CVCS Teachers
Contact Information, Supply Lists, etc.
Kindergarten Teacher, Jill Abraham
Jill grew up in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. She originally moved to Albuquerque, NM in 1989. She met her husband, Wayne, and had a son, Jordan, while in Albuquerque. Later she moved, with her family, to Tucson, AZ for 3 1/2 years, then to Reno, NV for 5 years. In the fall of 2005, they moved to Belen, NM to be close to both sides of the family. In January, 2006, Jill went back to school for her Early Childhood degree. She graduated summa cum laude in 2009 from UNM Albuquerque. In the summer of 2009, she obtained her Early Childhood license with a TESOL endorsement. During the 2009-2010 school year she substituted in the Belen and Los Lunas school districts. For fun, Jill enjoys reading, crocheting, spending time with family and entertaining friends at her home.
First Grade Teacher, Heather Burnett
Heather Burnett grew up as the oldest of five siblings in northern California. A long time resident of New Mexico, she received her Masters degree for Science Teachers from NMT in 2016 and her NISL (National Institute for School Leadership) training and Educational Administrative License from ENMU in 2020. She has been living in Socorro since 2018 and encourages in others the realization of individual potential through lifelong learning, courage, and practice. She agrees wholeheartedly with William Cowper’s “The Task” (1785): “Variety is the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.”
Second Grade Teacher, Jamie Fassett
Mrs. Fassett grew up in a ranching family in Nebraska and Colorado. She graduated from Oklahoma St. with a degree in Animal Science and completed her education program at NMSU. She lives in Socorro with her husband and two daughters, and in her free time, she reads, swims, works with her many animals, and explores new ways to make learning fun for her students. Mrs. Fassett began teaching second grade at CVCS in August of 2015. Classroom Philosophy: I want to inspire students' lifelong passion of questioning, problem solving, and desire to expand their knowledge.
Third Grade Teacher, Deborah Matcham
Mrs. Matcham moved to Socorro six years ago from Northern Vermont. She holds a degree in Recreation Leadership from Becker College in Massachusetts and later earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education/Psychology from Johnson State College, Vermont. Mrs. Matcham holds a New Mexico Level II license and started teaching at CVCS in 2016. In her spare time she enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, and spending time with her husband and sons.
Classroom Philosophy: Children need to feel safe, accepted, and valued before they can be ready to learn.
Fourth Grade Teacher, Ana Jacobs
Ana is a Socorro native. She attended NM Tech studying Psychology. Ana relishes every opportunity to learn more to better help her in working with children and their educational needs.
Outside of school, Ana can be found playing multiple instruments in the local community band, experiencing the joy of the great outdoors with her children and husband or simply unwinding with a good book (or Netflix).
Breanna Leseberg, 5th Grade Teacher
Breanna Leseberg was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a focus in ESL from New Mexico Highlands University. She has a K-8 Level I License with an endorsement in TESOL. She has lived in Socorro for the past 6 years and loves the small-town community. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafting, and spending time outdoors with her husband and two sons. She has enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom with her children over the past 6 years but is excited to return to her lifelong passion of teaching young minds.
Middle School Science Teacher, Tommie McSherry
Middle School Math & Social Studies Teacher
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Middle School English Language Arts Teacher
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Spanish Teacher, Emily Brindle
The study of language, culture, and faith are passions that led Emily to want to teach Spanish at CVCS. Originally from North Carolina, Emily began studying Spanish in 11th grade and earned a B.S. in Spanish and International Business at Meredith College, Raleigh, NC with studies abroad in Spain. She has an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY and has a M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics from NMSU, Las Cruces NM. Emily has a Level 1 Alternative License with endorsements in Bilingual education, TESOL, and Modern and Classical Languages. Her favorite Spanish teachers are her husband from Spain and her two kids. Her goals for teaching K-5 Spanish at CVCS are 1) to facilitate a love for bilingualism, literacy, NM heritage and world cultures; and 2) to build heritage and second-language Spanish skills.
