Faculty

2^nd Grade

Dwayne Blazina   

Dwayne received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from The Florida State University in 2002 and his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in 2008. He has 8 years experience as an educator in the Lee County School District. During those years he has taught music, reading, and most recently 2^nd Grade. Dwayne is a member of the Leadership Team, PBS Positive Behavior Support Team, and is a Kagan Cooperative Learning Coach in the school.

Laura Bonsangue

Laura was born in New York and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, when she was 6 weeks old. At 10 years old she moved to Jacksonville, FL, where she graduated from high school and earned an AA degree from Jacksonville Community College. She, then, attended Florida State University and earned a bachelor's degree in Interior Design. After graduation Laura moved to Naples, FL, where she worked in the Interior Design field for 2 years. She decided on a career change, so she went back to school attending Florida Gulf Coast University where she earned Professional Teacher certification in elementary education. She added an ESOL endorsement to her certification in the summer of 2008.

Laura recently returned from a month-long vacation in Turkey. She loves to travel and has been to Italy, Sicily, Costa Rica, Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Bahamas, New York, New Orleans, San Diego, and Seattle. She and her mom live in Ft. Myers, and her sister lives in Melbourne, FL. In her spare time she loves to do crafts, especially scrap booking.

Heidi Kastl   

Heidi moved to Ft. Myers in 2003 from New Jersey. She has a Bachelors Degree in German and is currently completing her Masters Degree in Elementary Education at Florida Gulf Coast University. She enjoys traveling and has traveled around Europe and Japan. For a while she even lived in Germany and Japan. Also Heidi enjoys reading in her spare time. She has one adult son who still lives in New Jersey. Heidi says her students know she loves them, believes in them and expects great things from them. Her classroom is a safe, nurturing and team-building environment, where students support each other, creating an atmosphere where learning thrives

Jessica Kiefer

Originally from Oakdale, Minnesota, Jessica graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. She loves to travel, especially to Isla Mujeres which is an island off of Cancun. Her love of running and swimming helped her complete her first triathlon last summer. She also loves to play soccer and tennis, watch football, and spend time with family and friends. She is looking forward to creating a positive classroom environment that allows her students to grow academically, socially, and developmentally!

Judy Knizner

Judy was born in Buffalo, NY, but she grew up in Houston,Texas. She graduated from FGCU with an Elementary Ed. degree in 1999 and graduated from Barry University in 2004 with a Masters degree in Montessori Education. Judy likes to exercise - mostly walking - and loves to read. She has a great husband of more than 30 years; a son, Daniel, who is 25 and lives and works in Ft. Myers; and a daughter, Megan, 22, who just graduated from Florida State University and will be going to the University of Florida for graduate school in Pharmacy. She also has a playful little friend, Lucy, a miniature schnauzer, who waits for her every afternoon so she can bite her shoes and give her a hug! Judy loves teaching and looks forward to another exciting year!

Jennifer Ramon 

Jennifer is originally from northeast Ohio. She attended Kent State University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. She taught two years in Port Charlotte, Florida, before moving to Ray V. Pottorf Elementary in 2005. She loves spending time with her husband, Carlos, and beautiful son, Alexander. They love taking Alex to the beach, to the park, and reading with him. This year Jennifer is looking forward to working with RVP Panther Step Team. Her educational philosophy is working with every child to make them successful and making sure they know just how wonderful they are.