Ipalook Elementary welcomes new teachers to our staff this year!Ipalook is proud to present our newest teachers on staff: Donna Westdahl, teaching 2nd grade, Patti Lloyd, teaching K3/K4, Carmen Russo, teaching 3rd grade, Claire Crebar, teaching 2nd grade, Meg Green, teaching 1st grade, Joan Sayre, the new Counselor, Maggie Reynolds, teaching 1st, Marilyn Duncan, teaching Kindergarten, Bobbie Smith, our new District Librarian, Pam Henderson, teaching Special Education, and Papi Crabtree, teaching K3/K4.

Donna Westdahl was born in Point Hope and raised in Kotzebue.Her Inupiaq name is Mikaina, after her great-grandmother on her father's side.She is the 2nd eldest of 10 children.She has been married for about 26 years to her husband Norman.

Patti Lloyd was born in California and is the youngest of 5 adopted children.They were all raised in Idaho.She is married to Rod Lloyd, a 2nd grade teacher at Ipalook.They both earned and received their degrees from Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho.They have 4 children and 5 (soon to be 6) grandchildren.They moved to Barrow in 1998.They have a wonderful cabin about 45 miles south of Fairbanks and hope to retire there someday!

Carmen Russo's name is Urarta Agpaq, which means Morningstar.She was born and raised in Alaska and has lived a subsistence lifestyly her whole life.When she was growing up her family had 50 horses and a hunting and guiding outfit.Currently, she said they have cut down their own trees and have their own sawmill to make lumber for building and to stoke their wood stove for heat in McCarthy, Alaska, in the Wrangell Mountains.During the summer she is a construction worker and they are building two homes.She likes to hunt and fish, sometimes with a fish wheel, for food.She is a skin sewer, beader, loves to teach and is extrememly excited to be living here in Barrow!

Claire Crebar and her family moved to Barrow in August from Tennessee.She is originally from Louisiana.She has lived in 7 different states and 2 different countries.She has one daughter (age 17) and a husband Craig.She enjoys cooking, reading, exercising, and she loves children.She is so happy to be in Alaska.She says, "It is a magical place!"

Meg Green is from New York state and graduated from Oswego State University in May of 2007.She grew up in a mountain range in north eastern New York called the Adirondacks.This past summer she began hiking the mountains.She also enjoys biking and skiing.This is her first year teaching and she is "loving it!"Barrow is a new experience for her, but she likes it here.She wants to see the Northern Lights.

Marilyn Duncan has lived in Barrow for two years.She has taught English as a foreign language for 10 years in France in elementary, middle, and high schools.She was a volunteer at Ipalook and Hopson schools in 2005-2006.She was a paraprofessional last year at Ipalook and "loved it!"This year, she is excited to have her own class!She had a baby this past spring and she loves traveling, speaking different languages, and meeting new people with different cultures.

Bobbie Smith grew up in Eastern Montana on a small cattle ranch.She is the 2nd eldest of 5 children and a proud Auntie of 4 nephews.She enjoys spending her free time outdoors, traveling, reading, and doing crafts.She has taught in the classroom, but this is her first position as a librarian.She will be working in each of the schools in Barrow and the villages.She is very excited to be here in Barrow and is enjoying this new adventure.

Maggie Reynolds is enjoying her first time back to Alaska in 14 years!She was raised in bush Alaska, graduated from UAF, taught in Naknek and Kiana, where she met and married her husband, Herb.She has been married for 25 years.Her sons work in Washington State.They have two dogs:Cinderella and D.O.G.She is looking forward to being an Aaka!She says, "It's great to be back in the state!"