Staff Spotlight: Vanessa Gunderson is Getting to Know Families 

This post is part of the Lynden Schools Staff Spotlight series

Vanessa Gunderson loves every facet of her role at Lynden Academy, from working with her students, the staff alongside her and getting to know the families of her students. That intentional family feel is what keeps her excited about her work across multiple grades. 

The Role

Having served in Lynden Schools for the past seven years, Gunderson is on her fifth year teaching at Lynden Academy (she was at Fisher Elementary and Bernice Vossbeck Elementary for one year each prior to Lynden Academy), working with third-grade students and families, teaching English language arts and science to eighth graders and instructing archery. 

“I love my students, families and staff at Lynden Academy,” she says. “It feels like a family here.” While supporting third graders with student academic progress and social skill development, Gunderson says she really gets to know each one of her students and their families. She can focus on content instruction with the eighth graders, while this year also putting a fresh twist on instruction with archery.  

Getting to Know Vanessa

Outside of work, Gunderson and her family stay active in the community. During the summer, you’ll find them attending archery shoots or spending time at a local lake or beach. The couple’s oldest son, a Lynden Academy graduate, was a member of the 2021 2A state championship football team and is “now proudly serving in the U.S. Army.” The couple’s daughters keep them busy with athletic commitments, especially weekend wrestling tournaments. 

“I truly value our community,” Gunderson says, “and enjoy seeing both past and current students at sporting events, parks and throughout Lynden.”