Highland Elementary School

08/26/2026

❤️🖤 MEET OUR STAFF 🖤❤️

We’re excited to introduce you to another amazing member of our Highland Elementary team!

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👋 Name: Caitlin Willnow (Ms. Willnow)

🏫 Role: PE Teacher

📅 At Highland Since: 2021

✨ Enjoys:

Volleyball, paddle boarding, playing soccer, swimming, reading, animals, and scary movies!

💬 Best Advice Ever Received:

“Be true for there are those who trust you.”

🎯 One Goal I’m Working Towards:

Helping students find an activity or form of movement that they want to continue doing.

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We’re so glad to have Ms. Willnow as part of our Highland family!

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08/25/2026

❤️🖤 MEET OUR STAFF 🖤❤️

We’re excited to introduce you to another amazing member of our Highland Elementary team!

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👋 Name: Kayla Gestrin

🏫 Role: Kindergarten Teacher

📅 At Highland Since: 2019

✨ Enjoys:

Disney, traveling, and board games.

💬 Best Advice Ever Received:

“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”

🎯 One Goal I’m Working Towards:

Students having a positive first school experience.

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We’re so glad to have Miss Gestrin as part of our Highland family!

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08/25/2026

❤️🖤 **MEET OUR STAFF** 🖤❤️
We want our Highland families to get to know the wonderful people who make up our school community! ❤️
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👋 **Name:** Karlee Soto
🏫 **Role:** First Grade Teacher
📅 **At Highland Since:** 2016

😊 **Enjoys:**
Watching my children play sports and being outdoors.

💡 **Best Advice Ever Received:**
"You define your own life. Don't let other people write your script."

🎯 **One Goal I’m Working Towards:**
Making sure every student that comes to my room feels safe and seen.
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We’re so glad to have Mrs. Soto as part of our Highland family!

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08/19/2026

🐾❤️ Highland Open House is almost here! ❤️🐾

Join us on Wednesday, September 2nd from 6:00–7:30 PM for a fun evening with our Highland community!

🍎 Meet your child’s teacher and our amazing Highland staff
🎒 Free backpacks available for students in need
🍧 Kona Ice available for purchase
❤️ Connect with other Highland families
🎉 And have some FUN!

We’re excited to kick off another amazing school year together. We can’t wait to see you! / ¡Los esperamos! 🖤❤️

06/27/2026

Change is always hard. It is also exciting and can be such an incredible time to grow!

We have several members of our team who will not be returning at the beginning of the school year.

We always want to share this information with our broader community so you can share your love and well wishes with these wonderful folks and also prepare your kiddos.

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Name/Role: Mrs. Jeronimo, Dual Language Instructional Assistant / P.E. Assistant

Years at Highland: 3½ wonderful years

Favorite Memories at Highland: Watching students grow in confidence, celebrating their bilingualism, and seeing their smiles every day. I will always cherish the friendships I’ve built with students, families, and colleagues, as well as the joy of watching my students discover that being bilingual is truly a superpower.

What’s Next: I will be joining Clear Creek Middle School as the librarian! I will also continue pursuing my passion for education and advocating for multilingual learners as I grow in my career as an educator.

Best Advice for Our Community: Be kind and remember that every child deserves to feel loved, capable, and proud of who they are. Being bilingual is a superpower—celebrate it!

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We love you, Mrs. Jeronimo!

For the past three and a half years, you have been a caring presence and a champion for our bilingual students. Whether you were supporting learning in the classroom, encouraging students in P.E., or simply sharing your warm smile in the hallways, you helped children feel confident, capable, and proud of who they are.

While we will miss you tremendously, we are so excited for this next chapter at Clear Creek Middle School. Their library will be filled with the same warmth, encouragement, and joy that you’ve shared with Highland, and we know you will continue making a difference in the lives of students every single day.

Thank you for all you’ve done for our Huskies.

Once a Highland Husky, always a Highland Husky! ❤️🐾

06/24/2026

Change is always hard. It is also exciting and can be such an incredible time to grow!

We have several members of our team who will not be returning at the beginning of the school year.

We always want to share this information with our broader community so you can share your love and well wishes with these wonderful folks and also prepare your kiddos.

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Name/Role: Beth Mengis, Principal

Years at Highland: 6 wonderful years

Favorite Memories at Highland: My absolute favorite memories are rooted in the pure joy of our school assemblies. Bringing the entire school together to share that high energy, laugh, and celebrate is something I will always cherish.

What’s Next: Next year, I am excited to begin a new chapter as the Assistant Principal at Clear Creek Middle School!

Best Advice for Our Community: Never lose sight of the joy we share when we come together. Keep finding reasons to celebrate each other, and remember that our strong sense of community is what makes Highland so special.

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We love you, Mrs. Mengis!

Your leadership has always been grounded in relationships, celebration, and a deep belief in the potential of every child.

Whether you were cheering on students, welcoming families, celebrating staff, or creating opportunities for our community to come together, you brought kindness and enthusiasm.

