I’m a mom of two loving girls Camila 13 and Angie 10. We also have American Labrador named Terry Dante Rivas. I am Salvadoran.  My favorite hobbies are riding bikes, cooking and watching movies. I enjoy helping kids to learn and working with the wonderful staff at Pleasant Hill Elementary School.

I grew up on a farm south of Barnum, Iowa. I graduated from Buena Vista and later received my reading endorsement from Drake.  After graduating I taught first grade and then went on to teach reading recovery and title for fifteen years. I am looking forward to another outstanding year and can’t wait to help the staff and students of Pleasant Hill as much as possible. This will be my 13th year at Pleasant Hill and I absolutely love it here. The supportive families and staff make it a great place to work. 

My husband, Corey, and I live in Pleasant Hill and have four children.  Hallie and Hannah are 17 and will be attending South East Polk as 12th graders. Kyle is 16 and Kadie is 15 and they will be 10th graders this year. 

Our summers are spent going to sporting events, spending time on the family farm, and going boating. 

Hi, I am Ms. Elgin and this will be my 18th year at Pleasant Hill and 24th year teaching for Des Moines Public Schools. I have spent the majority of my career working with students with IEPs and I love my job!

I also live in Pleasant Hill and my younger 2 children went/go to school at Southeast Polk. Mackenzie graduated last year and is now attending Kirkwood Community College for nursing. Graydon is in 8th grade and an all around athlete! He plans to play football this fall, and he plays soccer, basketball, baseball, track, and he wrestles.

We have 5 pets Gretchen and Maya our dogs, Piper, Goose, and Wrigley our cats. We enjoy cheering on the Hawkeyes and spending time together as a family!

Hi! My name is Kayla Kinyon. This will be my 3rd full school year here at Pleasant Hill, as I started in April of 2022.

I live in Des Moines with my Husband Brogan, our two children, Valerie and Logan and our dog Bailey. I am excited for this new school year!

Hello,

My name is Tawnee Koch and I have been an Instructional Strategist in the Des Moines School District for 9 years. I taught at Garton Elementary for the first five years of my teaching career. I supported students within their classrooms, and I provided teachers with the support they needed to meet students’ individual needs. In January 2021, I transferred to Pleasant Hill Elementary where I continue to teach students who have IEPs. In 2009, I graduated from William Penn University with a B.A. in Elementary Education, and endorsements in Special Education and Reading. Before becoming a teacher at Garton, I substitute taught in a variety of school districts. I am super excited to be a part of the teaching staff at Pleasant Hill Elementary School and am looking forward to building lasting relationships with students, parents, and staff members. Teaching has always been my passion. Every day I am faced with new adventures that teach me the skills I need to grow both professionally and personally. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time and making memories with my husband, three children, and our dog Lucy.

Hello! I am Natalie Madsen (formally Miss Young). I am originally from Mount Prospect, Illinois (a northwest suburb of Chicago). I first came to Des Moines when I attended college at Drake University! Go Bulldogs! I have my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and an endorsement in Reading. I also completed my Master’s degree in 2013 which focused on Curriculum and Instruction. I student taught at Pleasant Hill in spring of 2009 with Nancy Jennings in 3^rd grade. I loved it so much, I had to come back and teach here!

I have been at Pleasant Hill since 2010. My first year I was an interventionist and the following year I taught Kindergarten. For ten years, I taught second grade. This will be my third year as an instructional coach. I am lucky to work alongside the amazing teachers we have here at Pleasant Hill.

I live in Bondurant with my husband Brian and our sons, Wyatt and Rhett. We also have our dog Kip who we adopted from A Heinz 57.   When I’m not working, you can find me playing outside with Wyatt and Rhett, exercising, walking Kip, or reading books! I am looking forward to a WONDERFUL school year!

This will be my 25th year teaching at Pleasant Hill Elementary School. Over the years, I have taught 1st grade, 4th grade, and special education. I love teaching, being with family and friends, working in the yard, and being active in my church.

