Our Staff
Our educators and support team are truly passionate about teaching and helping children grow and flourish. We want every child to succeed and welcome your input. Please feel free to email your child’s teacher at the address provided below, or call (623) 707-2100 and leave a message if you wish to discuss any questions or concerns. Regular hours for our teachers are from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Administration & Office
Dr. Jennifer Quirk
Principal
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Mireya Echeverria
Secretary
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Milton Montiel
Attendance Clerk
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Rosemary Reyes
TOSA
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Preschool
Mayra Negron
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Biography
About Mayra Negron
Education
CDA, 243 College Credit
Experience
Special education with behavior - New York; preschool - Arizona
Why I Teach
My mission is to encourage, motivate, educate, support, and build confidence in families, children, and coworkers through respect and love.
Kindergarten
Rosa Beruman
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Biography
About Rosa Beruman
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Kim Royer
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Biography
About Kim Royer
Education
MA Cross Categorical Special Education, BS Elementary Education
Experience
I have taught for 38 years in elementary education.
Why I Teach
I am passionate about learning and looking forward to new experiences. I enjoy learning new things and exploring our world as it continues to change. I enjoy meeting new people and planting the seed for lifelong learning in my students.
Madison Slayton
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Biography
About Madison Slayton
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
First Grade
Jennifer Bartel
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Biography
About Jennifer Bartel
Education
BA Early Childhood Education
Experience
Six years in preschool, four years in kindergarten, and five years in 1st grade
Why I Teach
I teach because I want to make a difference in the lives of others. I can make an impact in the world by providing education, consistency, and positivity for each child I am blessed to teach. I love making a personal and positive connection with the families at our school. We can work together to give them a quality education from cradle to career.
Courtney Phillips
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Biography
About Courtney Phillips
Education
Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education
Experience
15 Years
Why I Teach
I became a teacher to make a difference in the lives of young children. I love seeing the progress my students make each year. I want to help my students find their passion and love for learning.
Vilmaris Rivera
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Biography
About Vilmaris Rivera
Education
MA Curriculum and Instruction emphasis in Reading
Experience
25 years
Why I Teach
Second Grade
Kami Brannen
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Biography
About Kami Brannen
Education
Bachelors Degree
Experience
One Year
Why I Teach
I became a teacher to change the world. Seriously! I believe education is the best way to shape the leaders of tomorrow. My goal is to instill a love of reading and a desire to always continue learning that my students will maintain for a lifetime. Each child has a unique view of the world, and they teach me just as much as I teach them. Every day is a new adventure, and I enjoy every minute of it.
Jessica Reeser
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Biography
About Jessica Reeser
Education
BA Elementary Education - St. Cloud State University, MA Elementary Education emphasis in Teacher Leadership - Grand Canyon University
Experience
I have been teaching for 12 years, all at Western Valley Elementary! I taught 1st grade for three years and have been teaching 2nd grade for nine years.
Why I Teach
I have known ever since I was a little girl that I wanted to be a teacher--from a young age playing school with my stuffed animals to the teachers who inspired me to follow my dreams. I can truly say that every day is new and interesting and always keeps me on my toes! The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the transformation that each student makes each year from beginning to end, and when they continue to come back and see me to let me know how I've helped them and what they are accomplishing now!
Tori Scheibach
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Biography
About Tori Scheibach
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Third Grade
Alexis Amaro
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Biography
About Alexis Amaro
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Melissa Hankins
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Biography
About Melissa Hankins
Education
BS Elementary Education
Experience
This is my fifth year at Western Valley Elementary and my fifth year teaching.
Why I Teach
Teaching is a calling. As a lifelong learner, I love learning in general. I love sharing my love of learning with students and hope that they will love learning as well. The best moments of teaching are seeing a child understand a concept for the first time. Seeing that "light bulb" go off is incredibly rewarding.
Marlene Montiel
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Biography
About Marlene Montiel
Education
MA Early Childhood Education
Experience
Four years teaching
Why I Teach
I love to provide children the opportunity to discover the power of learning. To motivate a child to want to learn opens the world to them. I love teaching, and knowing that I can empower a future leader to be the best they can be is my daily joy. All of the children in my classroom know they are valued, respected and loved. Teaching is my passion!
Fourth Grade
Maggie Leslie
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Biography
About Maggie Leslie
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education
Experience
Since graduating in 2018, I was an instructional assistant for second and third grade students.
My first year teaching was this 2020–2021 school year.
Why I Teach
I have been committed to being a teacher since I was in elementary school myself. I love working with kids, and I want everyone to get the chance to enjoy school as much as I did when I was younger, and give students a chance to get inspired and have that teacher inspire them like I was lucky enough to experience. I believe it is my job to give students the tools that they need to succeed, and to nurture these students with much love, understanding, and patience.
Craig Mason
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Biography
About Craig Mason
Education
BA Design Technology - BSU, BA Elementary Education - MSU, MA Elementary Education - ASU
Experience
Why I Teach
Learning is a lifelong pursuit for each and every one of us, regardless of our age. Educating myself and others is a joyful and satisfying way to navigate life. I am motivated by the knowledge that those I teach today will lead tomorrow. It is my duty to help form today's students into successful community contributors of tomorrow.
