Staff Directory

Profiles of all WALA staff members are listed below. To view a member's full details, please click their photo.

Tonja Cantu

Director

I was born and raised in Minnesota. During the middle of my fourth grade year, we moved to Worthington. I attended middle school and high school in Worthington. During my Junior year of high school I was able to study ...

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Lucas Garcia Silva

Physical Education Teacher

My Name is Lucas Garcia Silva and I am the Physical Education Teacher here at Worthington Area Language Academy. I was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and a Spanish father. I moved with my mother to the United ...

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Graciela Hinojosa

Spanish Teacher Associate

My name is Graciela, I was born in Mexico where I spent the first 20 years of my life. My family and I, came to the United States in the year of 2000. I started working at Swift Co. at the same time, I was attending ...

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Janelle McKenzie

English Kindergarten Teacher

I am so excited to be teaching another year at WALA! I am originally from Sioux City, Iowa. I graduated from Briar Cliff University with a degree in Elementary Education and an emphasis in Reading. I moved to Luverne, ...

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Barbara Wittern

English Kindergarten Associate

My name is Barbara Wittern. I have worked for WALA for four years now. I have spent the last three working as a Teacher’s Associate in the Kindergarten/ First Grade classroom. Before coming to WALA, I was an LPN and ...

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Sandra Graves

Spanish Kindergarten Associate

Hola. My name is Sandra Graves. I am very excited to be working another year at WALA. Last year, I was a teaching associate who worked with students of all ages. This coming year, I will be working with Kindergarten ...

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Caitlin Storm

Music Teacher

Caitlin Storm is the music teacher at WALA. She teaches all students in Kindergarten-8th grade in music class every day. The elementary classes focus on singing, dancing, playing rhythm instruments, and other music ...

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Blanca Rodriguez

Secretary

I am pleased to not only be part of WALA as a staff member, but also as a mother, I was born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. It was not until I lived in the city of Worthington, MN where I began taking ...

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Haley Tollefson

English 1st and 2nd Grade Teacher

I live in Hills with my husband and my two boys, Leif and Tryg. I am a graduate of Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, and have been working in the Education field for 8 years. In my spare time, I enjoy ...

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Josefina Flandes

Parent Liason

My name is Josefina Montejo. I got married 20 years ago to Gregorio Montejo. I am mother of four children: Junior, Jesus, Monica and Emma. I came from Mexico 10 years ago.

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