I’m a mom of two loving girls Camila 12 and Angie 9. 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.

Hello. I am originally from Southern California where I began my career teaching 2nd and 4^th grades. I also had the pleasure of teaching 3^rd grade in a Dual-Immersion school for three years in Denver, Colorado. I’ve been at DMPS since 2002 and have served in a variety of capacities including, K-5 ELL Teacher, Dean of Students, and most recently ELL Curriculum Coordinator.

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis on language acquisition, as well as a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership. 

I live in Norwalk with my husband Scott and 3 kids Bianca, Bronson and Brooks. We enjoy going on road trips and attending sporting events, especially rooting for ISU Cyclones! I am thrilled to be supporting Pleasant Hill this year and look forward to getting to know the students and families of this community. 

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 12th 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 16 and will be attending South East Polk as 11th graders. Kyle is 15 and Kadie is 14 and they will be 9th 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 17th year at Pleasant Hill and 23 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 go to school at Southeast Polk. I love getting to watch them in their activities, Mackenzie, a senior, is in show Choir, Ramification, and she dances. Graydon, going into 7th grade, plays soccer and baseball. Madison my oldest goes to Iowa.

We are enjoying cheering on the Hawkeyes and spending time together as a family!

Hi! My name is Kayla Kinyon. This will be my 2nd 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 8 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 second year as an instructional coach. I am lucky to work alongside the amazing teachers we have here in Pleasant Hill.

I live in Bondurant with my husband Brian and our son Wyatt. We are expecting another baby boy to join our family early October! We also have two dogs that we adopted from AHeinz 57, Julius and Kip!  When I’m not teaching, you can probably find me playing with Wyatt, exercising, walking Julius and Kip or reading books! I am looking forward to a WONDERFUL school year!

This will be my 24th 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 19^th year of teaching for Des Moines Public Schools. I am looking forward to starting my 2^nd 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. I am so excited for my new role as the Intern Assistant Principal and am looking forward to connecting with more families and students this year. I hope to meet everyone soon and can’t wait for an amazing school year! 

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 8^th grade at Urbandale Middle School.  Our youngest two kiddos will be at Webster Elementary School, Ava in 4th grade and Maddox in 3^rd 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 the Urbandale High School. 

I was a graduate of Johnston High School in 2000 and graduated for 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 on the district Educator Quality and Professional Develpment Committe for the Des Moines Public Schools for the last 6 years.  We plan professional development across the district as well as manage the budget for teachers’ growth and development opportunities. Starting next school year, I will be a District Leadership Coach empowering staff with their self-directed growth and learning.  Last school year I served as the English Language Learners support for the building, providing professional development on language acquisition skills and led professional development for the staff on support our students learning English. 

I believe that my job as leader and teacher is to have high expectations of all students and I know that they can learn at a high level and will succeed in the future.  I look forward to an awesome school year and please know I am here to support all students and be the best advocate I can be for the students at Pleasant Hill! 

My name is Carolyn Taylor and I am excited to join the Pleasant Hill community as the gifted and talented consultant this year. I have taught in the Des Moines Public School District since 2013. I have taught kindergarten, 1st, and 4th grade in the district and look forward to the opportunity to work with students k-5! I graduated from the University of Iowa with my B.A. in Elementary Education along with endorsements in reading and English/ language arts. I received my gifted and talented endorsement as part of my graduate work through Viterbo University. I will be completing my Master’s in Education through Viterbo this spring. I am originally from Muscatine, Iowa where I still have a large family I enjoy visiting.  In my free time I enjoy reading and I am currently training for my first half marathon!

My name is Shannon Webb-Ren. I have  been married 9 years my husband’s name is Steve and we  have two beautiful children. LillieAnn is 12 years old and is a 7th grader at Hoyt Middle School. She attended Pleasant Hill Elementary. Kylen is 6 years old and is a 1st grader at Pleasant Hill Elementary. We also have a 3 year old dog named Dallas. I have lived in Des Moines my whole life and attended DMPS.

Pleasant Hill Elementary has been a wonderful school for my kids and I’m excited to be a part of this great team and look forward to the 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 14^th year of teaching and my first 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.  The last 6 years I have been 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 live 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!