New Clarke Teachers

This is part two of introductions of new Clarke teachers. More will follow in next week.

Hailey Clendenen

Clendenen will be a third grade teacher at Clarke Elementary. She is originally from Humboldt, and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa this past May. She is an avid sports fan, and can often be found watching Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Bears games with her family and friends.

Clendenen is excited to begin her first year of teaching at Clarke, being a part of the Clarke Schools community, and meeting all of her students and families.

Ginny Clutter

Clutter will be teaching at Clarke High School as an English Language Learner (ELL) teacher. This will be her 23rd year in education, and her 10th year as an ELL teacher. She taught for 21 years in Georgia and one year in Alabama. Clutter received her bachelor’s degree from Mercer University, and her masters from Lincoln Memorial. In addition to teaching, Clutter has coached swimming, football cheerleading and competition cheer.

Clutter and her husband, Justin, have two daughters who will be attending Clarke this year, and a daughter who attends the University of Iowa. Clutter looks forward to being a part of the Clarke community and building relationships, and looks forward to the start of the football season.

Justin Clutter

Clutter is the new head football coach and secondary success coach in the middle school. Outside of school and coaching, Clutter enjoys being at the beach, boating, reading and Alabama football.

He and his family are happy to be joining the Clarke community, and he looks forward to building relationships within the school and community, and working with everyone.

Matthew DeFelice

DeFelice is a new English Language Learner (ELL) at Clarke middle school. He received his bachelors in Spanish teaching and his masters in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Northern Iowa, where he taught English-language learners. He taught English in Tokyo, Japan for one year, and studied for a semester in Spain. He has teaching and other experience in education in Des Moines, Ames and Cedar Valley regions.

While working in the marketing field, DeFelice would often think about having his own classroom, and decided to go back to school to get his teaching license to work in public education.

DeFelice looks forward to meeting all of his new students who he will get to both teach and learn from this school year.

Caitlyn Owen

Owen will be the choir director for grades six through eight. She has three years of prior teaching experience, having directed the seven and eighth grade choir at Webster City Community School District and a fifth through eighth grade general music director.

Owen is excited to get to know the students and Clarke community. She finds that it is a sincere joy to watch her students grow, and is excited to see what musical growth happens this year.

Lisa Wall

Wall will be an English Language Learner (ELL) this year. She obtained her teaching degree from Iowa State University, with endorsements in ELL, reading, special education and social studies. She and her husband have one son and one daughter, the latter of whom will be starting her first year at Iowa State University this fall.

Wall is looking forward to meeting her students and their families, as her true passion is teaching ELL so that students can learn that there are no limits to pursuing any dreams and desires they have in their future.