About Our Teachers
Mrs. Anderson
I came to Worthington in 2018 as a NEW teacher at 60 years of age!!! Scared, nervous and excited to begin this new career. I truly can say I am loving being a teacher of EL students. I have learned so much more from them than they may ever learn from me. I teach EL at the middle school. I moved from my home of 40 years in Waseca to take this job…it was a tough life decision, but one that I am thankful for.
Mrs. Butzon
My name is Mrs. Butzon. I have a Master’s in Education and I am licensed to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) K-12. Through a grant, I started my career co-teaching at Worthington High School. Afterwards, I taught EL (English Learners) K-12 for 9 years at Jackson County Central. I have been teaching EL students at Worthington Middle School since the beginning of the 2008 school year.
I grew up traveling around the world as a Navy dependent for 25 years and still love to travel. I enjoy teaching EL students, because my students tend to share the same desire to learn language and culture, as I do.
Ms. Motschenbacher
Hello! My name is Dana Motschenbacher and I teach 5th grade EL. I received my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education in 2012 from Minnesota State university Moorhead and my masters in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2016 from the same university. After graduating with my undergraduate degree, I served for a year in an Americorps program in Detroit Lakes, MN that focused on helping students in grade 4 and 5 learn math. I then became the ESL teacher for the district in Detroit Lakes for two years. After those two years, I became the ESL teacher for the Perham-Dent school district for two years. I am excited to continue my journey in education as an EL teacher at Worthington Middle School!
Mrs. Neville
Hello, my name is Courtney Neville. I have my bachelor’s in Elementary Education, as well as my Master’s in EL. I obtained both degrees through the University of South Dakota. I teach The Language of Science to our 5-8th grade newcomers, along with 7th and 8th grade Advance EL. Prior to joining the Worthington team in 2018, I taught 6th grade Science (3 years), Health (2 years) and Math (1 year) in Lennox, SD. I also taught a year of 5th grade Science and Math in North Sioux City, SD and a year of 6th grade Math and Language Arts in Hartford, SD while obtaining my degrees. My previous schools had very limited diversity, so I’m excited to for the opportunity to put my Master’s to use and work in a district with so many different cultures. When I’m not teaching, I enjoy relaxing and spending time with my friends and family.
Ms. Nguyen
Hello! I am Jade Nguyen and I am a ELL teacher. I obtained my undergraduate at Winona State University in Global Studies in 2019. I am currently working on my Master’s degree, Teaching English as a Second Language at St. Cloud State University. I want to work in this field because I want to be surrounded by different cultures and traditions. It is very fun and interesting for me to learn about everyone’s backgrounds! As a Worthington alum, I am happy to go back to where everything started and pay it back.