Mrs. Pennington grew up in Yuba City, CA, but she spent most of our summers here in Santa Cruz as her father was involved in a couple of events here. When she graduated from high school she moved to Santa Cruz. She has five sisters and one brother and most of her family is in education, so she was the odd one out when she graduated with a degree in graphic design from San Jose State University. Mrs. Pennington and her husband had a successful business in printing and graphic design for many years in Scotts Valley, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it was time for a change. Her good friend, Lynn Beebe, called her one day and asked if she would consider being an aide at SVMS. Well, she decided to give it a try, and the rest is history. She went on to get her credential in Special Education and was hired by SVMS in 2008. She absolutely loves working at the middle school! She has three daughters who were supported and inspired by teachers in this district, and who have all gone on to earn their degrees. She feels fortunate to have the opportunity to, hopefully, in some small way, help a student see that we all have strengths and weaknesses and we can all be successful.