Greetings from Mrs. Ellis
Submitted by Ms Ellis on Wed, 2007-09-05 13:20.
Greetings! I am Leanne Statland Ellis, the Gifted Specialist at Rutledge Hall. Here is a little bit about me and how I came to this position.
Going back to my childhood, there aren’t too many details worthy of inclusion here, but there is one that stands out: Mary Ann Paradise, my predecessor, was also my teacher from second through eighth grade. I attended the Lincolnwood schools K-8 and graduated from Niles West High School. I vividly remember how important this program was to me growing up. In fact, it played a vital role in my decision to specialize in gifted education.
After receiving my M.S.Ed. from Northwestern University and completing additional graduate work in gifted education at the University of Connecticut, I moved to Los Angeles where I taught in the private sector for twelve years, the last ten of which were at The Mirman School for the Gifted, an entire school dedicated to meeting the needs of highly gifted children. Feel free to visit their website at http://www.mirman.org/. Along with teaching many amazing people, I also spent my years in California playing in the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra, practicing yoga and kickboxing, and traveling, teaching, and volunteering during my summers in places as diverse as India to Kenya to Midway Island.
After the birth of our daughter, Layla, my husband and I decided to move back to the Chicagoland area, and after a two-year hiatus raising my daughter, I stepped into the shoes of my childhood teacher. This is my second year at Rutledge Hall, and I am excited about the program and look forward to working with the students. Here’s to a wonderful school year!
Going back to my childhood, there aren’t too many details worthy of inclusion here, but there is one that stands out: Mary Ann Paradise, my predecessor, was also my teacher from second through eighth grade. I attended the Lincolnwood schools K-8 and graduated from Niles West High School. I vividly remember how important this program was to me growing up. In fact, it played a vital role in my decision to specialize in gifted education.
After receiving my M.S.Ed. from Northwestern University and completing additional graduate work in gifted education at the University of Connecticut, I moved to Los Angeles where I taught in the private sector for twelve years, the last ten of which were at The Mirman School for the Gifted, an entire school dedicated to meeting the needs of highly gifted children. Feel free to visit their website at http://www.mirman.org/. Along with teaching many amazing people, I also spent my years in California playing in the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra, practicing yoga and kickboxing, and traveling, teaching, and volunteering during my summers in places as diverse as India to Kenya to Midway Island.
After the birth of our daughter, Layla, my husband and I decided to move back to the Chicagoland area, and after a two-year hiatus raising my daughter, I stepped into the shoes of my childhood teacher. This is my second year at Rutledge Hall, and I am excited about the program and look forward to working with the students. Here’s to a wonderful school year!
