GFSD Family News
January 16,2026
What is your role in the Granite Falls School District, and how long have you worked here?
"I serve as a Student Support Advocate supporting our elementary schools. My role is to bridge the gap between home, school and community by providing resources, mental health support, and a safe place for students and families to navigate life’s challenges. I am proud to be part of the Granite Falls team for the past four years."
What do you enjoy most about your job or working with students and staff in Granite Falls?
"Our staff in Granite Falls is incredibly collaborative; we don’t just teach subjects, we look at the whole child. I have an entire team I am blessed to work with everyday who care as much about a student’s emotional well-being as I do. Whether it’s a student finally feeling seen and heard, or a family getting the specific resources they’ve been searching for, that breakthrough is incredibly rewarding."
What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about?
"People often think I only work with students when they are in crisis. In reality, a huge part of my job is proactive. It's about the small daily interactions that build trust for a student and/or family to come to you when things get hard."
What makes Granite Falls a special place to work?
" Granite is a small town with a big heart. There is a sense of looking out for one another here that you don’t find in larger Districts. When a family is in crisis I’ve seen this community rally faster that anywhere else I’ve worked. It feels like a big family working together."
What do you like to do outside of work — hobbies, family time, or activities that bring you joy?
"Outside of work you will often find me with sugar, fondant, and flour from one end of my kitchen to the other. My hobby is to make custom cakes. The bigger the challenge the better, and my kids love to feed into that challenge (literally)! "
Do you have a favorite quote, saying, or piece of advice that inspires you?
"Every child is one caring adult away from being a success story.” - Josh Shipp
"It reminds me that my primary job isn’t to fix everything, but to be a consistent, safe, and supportive presence in a child’s life."
If you could describe Granite Falls in one word, what would it be — and why?
"Resilient. Whether it’s facing personal hurdles or community challenges there is a deep-rooted strength here that is truly inspiring."
The Highly Capable Program is designed to support students who demonstrate advanced learning needs and exceptional potential. In Granite Falls, we serve students who qualify in a variety of ways, including:
- Elementary level: enriched classroom opportunities, project-based learning, accelerated content, and special projects
- Secondary level: advanced course offerings such as Advanced Placement (AP) and Running Start
Beginning with the 2025–2026 school year, Granite Falls School District will be implementing universal screening for the Highly Capable Program in 2nd and 4th grades. Universal screening will take place during the month of February in. Students who meet screening criteria will progress to the Full Cognitive Abilities Test (CoGAT) assessment, which will be administered in the spring. In addition to universal screening results, the Highly Capable Program identification process includes a comprehensive review of multiple sources of student learning data, including assessment results, classroom performance, individual student learning plans and more.
We will be accepting teacher and parent recommendations for Highly Capable screening opening Monday, January 12 and closing February 12. Parents who are interested in having their child screened for the Highly Capable Program should contact their child's teacher by February 12.
