Brenda Velasco Mizenko

SD

I am a 4th grade teacher at St. Elizabeth Seton Elementary School in Rapid City, SD. I also taught 3rd grade for four years. Prior to that I taught in a bilingual kindergarten classroom in Pasco, WA. I was raised in Neenah, Wisconsin, lived in Washington State for 15 years, and moved to South Dakota 6 years ago. I love teaching! I am a 2018 South Dakota State Finalist for the PAEMST Award. I am also an NSF Research Experience for Teachers participant two years in a row at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. I was a journalist before I decided to get my teaching certificate and use my writing background a lot in the classroom. I have a Bachelor's of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Master of Teaching from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. in 2016 I was one of 154 teachers chosen nationwide to attend the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy in Jersey City, NJ. It was a huge honor and one of the best professional development opportunities I've ever been