Attendance: 763-315-4020
Northstar Bus: 763-425-2542
Transportation Plus: 612-888-8888
I have been in education for over 12 years. I have been in special education for over 5 years. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s Degree in Teaching & Learning, and Special Education. I am currently 4 classes away from obtaining my Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management as well. I hold 4 teaching licenses and 1 variance, K-6 Elementary Education, 5-8 Mathematics, K-12 Emotional Behavior Disorder (EBD), K-12 Learning Disabilities (LD), and a variance for K-12 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
I believe in being a lifelong learner and passing this knowledge onto my students. I love spending time with my family, watching football, and traveling to experience new and exciting places. I look forward to working on the board of education for district 4087 to empower and change our students' lives.
Leslie Geist
Laurie Traxler
ltraxler@sageacademy.org
Hello SAGE Scholars and other interested parties.
My name is Laurie Traxler, Ms. Traxler for my students. I attended Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University - Mankato, and the University of Minnesota. At Bemidji I “studied” gymnastics, hockey, and independent living. Then I went to Mankato, where I graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education. My teaching career began in 1990 teaching English Language Learners. After that, I became interested in teaching special education, so I went back to college at the U of M and Mankato State. I have oodles of graduate credits in special education. I have been fortunate to have taught on three different reservations as well as in inner city schools. I have had many different kinds of teaching experiences throughout my years of teaching!
Personally, I am very close to my family who all live in Minneapolis now. I have an adult daughter who just moved here from LA. I’m so happy about that! I love the outdoors: gardening, boating, canoeing, camping, hiking, campfires, and fishing (lake and ice). My family has a cabin on Ottertail Lake that we try to get to at every available chance. I also love music, art, theater, and travel. I am fortunate to have been to Europe twice (Italy, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland). My heritage is Scandinavian, English, Scottish, and Bohemian. So, I’m hoping my next trip will be to one of those places! I enjoy sharing my experiences with my students.
PARAPROFESSIONALS
Christine Johnson
cjohnson@sageacademy.org
Hey everyone!
My name is Christine and I’ve been working with kids in various positions for the last 25 years. I have been a nanny, a preschool teacher, chemical dependency technician, youth counselor and paraprofessional. This is my second year at SAGE, I started after Christmas last year.
I love spending time with my family and my zoo. I have way too many pets, including 3 dogs, my Manx kitties and our new little Savannah kittens. We enjoy kayaking, camping, scary movies, movies in the backyard along with drive-in movies in the summer. I am most definitely a Harry Potter fan and a Ravenclaw. We are rarely home during the Halloween season at my house, too many haunted houses and pumpkin patches to go to. Winter is all about Hygge; warm tea/cocoa, comfy blankets, curled up in front of the fireplace with my family...and some sledding.
I look forward to seeing all the SAGE kids this year and I hope everyone had a super amazing Summer!
Dylan Ramstad
dramstad@sageacademy.org
Hello, my name is Dylan Ramstad. I work at SAGE as a paraprofessional. This school year will be my second year working at SAGE. I studied education at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. I really enjoy my time spent with the students and staff at SAGE Academy.
Outside of school I enjoy camping, reading, playing with my cats, and watching football (Skol!). I grew up in Minnesota, but traveled to and lived in Wisconsin for many years. I enjoy the changing of the seasons in Minnesota and Wisconsin. My cats have enjoyed the increased attention from me and the students during distance learning. I hope we all have a fantastic school year!
Shawonda Davis (Ms. Davis)
Hello!! My name is Shawonda Davis. I prefer Davis or Ms. Davis. This is my first year here at Sage as a SpEd Para.
Mandy Abrahamson
aabrahamson@sageacademy.org
Hi all!
My name is Mandy and I have worked in the education field for almost 10 years. I was an early education teacher for 5 years and have been working as a special ed para for the last 3 years. I love working and helping students learn and grow. I am currently back in school working on my Bachelors degree in psychology. In my free time I am cooking or baking, with my family or pets, reading, or working on a puzzle. I am a “nerd” that loves things like the MCU and Harry Potter (I’m a proud Hufflepuff).
I am looking forward to an awesome school year and getting to know everyone!
Special Ed. Consultants
Kim Allgor Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Jennifer Heieiei
Special Education Director, Indigo Education
(800) 281-9980 ext. 64
Kim Herman Speech Pathologist, Word of Mouth
kimberlyherman@bywordofmouthltd.com
Lauren Hoffman Occupational Therapist, Edina Children's Therapy
edinachildrenstherapy@gmail.com
