I am excited to start my 4th school year as a Blue Whale!

This proud Iowan currently lives in Beacon Hill with my cat and partner.  I enjoy traveling, spending time with family and friends, and trying to keep plants alive.

Before Graham Hill, I worked at a K-12 school in St. Paul, MN for 5 years and was also a sub with the Ramsey County Libraries (MN) and Seattle Public Libraries.

You can regularly find me at Seward Park, either reading by the water or making pottery on the throwing wheel at the clay studio.

I have been married to my awesome partner Ron for 35 years; and have two amazing adult sons - Ben and Clayton. Both my kids attended Graham Hill Elementary. I also have two fabulous cats - Russell and Sherman. Prior to teaching, I worked for a non-profit organization serving young people who were homeless. I love teaching! Each day I learn something new from my students. It’s a privilege to work at a school that’s embedded in the neighborhood I live in. I look forward to running into you at Safeway or bumping into you as I walk around Seward Park. I firmly believe that the work of education is a partnership that teachers and families engage in together.

Hi! My name is Maddy Stephenson. The students call me Maddy. I am the new PE teacher here at Graham Hill, and I am so excited to be here! This is my fourth year as a teacher, and I previously taught at Olympic Hills Elementary School and Thornton Creek Elementary School, both in Northeast Seattle. I am originally from Northern California and I went to UC Davis for college. I also used to live in Busan, South Korea where I was an English teacher for several years. In my free time, I enjoy reading, swimming, riding my bike, hiking, going to Seattle Storm games, and hanging out with my 2 cats! I am so excited to get to know you and to be your PE teacher!

Xin Chào,

My name is Ken Tran.  I work at Graham Hill as a Vietnamese Instructional Assistant, and support multilingual students in the classroom.  If you need assistance in Vietnamese, please call or email me at any time.

I was born in Vietnam, and moved to the US when I was 14 years old.  As an immigrant, I went through many similar challenges that our English Language Learner students and families are going through right now, and I am happy to help out as much as I can.  In my free time, I enjoy walking my dog, playing sports and learning creative writing.

Hi (Hola)

My name is Esther Vazquez, I’m from Puerto Rico. This is my 5th year as an Instructional Assistant at GH.  I speak Spanish. I love this school and the diverse culture we have here.  One of my passions is helping students to achieve their goals in school and have learning experiences that they can take everywhere they go.

I have been working in a dual language immersion program with students from many countries.  I’m so proud of being part of the blue whale families at Graham Hill. In my free time I love cooking, dancing and spending time with my family.

I am honored to start my 11th year teaching here at Graham Hill in grade 5. I live in south Seattle and taught at Rainier View for the past four years. I am passionate about project based learning and student collaboration. I spent the first 6 years of my teaching career in Korea and Beirut at international schools. I enjoy traveling but appreciate the PNW and being with my family here.

10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Graham Hill