Special Education

Welcome back, all! I am so excited to continue supporting the social and emotional needs of our wonderful students as Kohl’s school psychologist. This will be my second year at Kohl and third year in BVSD. I’m originally from Fort Carson/Colorado Springs, and enjoyed the military-child life of moving frequently. Most recently (2019), my family moved from the Charlotte, NC where I worked in the Cabarrus County school system for five years. My husband and I are excited to be back in Colorado. We have 2 beautiful boys, ages 3 and 6, who keep us busy. We love to explore the outdoors, try out the local kid-friendly hikes, and ride our bikes. This summer, we were excited to venture out and had the opportunity to explore Santa Barbara and Yosemite with family.

I completed my undergraduate psychology degree at Eastern Kentucky University and continued on to the University of Kentucky (go CATS!) for my doctorate in educational, school, and counseling psychology. I hold an additional graduate certificate in developmental disabilities. I love working with our exceptional student population and look forward to another great year at Kohl.

Welcome and welcome back Colt Family! I am so excited to continue as Kohl’s SLP (speech language pathologist) for my fourth year here in BVSD.

I grew up in south Florida, and made my way out to Colorado for college and subsequently graduate school (Go Buffs and Go Bears!). I have a bachelor degree’s in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and Music Vocal Performance, and a minor in linguistics from CU Boulder, and a master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from UNC Greeley.

This summer was a busy one filled with new house projects, gardening, a little bit of work, and some fun travel with my fiancé Ryan and our dog Lula. Ryan and I took a week-long climbing trip to a cool spot in Utah called Maple Canyon, I visited family in Florida, and took a 2 week road trip through France.

My passion for working with children has existed for as long as I can remember. Making kiddos smile and laugh, while simultaneously supporting their abilities to confidently use their voices to communicate, is why I love my job so much. That, and getting to collaborate with an incredibly talented team of special educators, specialists, teachers, and administrators.

Hey Colts!!! I’m eager to get the 2022-2023 school year started and see all of you again! This will be my 7th year teaching special education at Kohl and I’ve been teaching special education for 12 years. After getting my BA in Special Education with an added endorsement in general elementary education, I attended grad school to earn a Masters of Education in reading and have an added endorsement as a reading specialist.

One of my passions is teaching students to read and seeing their confidence grow. I enjoy teaching my students the skills and strategies they need to become succesful learners. I absolutely love supporting my students and their families in every way!

This summer has been filled with so many wonderful things. My husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. We took a trip to Cancun and relaxed on the beach. We frequently babysat our 5 year old niece, Evelyne, who is the most adorable and funny little girl ever! She is going to start kindergarten this year. Our daughter, Lindsey, is finishing her Masters in microbiology and working as an MLS at the UCHealth Anshutz microbiology lab. Our son, Logan, graduated from Colorado School of Mines as a Chemical and Biological Engineer, took a position at Carestream Health, AND ... he got engaged to his amazing girlfriend, Lauren!

A little more about me; I love to travel with my husband, go skiing, biking, and drink coffee outside in the morning. We have 3 cute cats who rule the house, Emmett, Martin, and Benny.

Greetings Colts! I am over-the-moon about being back at Kohl as a part time speech language pathologist. In 2004, I began my career in BVSD at Kohl. Then, moved to Aspen Creek Pk-8th for ten years. Finally, working at Lafayette Elementary for the past two years and will be continuing one day there this year. Along with Kohl and Lafayette, I will also share my time with Broomfield High School. It should be an exciting year!

Before BVSD, I graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder with my Masters Degree in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in 2004. I obtained my undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, as well as minors in Education and Psychology at Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO), where I also played NCAA Division 1 Women's Soccer. I grew up in the same house that my parents still live in, in Leawood, Kansas.

I love being a speech language pathologist, where I can facilitate and share strategies to help students communicate, as well as create and foster ongoing relationships with my students, families and fellow teachers. Communication is such an imperative part of life- sharing our thoughts, expressing our opinions, socially engaging with others, following directions, collaborating in groups, engaging in discussion, voicing our ideas, disagreeing, negotiating, affirming, complementing, protesting, greeting, conversing… oh, the list goes on!

I look forward to meeting you, getting to know your child and working together to progress on his/her communication skills. As you know, caregivers play an important role in speech/language therapy. I value your input and welcome your questions. Collaborating with your child’s teacher and the rest of the educational team throughout the year is equally essential.

Personally, my husband and I live in Superior. We have two young boys (Cormac, 7 and Brennan, 4) here in our BVSD schools. As a family, we enjoy biking, swimming, skiing, soccer, legos, watching movies, reading, tennis, cooking and anything Potter. These hooligans keep us on our toes! I look forward to meeting and working with you all :)

I grew up in Minnesota and come from a family of educators, including a grandmother who was a kindergarten teacher and a mother who is a speech-language pathologist. I hold a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy and an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership. Ski trips to Colorado as a child gave me an appetite for adventure. After working in both California and Wyoming as a school-based occupational therapist, I landed in BVSD and at Kohl Elementary in 2013. I love working with other educators and parents to help students become strong learners and believe that all students can participate productively in the regular education experience. I spend free time with my two young boys and husband. We love being outside in the mountains, especially running, skiing, hiking, camping, paddle boarding, rafting, climbing or just discovering nature. Mountain sunsets while roasting marshmallows are our special treat! I’d love to hear about the adventures you are having with your kids, inside or outside, in the Broomfield/Denver/Boulder area or further away!

Hello Kohl Colts! I’m excited to get the 2021-2022 school year started and see all of you again! I have 28 service years with BVSD and this is my 18th year at Kohl. I have my BA in Behavioral Science and Special Education, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction, National Board Certified in Special Education, Endorsement in Elementary Education K-6th, and I am a Certified Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner.

Over the course of my career I have been honored with two teacher of the year awards; one in 2015 and most recently from the Colorado PTA. I am blessed to have the best job with wonderful students and families! I truly love the students I work with. They always inspire me and bring me joy.

I have two grown children whom I love with all my heart and five fur grandbabies who make me smile. I also have my own furbabies, both rescues. DaisyMae is my 10 month old kitty who is always getting into something. This summer she had to have emergency surgery to remove hair bands that she ate! I also have a 13 year old dog named Milly who takes her job guarding the house very seriously.

Some things I like to do are read, swim, walk (when my knees let me), knit, craft, gardening and spend time with family and friends.

My name is Jessa Vanderpol and this will be my third year teaching as the Multi-ILC teacher at Kohl. I grew up in Washington and come from a large and diverse family background. I graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education with a dual endorsement in Elementary Education. This year, I am starting my Masters in Educational Leadership and Special Education Administration.

This summer, I went back home and celebrated my grandparents' 90th birthday and 70th wedding anniversary, ran a half marathon, and got my wisdom teeth out. When I am not teaching, I enjoy playing board games, recreational sports, and reading. In addition, I love to volunteer for a non-profit organization called All Stars. This organization serves kids and adults with special needs while offering respite and support to their families.

I have chosen education as my platform because I am passionate about inspiring children and adults to grow and learn more about the world around them and who they are becoming. I have the opportunity and responsibility to make a difference in their lives. I have learned how to be an educator and how so much of how we work with others comes from attaching our passion and working to help them reach their potential. I am very excited to be back working with students, staff, and families at Kohl!