Madison McNamee
4th Grade Teacher
Hello fourth grade!
My name is Madison McNamee. This will be my fourth year of teaching and fourth year at South Union! I graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education. When I am not teaching, you can find me spending time with my boyfriend, Brandon, and our son Calum, who is a pandemic baby, and our two golden retrievers, Django and Aspen. I also enjoy spending my time being active outside, being with family and friends or relaxing on the couch with a good book. I am so excited to get this year started and to meet all of you!
Laura Peterson
4th Grade Teacher
Hey there, Little Rails!
My name is Ms. Peterson! This is my sixth year of teaching, but will be my second year teaching 4th grade at South Union Elementary! I graduated from Luther College (Go NORSE!) with a degree in elementary education. I am a Minnesota native, but have been living in Iowa the last few years and have fallen in love with the Des Moines area. I live in Altoona, IA with my fiancé, Joe, his daughter, Eve, and our French bulldog, Vinny. When I’m not teaching, I love staying active whether it’s going for walks, runs, or bike rides and trying all sorts of new food – tacos are my favorite! I also enjoy traveling and spending time with my friends and family. I am excited for another year of fun, laughter, and learning with you! There may be some challenges along the way, but I know we will get through them together! I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish!
Katherine Wilson
4th Grade Teacher
Hello everyone!
My name is Katie Wilson and I am an Iowa girl, born and raised. I attended Des Moines Public Schools growing up and it has been my dream since I was in elementary school to one day be a teacher in this district. I graduated from Grand View University with a degree in elementary education and an endorsement in reading. Upon graduating, I taught fifth grade for two years. After that time I moved to Waterloo, Iowa for a year where I worked as a graduate assistant in the Literacy and Curriculum department at UNI. In this position, I worked as a practicum supervisor to junior level elementary education students. Upon moving back to Des Moines I taught middle school for one semester then worked as a substitute in the district. In my free time, I love spending time with my family, walking my dogs, and reading. I’m so excited to start teaching at South Union. One thing I am most looking forward to is getting to know all of my students and their families. Thank you for welcoming me to your school!