Mrs. Miller was born and raised in right here in amazing Wrangell, Alaska, at that time known as Jennifer Warfel. Mrs. Miller had always wanted to be a teacher!
After high school graduation, Mrs. Miller moved to Portland, Oregon and attended the University of Portland, a small private university located on what is called "The Bluff". Here she acquired a B.A. Elementary Education K-9 and Special Education K-12. with additional endorsements in reading and early childhood. This was a great experience.
Mrs. Miller moved back to Wrangell, Alaska, planning to apply for teaching jobs around the State of Alaska. This was not needed, as she was hired within days of being back on the island at Evergreen Elementary School as a First Grade teacher! Exciting! Two years later, marriage to her high school sweetheart made her Mrs. Miller and definitely one of the happiest young ladies around.
Over the last 24 years, Mrs. Miller has developed/taught programs for first, second, and third grades, as well as in multi-age classrooms of 1/2, 2/3, and 1/2/3. Mrs. Miller has co-written Artist in the Schools, National Youth Garden Grants, and other school grants. These grants established clay tile murals in our buildings and a school garden at the elementary site. It has been a very rewarding couple decades!
Mrs. Miller has also secured the grant funding and training for the National Archery in the Schools program, which occurs at the elementary school, and as of 2014 with middle school students, and 2015 with high school students. Mrs. Miller is trained in the multi-sensory language arts learning approach Slingerland, and is an Irlen colored overlay screener. In addition to having 100's of credits past her degree, Mrs. Miller put herself through graduate school, earning an endorsement in Educational Technology with the State of Alaska and a Master's Degree in Educational Technology. The M.Ed. Educational Technology was completed in 2012, after a couple years of enrollment in classes while continuing to teach full-time and raise her three young children as a widow. Whew! Life has been more than a little bit busy and definitely eventful!
Mrs. Miller has proudly served on committees for the Wrangell School District and in the Community of Wrangell. She has coached, led girl scouts, volunteered all over, and loves to hunt, fish, 4 wheel, snowmobile, hike, jet boat, and anything else our great outdoors has to offer. Mrs. Miller has served on State of Alaska EED committees for standards and assessments for about the last 18 years. For the past six years, Mrs. Miller has co-coordinated the WHS Shakes Glacier Survey team who monitors the activity of the Shakes Glacier up the Stikine River. Mrs. Miller also currently serves as the ASTE (Alaska Society for Technology in Education) STEM Network Leader. Her charge is to connect ASTE members in the subject areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Mrs. Miller is a lifelong learner and enjoys each and every school year just like it's her first. She desires to work and learn together to make amazing educational things happen!