Three new East Central staff at area schools

The East Central Center for Exceptional Children (ECCEC) provides excellent education for children with special needs in our region, and they're supplying some new faces to our region's special education classes this year.

Morgan Wetzel, a recent graduate of Minot State University, is teaching special education in the New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School this year. After graduating college in 2018, she gained experience teaching in Fort Totten for two years, and most recently in Oberon and Kensal.

Teaching special education is one of the most underappreciated professions in our society, and every teacher has a unique reason for doing it. For Wetzel, it's an experience from her time babysitting, "I babysat a little boy for about five years who had special needs. I knew I always wanted to be a teacher, and then after babysitting him, I knew I wanted to do special education," explained Wetzel.

As a native of Carrington, N.D., and with her husband being from New Rockford, Wetzel is more than comfortable in the region. So, when a position opened up in New Rockford, she gladly went for it. This year, Wetzel says she's most looking forward to developing new relationships with her students and fellow teachers.

Kira Whitmore, a recent graduate from Northern State University (NSU), is teaching special education in Oberon and vision services in Carrington this year. Whitmore is a native of Bismarck, N.D., and is currently working on her master's degree online through the University of Northern Colorado. Like Wetzel, Whitmore has strong family ties to New Rockford, and has enjoyed life away from the city.

"I'm enjoying the overall vibe of New Rockford. The people are nice and always say 'you're the girl who has that big white dog!' when they recognize me from my walks in the morning. I enjoy the relaxed, traffic-free roads," said Whitmore.

Whitmore is a TVI (teacher of the visually impaired) and fell in love with special education during college. This is Whitmore's first full-time teaching job after graduating in 2020, and she's excited to finally have her own classroom.

"This year I'm looking forward to building a classroom that my students feel welcomed in and feel they can learn in and be themselves. This is the first year I've had a classroom that's mine and I want to build a place that students feel comfortable enough to learn in," said Whitmore.

Also new from East Central is Audrey Davies, who splits her time between NR-S and Oberon teaching speech therapy to over 40 kids. Davies graduated from Minnesota State University Mankato in 2018 and has a passion for helping those who need it. "When I went to college I started in nursing and I didn't like it, but I knew I wanted to help people, so my advisor suggested speech therapy, and I've loved it ever since," said Davies.

Davies is originally from Wisconsin and moved to North Dakota four years ago after graduating. She and her fiancé have two kids, and they enjoy the hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities the region has to offer. When asked what she's looking forward to this year, Davies said, "The kiddos, they're my favorite. We've started and I've enjoyed it so far, they've been sweet. I'm excited to be a part of the community I live in as well, it's nice to get to know a lot more of the people in the community that I've lived in."

The guiding principle of the ECCEC is to support the right of every child to a free and appropriate education, no matter their disability. Headquartered in New Rockford, they provide special education, occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech/language services for six schools across five counties in the region.