Staff Spotlight: Ashley Renfro - paraeducator at Sheridan Elementary School

September 30, 2025

Every week, we shine a spotlight on one Lincoln Public Schools staff member! This week, meet Ashley Renfro, paraeducator at Sheridan Elementary School.

“Ashley is a shining star at Sheridan, and we are incredibly lucky to have her! Ashley is kind, caring and thoughtful to students and staff. She is always willing to help when an extra hand is needed. Ashley goes above and beyond to ensure all Sheridan students feel safe and welcome at school. It is a joy to see her passion for our students and the strong bonds she builds with them. Ashley is an amazing paraeducator and a wonderful friend.” - Shelby Glaser, school psychologist

In a few sentences, briefly describe your role at LPS.
I am a paraeducator at Sheridan Elementary. I support students all throughout the building in one capacity or another and work one on one with students who have special needs. I also teach intervention groups.

How long have you worked for LPS?
I have worked for LPS for almost two years. My first day at Sheridan was actually the day before Halloween in 2023.

What inspired you to become part of the education field at LPS?
This is kind of a long story. After graduating from college, I worked at a university back in Texas, doing research and grants administration management. Eventually, there came a point when I was seriously mulling over the desire for a change in career, as I felt called to do something where I could have a positive effect on people daily and serve them on a more personal level (and ideally not have to sit in front of a computer screen my whole work day). Not long after I was contemplating a change, my grandfather had some health problems, and I quit my job at the university, as traveling back and forth from Texas to Nebraska became a very frequent part of my life. My grandfather lived/lives in Nebraska. 

During this time, I also enrolled in and completed the few classes that I needed to apply for various accelerated nursing programs in Texas and Nebraska. However, after getting accepted into all of the programs, I was uncertain that the nursing path was truly for me, so I went back to the drawing board. A little while later, my mother, siblings and I moved to Nebraska full-time, as my mother wanted to be close to my grandfather. 

One day in September 2023, when I was attending a concert, I met a woman who mentioned that she was a para at one of the elementary schools in Lincoln. I didn’t know what a para was at the time, but after her description of the job and her telling me that I would make a great para based on the energy and spirit I have, I made a mental note. I’ve always been great with kids and have had so many people throughout my lifetime tell me that I would make a great teacher, so not long after the concert, I searched the LPS site for job openings and saw a para position at Sheridan available and applied for it. I immediately got called for a Zoom interview and then did an in-person interview with the principal and vice principal at Sheridan. During the in-person interview, I just knew that I was going to get an offer for the job, and then, a couple days later, I did, and the rest is history.

What has been your favorite part of working here? What aspect of your job do you find most rewarding?
My favorite part of working at LPS (and more specifically, Sheridan Elementary) is, without a doubt, the kids. I am blessed to be at a wonderful school where the light, love, and joy abound and make me actually want to come to work. The connections I’ve been able to make with students are unmatched and something I truly cherish. I find that witnessing the growth and development of the students in various facets, not just academic, but behavioral, emotional and personal as well, to be so rewarding and special.

It is incredible to see how much students can grow and achieve in a supportive environment that fosters learning where their individual needs are accounted for and instills a confidence and acceptance of differences. I will never forget the moment that data came back from the first testing of the kindergarten students who were in my very first intervention group I was teaching. Their scores reflected substantial gains in skills, so much so that the intervention teacher was shocked, and I literally just jumped for joy because I was so proud of each one of them for their hard work, and I couldn't help but feel joy at the positive effect that I was able to have on them in helping to grow their skills and confidence in reading.

Did you attend LPS as a student? If so, which school(s)? If not, where are you from?
I am not a Lincoln (or even Nebraska) native. I was born in Colorado and grew up moving around, but I’ve lived in Texas the most. I have attended all different types of schools: public, private, religious, secular and Montessori (which is the type of school I attended longest). I was also homeschooled, starting in seventh grade.

What path did you take after completing your formal education?
As my previous answer reflects, I have quite a non-traditional background, when it comes to my education. I actually lived outside of the U.S. during my high school years and was enrolled in a homeschool correspondence program; however, I found the program to be very non-stimulating, so I did not complete it. Instead, when I came back to the states, I immediately obtained my GED and then enrolled in college courses. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UNL, where I graduated as a chancellor’s scholar with high distinction.

What do you enjoy most about the Lincoln community?
Lincoln is like a big small town, and there is a level of comfort that comes with that, even though I detest the winters here. I really appreciate and respect the care that Lincoln has taken to preserve and support outdoor activities. Parks and walking/bike trails are abundant throughout the city, and the emphasis on free events like yoga in the park and various music/concert series is stellar. I also would be remiss without mentioning the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, as it is one of my all-time favorite features here that I always look forward to seeing. Ooh and I adore the free little libraries that are scattered throughout the city.

What is your favorite childhood book or a book that has influenced your life positively?
I love reading, so there are many books that I cherish (and the list grows longer, the more I read); however, typically, I find that there are lines or passages that resonate more with me than overall books. Although, I will always hold dear “Your True Home: The Everyday Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh." I read this book when I was 16, and it helped me develop a new outlook and mindset that is still with me today.

Share a shout out to a former teacher who impacted your life.
I am forever grateful to the several teachers from my early academic background when I attended true Montessori schools that instilled in me a love of learning and self-motivation, which has stuck with me to this day. They taught me that mistakes are okay to make because mistakes show that you are trying, and trying is absolutely essential to learning and growing. They promoted creative approaches to learning, showing that there is not just one way to learn or figure something out, and emphasized the benefits of both individual and group learning, and this framework is something I utilize daily. Additionally, I am incredibly lucky enough to be able to specifically say that my mother is also a teacher who has impacted my life. Homeschooling can be incredibly challenging, but my mother instilled a very strong work ethic in me and always fostered a love of learning and unbridled curiosity. She also emphasized the importance of reading and being active in nature and taught me that one is never too old to learn, as learning should be a lifelong endeavor.

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