This is Marianne Wallace’s 11th year as an Educational Assistant at Ashland Middle School, and during that time, she has made herself an indispensable part of students’ middle school experience. In addition to working with 6th grade students and teachers on the Siskiyou team, Marianne greets students as they get off the busses in the morning and helps as a scorekeeper during after-school sports like basketball and volleyball. On Wednesdays, she runs the Gotcha Store, a place where students can exchange their Gotcha tickets for prizes (including the recent addition of hot chocolate) as part of reinforcing positive behaviors here at AMS. Always smiling and ebullient, Marianne says about AMS, “I love the kids. They make it fun coming to work every day. I also love the people I work with. There’s such a strong sense of community among the staff.”
Marianne was born in California but moved around a lot growing up as her father was in the Navy. She attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and lived in the Bay Area, Utah and Spain before making her way to Ashland in 2010. Her son Rowan is a graduate of the Ashland School District and is now a student at Portland State University. Besides loving to garden and raise chickens, Marianne ferments her own kimchi and sauerkraut. Count yourself lucky if you get a jar as a holiday gift!