Hello Flyer Students, Parents, Staff and Community Members!
I am honored and excited to serve you as Superintendent! I hope to get to know each of you personally; however, for now, please allow me to tell you a bit about myself and my family.
I have been working in the field of K12 education for my entire career. I started teaching English at Watertown High School. At that time, I also started working for the SD Department of Education as a writing trainer. This allowed me to meet many other educators across the state as we worked to help students learn to write well! My career trajectory shifted just a bit in 2006, when the State began the Educational Service Agency (ESA) model, and I was hired to work in the northeast part of the state. I worked with eleven school districts as they tackled everything from school improvement to instructional strategies, formative assessment to data analysis. This work continued, following the elimination of the funding for the ESA program, with me narrowing down the number of school districts to five and focusing my attention on working with teachers in those districts in 21st Century Skills such as critical thinking, communication, and problem solving. It was at this time, I recognized that although I loved working with teachers in honing their craft, I very much missed working with students every day. I decided to move my focus to administration and became the high school principal at Dell Rapids Public School. I was there for six years before transitioning to Superintendent and Special Education Director at Deubrook School District, where I have served for eight years.
Every single step in my professional journey has shaped me and affirmed how passionate I am about helping students and teachers achieve their goals!
I am blessed with a wonderfully blended family that keeps me busy and keeps me laughing! My daughter, Brittany, is a pharmacist with Walgreens in Spearfish. She is an avid traveler, and I love tagging along on her adventures! My son, Jordan, is an industrial engineer with Boeing in Burien, Washington. He also serves as a Second Lieutenant with the Washington National Guard. My husband Keith Fodness is a former superintendent who has transitioned into working as the facility director for Brookings School District. He has two sons… Alex and Grant. Alex is married to Ellie, and they are the proud parents of Campbell Jae. Alex is the assistant men’s basketball coach at Ferris State University in Michigan. Grant is married to Abbie, and they are the proud parents of August Jacob. Grant is a school psychologist. Both Ellie and Abbie are elementary teachers.
I am looking forward to meeting you all and beginning this new chapter together, striving toward the continued growth and success of each and every student. Thank you for your partnership and continued support… and GO FLYERS!