The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Meet Your Neighbor

Meet your neighbor and La Harpe Elementary school teacher, Natalie Vershaw of Macomb.

Natalie and her family recently moved to Illinois from the state of Virginia. Natalie was born in Peoria and raised in East Peoria.

She is the daughter of Roger and Kathy Hamp, who lived throughout their lives in East Peoria. Roger was a firefighter for the City of Peoria and Kathy was a teacher. They recently moved to Minnesota where Natalie's sister lives. They are retired and spend their time traveling and visiting on the weekends.

Natalie married her husband, Mark, in 1999. Mark is the assistant basketball coach at Western Illinois University in Macomb. They have two children, Isabelle, 10 and Asher, 8.

Natalie has one sister, Jill who lives in Minnesota with her husband, Scott and their daughters, Kennedy, 10 and Bayler, 8. Jill is also a teacher.

After graduating from East Peoria Community High school, Natalie attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana for her bachelor s degree in Elementary Education. After graduation from there, she attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison to receive her master s degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

Natalie has taught 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th grades in New York, Washington, Wisconsin, Virginia and Finland. She now teaches the 4th grade in La Harpe. Natalie is a National Board Certified Teacher. She has been awarded several grants and was chosen as a Golden Apple Award winner in Madison, Wisconsin.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, participating in church activities with friends, jogging, and cheering for the basketball team!

Natalie says, We have moved a lot, and I am thrilled to be here in Macomb. Coach Wright is wonderful, and we are so grateful that Mark is a part of the Leatherneck Basketball program. My class and the staff at La Harpe are fantastic! This has been the start to a really great year!