This year I will be starting my 20th year teaching for Des Moines Public Schools. I am looking forward to starting my 3rd year at PH as an Academic Interventionist as well as the Intern Assistant Principal at Pleasant Hill. I have spent 15 years prior to coming to Pleasant Hill teaching at Capitol View Elementary in Des Moines and 2 years at Lovejoy Elementary. I have taught kindergarten, first grade, fourth grade, fifth grade and was an academic interventionist for 6 years prior to coming to Pleasant Hill.

My husband and I live in Urbandale with our 5 children. Cole and Ella are our twins that will be sophomores this year at Urbandale High School and Madelyn our daughter will be in 8th grade at Urbandale Middle School. Our youngest two kiddos will be at Webster Elementary School, Ava in 5th grade and Maddox in 4th grade. We keep busy with softball, basketball, soccer, show choir, track, cross country and enjoy being outside together. I am currently serving as the Silver Cord coordinator for Urbandale High School.

I graduated from Johnston High School in 2000 and graduated from the University of Iowa in 2005 with my Elementary Education Degree. After I began teaching, I knew I wanted to continue learning and graduated with my Master’s Degree in elementary education in 2005 from Viterbo University. I am currently working on my Administration Degree at Viterbo University and will graduate in 2026. I have been the co-chair of the district Educator Quality and Professional Development Committee for the Des Moines Public Schools for the last 8 years. I have been trained as a District Leadership Coach that empowers staff to set self-initiated goals around individual growth and learning.

I believe that my job as leader and teacher is to have high expectations of all students and I believe all students can and will learn at high levels and will be successful adults. I look forward to another great school year and please know I am here to support all students and be the best advocate for the students at Pleasant Hill!

This is my 12th year with Des Moines Public Schools and my 7th year at Pleasant Hill! I also serve Brubaker and Willard Elementaries. I grew up in Muscatine, IA and visit my family in the area often. I attended the University of Iowa and received my master’s degree from Viterbo University. Prior to working in Advanced Learning, I taught kindergarten, 1st, and 4th grade classrooms.

In my free time I am either doing all of the things outdoors, rock climbing, biking, etc. or enjoying time at home reading, gardening, and completing home improvement projects. I am grateful to work with our amazing students and community of teachers!

Advanced Learning Program – Des Moines Public Schools (dmschools.org)

My name is Shannon Webb-Ren. I have been married 10 years, my husband’s name is Steve. We have 2 children. Our daughter LillieAnn  is 13 years old and is an 8th grader at Hoyt Middle School. She attended Pleasant Hill Elementary from preschool through 5th grade. Our son Kylen is 7 years old and is a 2nd grader at Pleasant Hill Elementary.  We also have a 4-year-old dog named Dallas.

I have lived in Des Moines my whole life and also attended Des Moines Public Schools. Pleasant Hill Elementary has been a wonderful school for my kids and I am excited to be a part of this great team of caring people. I look forward to my 2nd year here of many adventures in learning and spending time with the kids.

Hello!  I grew up in the Des Moines area and graduated from Des Moines Christian School.  I am beginning my 15th year of teaching and my 2nd year at Pleasant Hill Elementary.  I completed my bachelor’s degree at Iowa State University in Elementary Education and my master’s degree at the University of Northern Iowa in TESOL.

My first 7 years of teaching were focused on the middle school age teaching reading, social studies, religious studies, or math.  Then I spent 6 years as an intervention teacher as well as an alternative math teacher.

I have two brothers (and one sister-in-law), two nieces, one nephew, as well as my mom.  We enjoy spending time together especially when it comes to attending Iowa State football or basketball games!  One of our favorite places to go is Colorado.

My first teaching job was in Thailand, where I lived for 5 years!  I have been able to travel to over 10 countries including Mexico, Dominican Republic, South Korea, and Australia. I love to travel and look forward to the next adventure!