Kelly Jennings walks across the hallway, getting smiles and waves as she passes students that know her. She smiles back and greets her students as she walks into the Special Education (SPED) classroom.

Jennings has been with Douglas County since she was a child, and continues to be with the school district even into adulthood. Jennings has been teaching here for seven years in SPED. She works with students with mild to moderate learning or emotional disabilities and assists them in being successful.

Before teaching at Rock Canyon, she worked at Buffalo Ridge Elementary School in a similar program. 

“At Buffalo, I worked as an educational assistant and I worked with many different classrooms. Then, I left because I got a job at Rock Canyon. At the time, I loved the kids’ ages, but then I got hooked here,” Jennings said. 

Jennings has loved helping kids with special needs her entire life. She achieved her master’s in psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Jennings is a Douglas County native: she attended Douglas County High School and watched Ponderosa High School’s construction. 

“My favorite part is working with the families, students, and the teachers all together putting together the puzzle of what the kids need,” Jennings said.

Not only has she worked at Buffalo Ridge Elementary School, she also has done family therapy with high-risk youth. 

“I always thought that I wanted to do family therapy, which I did, but then I got into this. So I thought I was going to work with high-risk youth, but then I got into SPED, and I fell in love with that,” Jennings said.