Meet the Teachers

Mrs. Becky Bender (Full time Lead Early Learning Teacher)--My husband and I live on a dairy farm.  We have 4 sons and 1 daughter, as well as, 4 grandsons ages 1, 3 and 1/2, 8 and 10 years old. We also have two dogs. Two of the boys work on the farm with my husband, our oldest son and our daughter work in other ag related services, and our middle son works road construction. This year is my 18th year teaching Early Learning in Rio. Before I became a teacher, I had my own in-home childcare for 14 years. I love to read; favorite characters are Mo Willems' Pigeon, Eric Litwin's Pete the Cat, and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter. 

Ms. Kailie Corning (Splits time in Early Learning, Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade)--I am the early childhood special education teacher here at Rio. I grew up in Fall River WI and I still reside there. I went to school for my associate degree in early childhood education at Madison College. After getting my associate degree I continued on with my education by getting my bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater in early childhood education and early childhood special education.   

Mrs. Mallory McConochie (Early Learning Educational Assistant)--My husband and I are Rio natives and we both graduated from Rio High School. We have twin 11 year old boys. As a family we enjoy camping, cooking, foraging, hunting, and fishing. I started as a teaching assistant the 2nd semester of 2016-2017 school year after I was a Project Wild Child volunteer. I am also a special education assistant. I am very excited to start the school year! "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn."

Mrs. Melissa Sandberg (Split times with Early Learning, Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade)--Hello! I'm Mrs. Sandberg and this is my third year teaching at Rio Elementary. When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my husband, daughter, and our 2 dogs. We also have 4 goats. I'm looking forward to meeting you and having a great school year together! 

Ms. Brea Falstad (Speech and Language Pathologist)--Hi, my name is Brea Falstad and I am the Speech-Language Pathologist at Rio. I grew up in Poynette, WI, and currently reside in Pardeeville. I have lots of experience working with young children both in the childcare setting and as a respite care provider. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and my graduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In my free time, I love reading books and spending time at the lake with my family.