A resident of Eagle County since 1972, Mrs. Debbie Vernell has over 30 years of elementary teaching experience, all of which have been in the valley. She taught for over 20 years at Eagle Valley Elementary school where she was a first and second grade teacher as well as a literacy coach and reading interventionist. She began working at St. Clare in 2012 as our reading specialist. She holds both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Reading K-12. Her training includes being a facilitator for both Accelerated Reading (similar to Reading Recovery), and the Love and Logic parenting program. She is also certified in Orton Gillingham (a multisensory approach to learning). She and her husband have three grown daughters and four wonderful grandchildren. She loves to travel, bike, ski, read, garden, sew, and float on the Colorado River.