Meet Our New Staff
Hilda Rice
Primary School Principal
I am so excited to become a member of the Sangamon Valley School community! This is my 15th year in education and first year as principal! I began my journey as a special education teaching assistant for Macon-Piatt in Mt. Zion schools. I continued from there teaching 5th grade for the next decade, followed by serving as assistant principal for the last year and a half, all in DPS61. I received my Bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida and my Master's degree from Eastern Illinois University in educational leadership. I am looking forward to many years working with the amazing teachers, staff and little ones at SVP!
Brittany Massey
Second Grade at SVP
This is my sixth year teaching but my first here at Sangamon Valley! I went to Millikin University and received a Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education with endorsements in Early Childhood Special Education and K-12 English as a Second Language. I've taught three years of preschool, a year in kindergarten, a year in first grade and now I'll be doing my first year in second grade! I'm excited to be at Sangamon Valley for this school year!
Jessica Whightsil
Primary School Interventionist
I am a graduate of Sangamon Valley and studied elementary education at Eastern Illinois University. I am thrilled to begin my eleventh year of teaching with SV this fall! I previously taught fourth grade at SVI and first and second at SVP. I am excited to be moving into the SVP interventionist position in the upcoming year! I will provide math, reading, and written language interventions to our primary students and monitor their academic progress throughout the year. I am looking forward to this opportunity and cannot wait to get the 2023/2024 school year started! Go Storm!
James Marksberry
Special Education at SVHS
I am originally from Kentucky (Go Wildcats!) and currently live in Harristown with my wife, Stacy, and our two daughters Abby and Emma. Abby is a sophomore at Greenville University and Emma is a senior at SVHS. I have worked in education for 17 years, spending 12 years as a Teaching Assistant in a Special Education classroom. In 2022, I earned my Bachelor's degree in Educational Studies in Elementary & Special Education from Western Governor's University. I am excited to finally be joining the Sangamon Valley family!