Special Education, Kristen Willoughby
Mrs. Willoughby grew up in San Antonio, NM and graduated from Socorro High School. She graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2015 with a bachelors in Liberal Arts and in 2019 with a Masters of Special Education. She lives in San Acacia with her husband, three children, two cats, dog, and horses. In her free time, she reads, bakes, and explores/learns new ways to help her students learn at their level and pace. Mrs. Willoughby has been teaching in Special Education K-8 for 6 years and holds a level II NM Special Education License.
Classroom Philosophy: A classroom should provide a safe and caring community for students, where they can speak their minds, thrive, and grow. It is my job to have flexible thinking and expectations in order to reach students on their individual level.
Music Teacher, Beth Crowder
It's hard to say whether music or farming is more important to Beth; neighbors have overheard her singing to her bees sometimes! She is in her ninth year of teaching music at CVCS, and loves her job of creating something special for each grade to participate in, from international tunes, math songs and campfire rounds, to popular music and building instruments. She holds degrees in chemistry and biology from UNM, and her family was part of the group who built the BEMP site that CVCS visits monthly. Her favorite three people are her own great kids! In her free time, Beth likes to hike, care for her farm/bees, ski, sing & play music with friends, and READ!
P.E.
Art, Linnea Hiriart
From doodling cross-sections of mice homes and planting fairy gardens in baking pans to devouring books in the tree house and writing fictional letters to a friend across the ocean, Linnea's life has always been infused with imagination and stories. Her love of writing inspired her to pursue a B.A. in German and English at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and she even seized the chance to study abroad in the crooked, cobble stoned streets of Heidelberg, Germany.
In spring 2016, Linnea took over as the art teacher at her childhood school. She has a Level I K-8 License through the ALP at Santa Fe Community College and has an endorsement in Visual Arts. She loves sharing art from different peoples, times and places with her students and helping them learn to rise to new challenges. She also has the privilege of writing with the sixth graders, where they dream up “juicy details.”
CVCS Educational Assistant, Eva Greenwood
Eva was born in Springerville, Arizona. She lived in various places in New Mexico while growing up. Eva volunteered at San Antonio Elementary School in the mid to late `80's, was a substitute in Magdalena `90-`01, and traveled many miles with the Magdalena FFA (Future Farmers of America), basketball and track teams. Eva stayed home after her two boys graduated high school. She then substituted at CVCS and began full time in 2002.
CVCS Educational Assistant, Lisa Arendt
Lisa grew up in Albuquerque and Socorro. It wasn't until attending NM Tech after high school that she embraced the beauty and outdoor recreational fun that surrounds Socorro. She lived in Santa Fe for many years working in home health as a CNA (certified nurses assistant) and completed an American Sign Language Interpreting degree from Santa Fe Community College. She returned to Socorro to be with her future husband and found her love for teaching young students while working at Head Start in Vegita and Socorro. After enjoying many years as a stay-at-home mom and completing her bachelor's degree in general studies from NMT she worked for CVCS's after school program and has loved being an educational assistant since 2017. In her free time she enjoys taking her children into the great outdoors!
CVCS Educational Assistant, Zenaida Colmenero
Zenaida was born in Albuquerque NM. Her family moved back to their hometown of Socorro NM, shortly after she was born. Zenaida has lived in Socorro almost all of her life. She graduated from Socorro High School in 2004. Less than a year after graduating she was hired on as an Educational assistant and Library assistant at Parkview Elementary School. After four years there, she fell in love with working with children and education.
Zenaida then decided to attend Dona Ana Community College in Las Cruces NM, to work on her Early Childhood Education degree. After 3 years in Las Cruces she met and fell in love with her husband, Jesus Colmenero. This lead her to move back to Socorro. Zenaida has been with her husband for 10 years and married on October 15th, 2019 in Pagosa Springs, CO. Zenaida has two beautiful children: Julian, is 8 years old and Hope is 6. "They are my world!"
Zenaida has worn several hats during her career and has taught so many kids in our community. She worked for Socorro Consolidated Schools for a total of 17 years, and for the last 7 years, she found herself back in the library as the main librarian at Parkview Elementary.
During my "Me" time, I enjoy reading, dancing, watching scary movies and spending time with my family.