Mrs.+Appel

I am not originally from South Dakota. I am an Iowa girl. I grew up in Titonka, which is a town of 600 people in north-central Iowa. I attended The University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I majored in elementary education, and I have a minor in special education. I have a Master's Degree in curriculum and instruction in the area of mathematics.

My career began in Council Bluffs, Iowa as a special education teacher. I moved to Sioux Falls in 2008 when I met my husband, Jason. I taught 5th and 4th grade at John F. Kennedy and then transferred to Robert Frost where I have taught 4th, 5th, and a 4th/5th blend. I have been teaching 5th grade at the Challenge Center for two years.

I have been married for 8 years. My husband, Jason, works at Plains Commerce Bank. We have two children. Briggs is 6 and is a first grader at Robert Frost. Jorja will turn 3 in November. Some our favorite things to do as a family are: go to the Apple Orchard in Harrisburg, relax at our cabin in Okoboji, visit my family in Iowa, go on walks, bake cookies, make anything out of cardboard, have dance parties in the living room, and read books. My own personal interests include: cooking, reading historical fiction, running, and refurbishing furniture.