Teachers

Mrs. Fenton

Meet Mrs. Zaputil-

I have been teaching here in my hometown of Denver since 2008. My career started in first grade. I taught two years of first grade, followed by four years in kindergarten. For the last five years I’ve taught third grade, and I really enjoy teaching this age! My husband, Jordan and I live in the country west of Denver with our three children, Zearley (8 years old), Zaylin (6 years old), and our son Zaith (2 years old). We have two dogs, both boxers, Ezra and Zoe, along with one cat, Simon, and a bearded dragon (name undecided). With my family, we enjoy being outside, going for walks, watching the girls participate in gymnastics and soccer, and boating/swimming during the summer. I also enjoy cooking, taking pictures, and reading. My favorite genres to read are historical fiction, realistic fiction, or nonfiction. We read lots of pictures books over and over again at home, and some of our favorites remain the classics, like Dr. Seuss!

Mrs. Westendorf

I have been teaching since 2007. My career started at Cunningham Elementary in Waterloo, Iowa. While there I taught one year in 5th grade and three years in 4th grade. I moved to Denver Elementary in 2011 and began my adventure in 3rd grade. I stay busy at home with my family- Andrew (husband), Davis (7 year old son), Andie (4 year old daughter) and pets (dog, cats, ant farm). In addition to reading I enjoy running, being outdoors with my family, gardening and boating in the summer time. I truly love reading books and get excited about learning new information. My favorite genre is historical fiction because I like to learn about the past. My son has gotten me into reading more nonfiction books and that is where our love for wildlife has emerged.

Mrs. Schmidt
I have been teaching since 2012. I began teaching 4th, 5th, and 6th graders at Howard-Winneshiek in Cresco, Iowa. I moved to Waterloo in 2014 where I taught only 5th grade. I came to Denver Elementary in 2017, where I began working with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. I live in Cedar Falls, Iowa with my husband, Caleb, and my dog, Mazie. I enjoy watching movies, walking, gardening, cooking, and reading books. I really like to read books that are realistic fiction, thrillers, or historical fiction.