Meet Our Staff

I am Katrina Pionek and I’m the Between the Lakes Virtual Academy’s Program Leader and Local Mentor/Teacher. I love working with students and their families to find a personal education plan that works for each individual student. I currently live on a dairy farm with my husband and two kids. I enjoy watching my kids play sports, perform in theater, and show their animals at the fair. My favorite pastime is watching the Green Bay Packers.

My name is Alice Wanty and I will be teaching middle school Language Arts and math for Between the Lakes. I am a middle and high school math and English teacher. I have been teaching since 1994, and I have a masters degree in computer science.

When I am not teaching, I love spending time with my family kayaking, fishing, hiking, skiing, and having adventures, learning about the natural world around me.  I live in a rural unincorporated town of Charlesburg, Wisconsin.

When I am forced to be inside, I enjoy going to libraries or museums and researching random topics.  Some of my favorite topics are: plants and weeds that can be used for food or medicine, how to build solar panels, weird facts about historical events and people that aren’t taught in school, and how to make art out of junk.  I want to learn more about electrical circuits and soldering of all kinds, and I would love to start my own maker space.  I also enjoy all things Star Wars, Legos, and games of all kinds.

I look forward to working with you and finding out what inspires you to learn!

My name is Olivia Durant. I’m so excited to serve you as an educator for Between the Lakes Virtual Academy where I will be teaching grades 3, 4 and 5. I’ve been teaching for seven years. Most recently, I taught grades 4-8 in a talented and gifted school for four years before moving to the online/virtual classroom this past year.  I live in Kansas with my husband, two children and our Goldendoodle, Piper. We love to spend time with family, travel and participate in any outdoor activities. I’m looking forward to meeting you and learning alongside you and your family this school year!

Hi! My name is Jennifer Heritsch and I’m the 4K-2nd grade teacher at Between the Lakes Virtual Academy. This year starts my 16th year teaching early childhood and elementary education and my 2nd year fully virtual. I’m a Wisconsin native and a proud alumni of UW-Milwaukee. Go Panthers!

I live in Stoughton, WI with my husband, Paul and our seven children, MJ, Eleanor, Oliver, Theodore, Ameleia, Julian and Penelope! We have a 10 acre hobby farm with a variety of animals.

I also enjoy coffee, suspense novels and all things vintage!

My name is Bridget August and I’m excited to be a 7th Grade teacher at Between the Lakes Virtual Academy.  I have over 26 years of experience teaching at both the elementary and middle school levels. In addition to teaching for BTLVA, I hold the position of reading specialist/interventionist at Kiel Middle School.

I received my education through the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Cardinal Stritch University.  Currently, I am pursuing a certificate as a Structured Literacy-Dyslexia Interventionist.    I live in the Kiel community with my husband and daughters. I have a passion for helping students become lifelong readers. When I’m not at school you’ll likely find me cheering on my daughters at their sporting events, reading, scrapbooking, walking, or traveling.   I am excited to work with parents and students as we explore the academic world of 7th Grade.