Literacy Support Team
Laurie Gingrich
Literacy Coach
Laurie Gingrich, the literacy coach at Barack Obama Elementary School, is a National Board Certified Teacher in the area of Literacy: Reading-Language Arts. She received her B.A. from the University of Richmond in 2004 and her M.Ed in Reading from VCU in 2007. Laurie taught first and second grades before accepting the role of Reading Specialist in her building. Laurie is Orton-Gillingham Classroom Educator certified and a Local LETRS facilitator. In her work outside of her school, Laurie is a Language Arts Academic Architect for Richmond Public Schools and has participated on the VDOE’s SOL Test Item Review Committee. Within the community, Laurie is a member of the VCU Service Learning Advisory Group and mentors preservice teachers through the VCU Ruth Harris Scholarship program, allowing VCU students to practice and apply their Orton-Gillingham training. With 20 years of teaching experience, Laurie advocates for effective literacy instruction for all students.
Certifications:
Elementary Ed Pk - 6, Reading Specialist
Marybeth Ryan
Reading Interventionist
My name is MaryBeth Ryan. I am the reading interventionist and STC for Barack Obama Elementary. This will be my 24th year working for Richmond Public Schools. Before coming to Obama I was a general education teacher and a special education teacher. I became a reading specialist because I strongly believe that being able to read is the key to being successful. My daughter, who is now in college, has dyslexia. As a parent I have witnessed the struggle first hand, and I know how frustrating it can be as a parent when your child struggles. I live in the neighborhood and walk to school everyday. I chose to work in my community because in order for all kids to succeed, we (parents, stakeholders, teachers) need to work together.
Certifications:
Masters in reading specialist, Bachelors in SPED Pre K to 12, Bachelors in General Education K to 5