Our People

Katie has held multiple different roles within her years of work at Algoma. She graduated from UW-Eau Claire with a bachelor's degree in Special Education and Marian College with a master's degree in Educational Leadership. She loves working with the students, especially when it comes to animal projects. She embraces the diversity within AVA and celebrates the wins that come with each day.

English Language Arts

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Abigail returned to the town where she grew up to co-found Venture Academy. Abigail is AVA’s Lead Teacher and has her master's in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Abigail's favorite projects to advise students on are their community and passion projects. When she’s not at school, she enjoys hiking, watching scary movies, and spending time with family.

Science

Penny starts each day with infectious energy and joy. She graduated from UW Platteville and has been a teacher for 25 years. As the science advisor at AVA, Penny leads our aquaponics unit, hydroponics units, community garden, and much more. Penny is also actively involved in the community as a member of the Algoma Bird City Committee and an advisory board member for the Friends of Crescent Beach, and leads the community knitting and crochet group at Grandview Apartments.

Social Studies

Elisabeth is our social studies advisor and loves sharing her knowledge with the students. She graduated from St. Norbert College in 2021 and began teaching at Venture Academy that same year. Some of her favorite social studies topics to teach students about are early United States history, US government, and ancient civilizations. Her hobbies include cooking, reading, and playing video games.

Phyllis is a new addition to the AVA team as of February, 2024. She has a lot to learn, but has already become a student favorite!