You led through some of the most challenging years in education (the pandemic!) while never losing sight of what matters most: students, families, and community. Your dedication, optimism, and unwavering commitment to Highland have left a lasting mark on all of us.

Thank you for six wonderful years of leadership, laughter, and love.

Once a Highland Husky, always a Highland Husky! ❤️🐾

06/21/2026

Change is always hard. It is also exciting and can be such an incredible time to grow!

We have several members of our team who will not be returning at the beginning of the school year.

We always want to share this information with our broader community so you can share your love and well wishes with these wonderful folks and also prepare your kiddos.

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Name/Role: Citlaly Hernandez Diaz, Interim SUN Site Manager at HIES / Coordinadora de Día Extendido en HIES

Years at Highland: Since October 2022

Favorite Memories at Highland: Every laugh I had with my kiddos. Every day in SUN and Almuerzo con Amigos was eventful and full of laughter and love. The connections I made with students and staff ultimately inspired me to become a teacher. I will forever cherish the memories I made with the wonderful students, parents, and families I had the pleasure of working with.

Some of my favorite memories include the Spring SUN Soccer Tournaments, where our students worked incredibly hard and grew through the experience; the Families & Staff vs. HIES SUN Soccer Team game that brought our community together; our spring field trips to Mt. Hood Lanes and Wunderland, as well as OMSI during Summer SUN; and Día de los Niños with piñatas and baby goats, where families and volunteers helped create a truly special celebration for our students.

What’s Next: I am transferring to Portland State University to complete my dual degrees in Political Science and Secondary Education, with a focus on Dual Language English Language Arts. I hope to become a teacher at Gresham High School and see many Highland Huskies again in the future!

Best Advice for Our Community: You don’t have to be best friends with everyone, but you do have to be kind. Remember to be kind to yourself and others because success is achieved by trying and being kind.

The world is filled with too many hateful people, so don’t forget to be kind, safe, respectful, and responsible!

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We love you, Ms. Maggie!!

Your ability to build meaningful relationships with students and families has made a lasting impact on our community. Whether organizing opportunities for students, cheering them on from the sidelines, celebrating their successes, or simply sharing a laugh, you helped create memories that our students will carry with them for years to come.

We are so proud of you as you continue your educational journey at PSU and pursue your dream of becoming a teacher. Your future students will be incredibly lucky to have you, and we have no doubt that you will continue changing lives wherever you go.

While we are sad to see you leave Highland, we are excited to watch the next chapter of your story unfold.

Once a Highland Husky, always a Highland Husky! ❤️🐾

06/18/2026

Change is always hard. It is also exciting and can be such an incredible time to grow!

We have several members of our team who will not be returning at the beginning of the school year.

We always want to share this information with our broader community so you can share your love and well wishes with these wonderful folks and also prepare your kiddos.

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Name/Role: Rolly Toribio, Music Teacher

Years at Highland: 6 years

Favorite Memories at Highland: Lunch Bunch fun, amazing concerts, and getting to watch these musicians grow into wonderful human beings.

Best Advice for Our Community: Keep making music — sing in a choir, learn an instrument. You will not regret it.

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We love you, Mr. Toribio!

For six years, you have filled Highland with music, joy, creativity, and heart. Through concerts, performances, Lunch Bunches, and everyday moments in the music room, you have helped students discover their talents, build confidence, and find their voice.

Your passion for music is matched only by your care for children. You have created memories that students and families will carry with them for years to come. Whether students were stepping onto a stage for the first time or simply finding joy in making music together, you made them feel seen, valued, and capable.

While we are incredibly sad to see you go, we are so grateful for everything you have given to our community. Thank you for six wonderful years of inspiring Highland Huskies.

Once a Highland Husky, always a Highland Husky! ❤️🐾

06/17/2026

Change is always hard. It is also exciting and can be such an incredible time to grow!

We have several members of our team who will not be returning at the beginning of the school year.

We always want to share this information with our broader community so you can share your love and well wishes with these wonderful folks and also prepare your kiddos.
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Name/Role: Ms. Alicia Santiago , Bilingual Student Engagement Liaison

Years at Highland: 4 years

Favorite Memories at Highland: Celebrating the goals and accomplishments of my students and celebrating alongside their classes. I have also loved being part of such a diverse community and sharing lunch with a crazy and loving group of kids during Almuerzo con Amigos.

What’s Next: Head Secretary at East Gresham Elementary School

Best Advice for Our Community: Every person deserves to be seen with hope. We all come from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, and that’s what makes us unique. Strive to see others for who they can become, not just who they are today or mistakes they may have made. Our community is stronger when we believe in one another’s possibilities.
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We love you, Ms. Alicia! Thank you for four years of supporting students, building relationships with families, and helping every child feel seen, valued, and celebrated. Your kindness, compassion, and unwavering belief in our students have made Highland a better place.

While we are so sad to see you go, we are excited for you and wherever the road takes you. We know you will continue to make a positive difference in all that you do.

Once a Highland Husky, always a Highland Husky! ❤️🐾

06/10/2026