Yazmin Montiel
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Biography
About Yazmin Montiel
Education
MA Elementary Education - Arizona State University
Experience
Two years
Why I Teach
I teach because today's children are tomorrow's leaders. I want every single child who steps into my classroom to feel empowered to achieve their dreams. I have high expectations for all of my students so that they know that there is at least one person who believes in them. I teach to make my students happy and successful.
Fifth Grade
Ashley Gomez
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Biography
About Ashley Gomez
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Marion Munoz
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Biography
About Marion Munoz
Education
BA Elementary Education - Arizona State University, MA Educational Leadership - Northern Arizona University
Experience
13 years
Why I Teach
Erin O'Neil
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Biography
About Erin O'Neil
Education
BA - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Experience
This is my first year as a teacher.
Why I Teach
I teach for many reasons, but mostly because I believe that every child needs a positive role model in their life. I want to advocate for every student, especially the students' voices that aren't always heard. Growing up, my mother always told me to make a difference, and I believe with teaching I am making that difference.
Special Area Teachers
Maria Farias
Technology
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Biography
About Maria Farias
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Connor Gifford
Art
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Biography
About Connor Gifford
Education
MA Education - Northern Arizona University
Experience
11 years teaching experience
Why I Teach
I am passionate about teaching visual art because I enjoy helping my students learn about and create art. I believe everyone can successfully learn art-making skills and art appreciation. My goal is to help all of my students find their creative spark while experiencing successful art making. I hope they leave my class with a lifelong interest and understanding of visual art and its place in our world.
Eloy Herrera
Music
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Biography
About Eloy Herrera
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Cliff McGonigle
Physical Education
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Biography
About Cliff McGonigle
Education
MA, BA
Experience
36 years teaching
Why I Teach
I teach because teaching keeps me physically and mentally active. It's also a great opportunity to have a positive impact on students, in the present and into the future, by organizing and creating fun educational experiences for students that keep them fit in body and mind for a lifetime.
Louis Still
Library
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Biography
About Louis Still
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Special Education
Mark Bird
Resource
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Biography
About Mark Bird
Education
MA Special Education - University of Phoenix
Experience
15 years
Why I Teach
I teach to help those students who are struggling. My own kids have had some sort of special education ranging from speech to self-contained. I enjoy seeing the look in the eyes of a student who is able to finally understand a mathematical concept or able to read more words than when they started.
Xiomara Castillo
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Biography
About Xiomara Castillo
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Veronica Garcia
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Biography
About Veronica Garcia
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Araceli Mejia
Self-Contained K–5
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Biography
About Araceli Mejia
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
I teach students with special needs because of my son who also has special needs. One of his first teachers made a comment to me that I "expected too much from my son." This negative comment became my reason for "Why I Teach." No matter the situation, a teacher should always have high expectations for her students.
Mikayela Murillo
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Biography
About Mikayela Murillo
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Elizabeth Osorio-Pedraza
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Biography
About Elizabeth Osorio-Pedraza
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Desiree Santana
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Biography
About Desiree Santana
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Maria Serrano
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Biography
About Maria Serrano
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Support Staff
Misty Draper
ELL Tester
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Biography
About Misty Draper
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Dolores Flores-Tapia
Reading Interventionist
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Biography
About Dolores Flores-Tapia
Education
MA Education Curriculum & Instruction: Reading emphasis Elementary Education
Experience
20 years
Why I Teach
Petra Gonzales
Mentor
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Biography
About Petra Gonzales
Education
BS Elementary Education, BS Special Education, MA Curriculum and Instruction, ESL Certificate, Early Childhood Certificate
Experience
I am in my 26th year in public education. I spent 12 years as a classroom teacher in preschool through first grade. I am in my 14th year as a full release mentor teacher. In this position I travel to the elementary schools in our district and work with first- and second-year teachers.
Why I Teach
I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. Some of my earliest memories are of me teaching school to my stuffed animals! I have a passion for helping children learn skills to become lifelong learners, and I know every single child has the capacity for success, given the right tools. This isn't a job for me. It is a career that I am blessed to have woven throughout all aspects of my life. My identity is being a teacher, and to watch students blossom and grow throughout each year is a wonderful gift to be a part of! In my current position, I am fortunate to collaborate with and help grow the newest members of our profession. Every child deserves a great teacher! No exceptions!
Nijaz Hamzabegovic
Lead Custodian
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Biography
About Nijaz Hamzabegovic
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Tony Hernandez
Counselor
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Biography
About Tony Hernandez
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Phoenix Pacheco
Crossing Guard and Lunch Monitor
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Biography
About Phoenix Pacheco
Education
Experience
Why I Teach
Courtney Smith
Mentor
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Biography
About Courtney Smith
Education
BA Elementary Education, BA Special Education
Experience
Two years in Montessori, five years in public education
Why I Teach
I teach because I love to watch children grow both academically and emotionally. The end of the year always feels so rewarding when I think back on all the progress my group has made because I put in the time and effort to give them the foundations they need in order to be successful. I also love how it keeps me learning; every year I find new ways to teach my unique group of students.