Falls City Public Schools School Psychologist, Clarissa Ross was one of the recipients of the 2021-2022 NARSP Active Educator Scholarship. Ms. Ross has been an educator for fifteen years, which has included predominately Pre-School Early Childhood teaching experiences in Des Moines, IA; Hiawatha, KS; Horton, KS; and Falls City.
In her application, Ross noted, "I am the first Early Childhood Special Education teacher hired by Falls City Public Schools. In this position, I helped to create a working relationship between the Early Development Network staff and the Preschool teachers at North School so that students being served feel more comfortable attending public school and teachers are more prepared for the students entering their classrooms. I have also brought more awareness to the importance of using evidence-based practices in early intervention programming."
"As I think about my objective for pursuing this degree in School Psychology, only one answer comes to mind, to ensure that every child has access to quality education. That is a very simple statement but making it a reality is extremely complex. In order to support teachers in providing quality education, I have had to learn about child development, basic human needs, mental health supports, collaboration, and consultation strategies, testing practices, reading and interpreting data, and effective strategies to use while researching activities and teaching methods to offer teachers to support student needs."