Dianna Kelly Vera:
CLASS OF 1967
Barrington High SchoolClass of 1967
Barrington, IL
North High SchoolClass of 1996
Denver, CO
Hickory Hill Junior High SchoolClass of 1963
Carpentersville, IL
Sunny Hill Elementary SchoolClass of 1960
Carpentersville, IL
Dianna's Story
Life
Hi, I never planned to be a teacher, but here I am...in the right place. Andrew Greeley writes that "God draws straight with crooked lines," and that seems to be true of much of my life. I was married to Felipe Vera (from El Paso, TX) for 16 years and have two grown daughters, Rebecca (33, lives in Denver, Co., is a vet tech for the Animal Emergency Clinic for Dr. Fitzgerald featured on the Animal Planet) and Marisa (soon to be 30...makes ME old!, who manages restaurants and a night club, La Rumba in Denver and is in training to be an Animal Cruelty Officer.) I live across the Continental Divide on the western side of Colorado in Grand Junction. It's the high desert here and quite beautiful in a lunar, barren sort of way. I teach Spanish at Palisade High School and previously taught 20 years in Denver, both with adjudicated kids and in the public high schools (Denver North and Thomas Jefferson). Having changed districts twice during my career, I've lost retirement years and will still be toddling in to class on my walker. I'm fairly lib...Expand for more
eral, am abashed and disgusted by the Bush administration and their arrogance, I have two dogs and 6 cats, along with my housemate and best friend. I still eat much more chocolate than is good for me, read amazing amounts of escapist fiction and spend time with friends. My parents (many years deceased) were among the very first settlers of Carpentersville and Meadowdale. My first half year there (1st grade), there were still no streets and once got totally stuck in the mud while waiting for the bus to Countryside Elementary in Barrington. Sunny Hill and Hickory Hill weren't even there yet! My younger brother (by 5 yrs), Steve Kelly, lives in Bartlett. I was glad to find this site. Much of my early past seems erased, somehow, and this helped me remember so much!
College
I earned my AA at Elgin Community College and then transferred to Northern Illinois University for my BSE with a double major in Spanish and English. I took various courses over the years, moved to Colorado in 1977, and then earned my Masters through Lesley University.
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