New Faces @ LGSD
Valerie Colwell
1st Grade Teacher, Greenwood Elementary
Valerie and her family have lived in Imbler since 2011, and she enjoys her daily commute to La Grande to decompress and enjoy the beauty of the Grande Ronde Valley.
With the exception of last year, Valerie has worked for La Grande School District as a paraeducator since 2012 at Willow and Greenwood, assisting in classrooms and teaching small math and reading groups. “I truly love kids and have always loved learning, so it was a natural progression that I came to work in education.” She earned her bachelor’s degree at EOU and will begin her master’s program there next summer.
Valerie says her daily goal is to uplift others in some way, big or small, and working in an elementary school gives her the chance to practice that. She is thrilled to be back with her Greenwood family. “I am so grateful and thankful for the opportunity to teach, guide and safeguard the wonderful little people in my care! My goal is to provide my amazing, resilient first graders with a quality education in a comfortable, safe and fun environment.”
Valerie has two sets of twins – 19-year-old sons and a son and daughter who are 12 years old. Her husband is a family specialist with the Head Start program in Union and Elgin. She loves camping, paddle boarding and kayaking, arts and crafts of all kinds, music, flowers and animals. When she is not at work, her tiny, two-pound Yorkie, Pixie, is her constant companion.
