LivingFamily: Goodbye Old Wildwood!

I am on my 11th year of teaching at Wildwood Elementary School in Mahtomedi. It is a bittersweet year in that we are moving on to a brand new state-of-the-art school that is amazing in so many ways! But I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we are leaving behind. The good news is that what I love most about the place that I work is not the building. In fact when I first went to interview for my job in the coveted district of Mahtomedi, (all my friends said that I was lucky to even get an interview)--I was quite frankly underwhelmed by the building. This is where everyone wants to teach? But I obviously was offered a position and I soon fell in love with the place they call Wildwood. It truly isn't the building--it is the staff, the families, the events, the traditions and all the mishaps and laughter (and sometimes tears) that happens on a daily basis. My first group of students that I worked with are graduating from high school this year!!! I had a good time going through my photos this evening to see if any of them capture the essence of Wildwood--I think I have a good mix.

Our art teacher, Kristi Ekert, is amazing! She has the 2nd graders do chalk art as their last project in the likeness of Georgia O'Keefe--it is SO fun to walk around the school grounds and look at the pictures.

The teachers, of course, are amazing! Above is Zoey's 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Fesser. And below are some awesome friends (Maddie and Ana) that she has made at school. It is doubly fun to have your kid(s) go to the school that you teach at.