Hello, Otters and Future Otters!

I am proud to be a member of our Columbia City Crew. I was given the honor of reopening Columbia City Elementary in 2017 as a K-6 school. In 2019, we said goodbye to our 6th-grade students who moved to the middle school, and in 2020 we welcomed our preschool, the Otter Pups. Over the six years we have been open, we have collaborated with EL Education, https://eleducation.org to provide a well-rounded education for our students. We focus on mastery of skills and knowledge, high-quality student work, and the development of character traits that allow our students to be effective learners and ethical people.

I came to St. Helens School District with a strong background in education. I began my career in 1989 as a first-grade teacher. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of teaching kindergarten through third grade and specializing in reading instruction. I honed my teaching and leadership skills as an instructional coach, working with teachers to support their professional development and serving as an assistant principal in a large K-8 school. I am thrilled to be able to bring my passion for quality education to our wonderful community in Columbia City. 

Personally, my husband and I have two grown sons--one is an electrical engineer, and the other is completing his business and Japanese degree and currently studying in Japan. Being a parent has taught me a lot about the joys and challenges of raising productive members of society. When I am not at school, my husband and our keeshond, Cassie, enjoy hiking, playing games, taking care of our hazelnut orchard, and traveling.

We are crew!

Jennifer