About Me

Vonda was raised in Ferguson, Missouri, and attended college in Kansas City, KS, where she earned a B.A. in Psychology.  She married her college sweetheart, John, and shortly after graduation, they both accepted positions in Vermont, working in a non-profit setting.  Vonda chose to step away from her career for a season to devote her energies full-time to raising their four children. In 1998, the Dahl family moved to Sterling, North Dakota, where they purchased the family farm.  Vonda returned to college in 2009, earning a B.S. in Elementary Education, and then a M.A. in Early Childhood Education in 2013.  Vonda taught first grade in rural Wing, ND, for four-and-a-half years.  In the fall of 2015, she accepted a position in the Mandan district, as both a Title I reading interventionist, and an Instructional Strategist.  Her current role is serving the Mandan district as the district literacy coordinator.

 

Vonda’s passion for literacy propelled her to volunteer at both the Welcome House family homeless shelter and on the pediatric floor of Sanford hospital, reading aloud to children in crisis. As colleagues heard of her efforts to raise literary awareness in a volunteer capacity, they asked if they could participate as well.  In January of 2016, Project Armchair was launched, with six certified teachers.  To date, there are currently twenty certified teachers involved in the services of Project Armchair.  In 2021, Vonda earned a PhD in Teaching & Learning.