Welcome to another school year at Shirley Heim Middle School. We are so excited to be partnering with you and your students this year. It will definitely be an interesting year, but I know that it will also be fun and exciting. We wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Shirley Heim ESOL team. This year we have three wonderful teachers each who have tons of experience and who bring something unique to our team and your child’s education. 

Let’s meet the teachers. 

¡Hola!  My name is Mrs. Keitz and I will be the 6th grade ESOL teacher this year. I have worked for SCPS for 14 years. The first 9 years as a Paraprofessional at Barrett Elementary School, whereupon I developed a passion for working in education and decided to get my teaching license.  In 2015, I became a SPED-LD teacher at Barrett. Then, in 2018, I transferred to the ESOL department at Barrett, working with the ESOL students in grades K-2.  Finally, in 2019, I became one of the ESOL teachers at Shirley Heim Middle School working with students in grades 6-8.  I am also a Spanish interpreter for the county.

My family and I have made Stafford, VA. our home for the past 15 years, as this is where my husband retired after serving in the Navy for 20 years.  I have been married to my husband for over 25 years and we have four adult children, three sons and one daughter, all who attended Stafford County Public Schools.

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education-Interdisciplinary Studies as well as a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from Liberty University, and I am currently working on my Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction.

Hello! My name is Stephanie Smith and I’ll be teaching 7th Grade ESOL.  I have been an English teacher for 18 years in Stafford County at Gayle Middle School, and am excited to now focus on students who are learning English as a second language!  

I am married to a wonderfully patient man and together we have two children.  My daughter is 25 years old, and my son is 28.  When not having a family cookout, I like to read, take walks, and bike.  I’m especially happy if I can go kayaking.  I can’t wait to get started with teaching!

My name is Heidi Westervelt and I will be the 8th grade ESOL teacher as well as the Content Language Development teacher. This will be my fourth year teaching at Shirley Heim. I previously taught for two years at Hampton Oaks Elementary here in Stafford County.

I attended the University of Mary Washington where I earned my degree in History. After college, I took a year off to travel across Europe for three months and then to a variety of places in the United States. I returned to Mary Washington where I earned my Master’s degree in Education with an Endorsement in ESL in 2016.

In my free time, I enjoy going for hikes or long walks with my dog, Bella. She is two years old and is a very energetic dog. I also enjoy reading, hanging out with friends and visiting the lake as often as I can where I love to go swimming and paddle boarding.