoors, baking and spending time with my family.

Hi, my name is Lindsey Redlinger.  I have worked for DMPS since 2006.  I graduated from Iowa State University with my degree in Elementary Education in 2006 and from Viterbo University with my Master’s degree in Education in 2011.  GO CYCLONES!  I have a passion for teaching reading and math.  In my free time I enjoy kayaking and spending time with my husband Ryan, son Myles and dogs Sophy and Memphis!

 Twitter:  @MrsRedlinger

Blog: http://redlingersreaders.edublogs.org/

Hello! My name is Abby Rose and I am so excited to be joining the Wright team this year. I recently graduated from Simpson College with my endorsements in Reading, Language Arts, and English. I am originally from Longmont, Colorado, but am excited to be living in West Des Moines and exploring all around. I love being outside, playing with my dog, playing volleyball, and hanging out with my friends and family. I am very excited for this school year!

Hello!  My name is Erica Rugama, and I have been teaching at Wright Elementary since 2009. I graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College in 2002 with my degree in Elementary Education and have attended Upper Iowa University and Grandview University to obtain my special education endorsements.   When I started teaching I never would have thought that my journey would take me to Wright and the world of special education.  My passion is helping students learn to be productive and safe.  Every day is new and full of possibilities; my goal is to help my students understand that.  In my free time you can find me at home with my husband and four girls.  I love to be outside, enjoy traveling, and I try to do as much reading as I can.

Twitter:  @ericarugama

Hi students and families! Welcome to Wright Elementary. I am the Success Case Manager here. This will be my first year at Wright Elementary and second year with DMPS. As the Success Case Manager, I get the opportunity to meet and work closely with families in and outside of the school to ensure each child’s needs are being met. I am excited for the new school year and look forward to meeting and working with new and returning students.

Facts About Me:

• Went to middle school and high school in DMPS (May Goodrell Middle School, East High)
• Iowa State Alumni (Go Cyclones!!)
• Oldest of 7 siblings (all boys)
• Enjoy working out and hanging out with my family and friends
• Love learning and reading about new things.

My name is Kirsten Steimle, and I teach Special Education. I have been teaching since 2019. I went to college at St. Ambrose University where I was a competitive cheerleader (Go Bees!). In my free time, I enjoy reading, doing puzzles, traveling, and drawing! I am very excited for the school year!

Mr. David Steinke is in his 9th year as a music educator in the Des Moines Public Schools and his 7th year as Assistant Director of Bands at Roosevelt High School. Duties include co-director of the Rough Rider Marching Band as well as Director of the Symphonic Band and Director of Percussion Activities on Des Moines West Side Feeder Pattern System.

Mr. Steinke also serves as Band Director for the Jackson, Jefferson, Howe, Park Avenue and Wright 5th Grade Band Programs.

Originally from Bettendorf, Iowa, Mr. Steinke owns two undergraduate degrees from Iowa State University in Visual Arts and in Instrumental Music Education as well as a Master’s in Media Design and Educational Technology from Full Sail University. Mr. Steinke is a member of the Iowa Bandmasters Association, South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association and the Percussive Arts Society.

Hi, my name is Penny Waddingham.  I have been teaching at Wright since 2015.  I earned my Elementary Education degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a reading endorsement from Morningside.  Teaching is my passion, and I’m so excited to be teaching in first grade.  In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband Scott and our two daughters Katie and Maddie.
Twitter:  @mrswaddingham

My name is Elizabeth Williams and I am the Library Associate at Wright Elementary. I was born in Des Moines but spent my early years in Springfield, Missouri. I graduated from Evangel University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education before making my way back to Iowa. I started working at Wright in November of 2020. I love to read and find connections in what I’m reading and how it relates to everyday life. I want to inspire young readers to stretch their imaginations and explore both new and familiar subjects in greater depth. I’m glad to be part of the Wright family and am looking forward to growing and learning alongside the students!