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I started Aspire Academy in April of 2017 to reach those who struggle with reading, writing and spelling. Helping those who face challenges in these areas became a passion of mine when raising my son. I was quick to realize that resources for him were scarce, and oftentimes we had to travel a great distance to get the help he needed.
Before opening our doors here at Aspire Academy, I worked with parents across Iowa to develop the Iowa Chapter of Decoding Dyslexia in 2013. Decoding Dyslexia Iowa is a non-profit that educates parents and teachers about dyslexia, and advocates for adequate dyslexia laws in our state. Through the Iowa Chapter, my devotion to helping others was emboldened. The following year, I was a founding partner of the first dyslexia center in the Des Moines area.
I am proud to be a part of the foundation for reading, writing and spelling services for students with dyslexia in Iowa and the other regions we serve! It is no mistake that you have found us, and I look forward to meeting with you, either online or in-person, about how we can introduce Educational Excellence into your lives. I have filled Aspire Academy with caring, compassionate people, like myself, who love to teach students the skills they need to succeed.
My personal drive stems from a lifetime of seeing highly talented individuals who struggle with reading and spelling being denied their full potential. 95% of people can learn to read, and we are an organization dedicated to that.
Dr. Donna Loewen is an educator with experience spanning five decades in K-12 systems and higher education. She is dedicated to providing opportunities and support to students to succeed in school and life. Donna knows that reading is a human right and a key skill needed for success as a student, an employee, a parent, and many other life roles. Being part of the Aspire Academy Dyslexia Tutoring Program, as a tutor and administrator for the NE region, she is doing something that matters to students, especially those facing barriers to learning and success.
Donna has been a life-long community member of Dubuque County, and she attended St. Mary’s Grade School, Stephen Hempstead High School, Loras College (B.A. in Speech Communication and Elementary Education), Clarke College (M.A. in Education Administration), and The University of Iowa (Ph.D. in Student Development/Counselor Education).
Donna delights in working with area youth and has made a large impact in the Dubuque Community and surrounding areas. Just a few of her contributions include: elementary teacher, language arts coordinator, junior high speech coach, director of the Career Center at Loras, Adult Degree Program, service on boards for area non-profit organizations, long-time elementary principal at Lincoln and Kennedy Schools, involvement with local/regional spelling bees, and coordinator of a college access network, to being trained as a dyslexia tutor. If you walk down a Dubuque street with Donna, someone will be calling out “Hey Dr. Loewen, remember me?” And, she always does with the biggest smile on her face, and the biggest hug coming their way.
“Young people are our future leaders, and supporting them is meaningful and satisfying!”
Donna is married to Roger Loewen, a retired firefighter, and they have one adult daughter and an Australian cattle dog named Charlie, who ensures lots of outdoor time and activity. She enjoys word games and puzzles, writing letters and poetry, and following her beloved Chicago Cubs.
Aspire Academy is very proud to have her as Administrator of the Northeast Iowa region, helping to make dyslexia services more affordable and accessible.
Aspire Academy Northeast has 17 tutors who each received 60 hours of Orton-Gillingham instruction using the Wilson method. They each completed a practicum as part of their training. They were observed and given feedback on how to deliver the method effectively through their training and with individual students. The training included how to screen readers to see if they are showing the warning signs of dyslexia and if they fit the profile of a child who needs intensive structured literacy (Orton-Gillingham).
Through the 60-hour course, they learned to deliver reading and spelling instruction to the intensity needed to help struggling readers become fluent readers and accurate spellers. The Orton-Gillingham method is scientifically designed to help the reading brain engage.
Each tutor was trained by Aspire Academy Director, Heidi Stoffel, who is certified through the International Dyslexia Association and the Wilson Reading Academy. Heidi has had 15 years of experience teaching this method to struggling readers, and has taken Master’s level courses in Orton-Gillingham methods. Our tutors include teachers and business professionals.
Our list of tutors include:
Aspire Academy Northeast has 17 tutors who each received 60 hours of Orton-Gillingham instruction using the Wilson method. They each completed a practicum as part of their training. They were observed and given feedback on how to deliver the method effectively through their training and with individual students. The training included how to screen readers to see if they are showing the warning signs of dyslexia and if they fit the profile of a child who needs intensive structured literacy (Orton-Gillingham).
Through the 60-hour course, they learned to deliver reading and spelling instruction to the intensity needed to help struggling readers become fluent readers and accurate spellers. The Orton-Gillingham method is scientifically designed to help the reading brain engage.
Each tutor was trained by Aspire Academy Director, Heidi Stoffel, who is certified through the International Dyslexia Association and the Wilson Reading Academy. Heidi has had 15 years of experience teaching this method to struggling readers, and has taken Master’s level courses in Orton-Gillingham methods. Our tutors include teachers and business professionals.
Lorlie is a teacher with the Dubuque Community School District. Within her 13 years of teaching, she has taught as a special education teacher, title one teacher, second grader teacher, and now going back to special education. She has recently graduated with her second master’s and pursued a degree in Administration.
Lorlie enjoys spending times camping with her husband and two boys. There they enjoy the outdoors, water and friends. When not camping, Lorlie and her husband like to find roads less traveled to take their motorcycle on an adventure. Through this tutoring experience, Lorlie has enjoyed strengthening her phonics skills and having the ability to work one-on-one with students in the community to give the strategies and confidence they need to become successful readers and writers.
Before joining Aspire Academy, Denise earned a B.A. in Integrative Studies from George Mason University and an M.A. in Elementary Education from Western Governors University. Denise is currently attending the University of Northern Iowa to obtain her M.A. in Educational Leadership.
Denise has been teaching since 2021 and has taught 2nd and 3rd grades. Denise’s favorite thing about being a tutor is fostering a positive and engaging learning environment. Her goal is to create students who feel valued, inspired, and motivated to explore their full potential.
Outside of tutoring, Denise enjoys spending time with her family and friends, listening to audiobooks, and traveling. Her favorite book is Esperanza Rising.
JoAnn Lynch has been a dedicated and passionate educator in the Dubuque Public Schools for 22 years. She started as a reading intervention teacher for third grade, taught first grade for 11 years, and has been teaching second grade for the remainder of those years. She graduated from California Polytechnic University in Sociology, got her teaching credential from California State San Bernardino and went on to get her Master’s in Reading from Walden University.
Her favorite part of teaching is instilling a love of learning. She enjoys seeing the growth that all children make through repetition, consistency, creativity and fun. She chose to tutor for Aspire to help students with Dyslexia and/or who simply need the extra support and confidence in their abilities to read and write and continue to be a part of that success in a one on one setting.
JoAnn has five grown, successful and independent daughters and five wonderful grandchildren. In her spare time she loves to spend time with family and friends, travel when she can, read and listen to Audible books, exercise and continue learning in various ways. She also loves her dog Sawyer! Her favorite books tend to be non-fiction or biographies. Some of her favorite childhood books are those that focus on self confidence such as A Bad Case of Stripes, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon and many more.
At Aspire, everything we do is based on solid, proven research, and research also supports that children who are relaxed, comfortable and engaged in the learning experience retain what they are taught longer. We include gross motor games in our lessons. When student’s complete tasks that are challenging for them, they are rewarded. We measure student success and progress with every lesson, every six months, and every year.
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