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Speech - Mary Hempel & Jenni Ortmeier
• The Speech Therapy Department at the Groton Area School District looks a bit different this school year. 
• Candice Mohn accepted a position at the School for the Visually Impaired in Aberdeen.
• Speech Therapy Services are provided by Mary Hempel, along with an assistant, Jenni Ortmeier. We are employed by North Central  Services Educational Cooperative (NCSEC) centered in Aberdeen, on the NSU Campus. 
•  My name is Mrs. Mary Hempel , I will tell you a bit about myself.
• -Mary Hempel:  the last 2 years I have had the opportunity to provide services at the Groton Area School, on a part time basis; therefore I am familiar with the students and staff. I have been a SLP for over 20 years, employed with Northeast Educational Services Cooperative (NESC) providing services in area School Districts. I earned my undergraduate degree from SDSU, in Brookings and my graduate studies at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho.  Currently, I live in Webster with my husband, Dave. We have 5 daughters and 1 son.  I was fortunate to spend my formative years on a farm near Gettysburg, SD.
• Jenni Ortmeier  provides services as a Speech Language Pathologist- Assistant ( SLP-A), graduating from Mitchell Technical Institute in 2012, currently living in Aberdeen with Kyle, and their children, Macy and Aiden.  Wednesday through Friday she assists at the Groton School, the other 2 days at Warner and Northwestern.
• We look forward to meeting more families, at Parent/Teacher Conferences and at various school events throughout the year. 
• I will have an assortment of handouts that explain the many areas of learning that are a part of the Speech/Language Department.  We provide services for children from Birth through age 21, provided they are in a school setting.
• Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) are the professionals who evaluate articulation skills and implement therapy programs.  Whether or not an SLP recommends speech therapy will depend upon many factors, including: the age of the child, the types of errors, and the severity of the problem.
• There will be various informational handouts available about the areas covered through Speech/Language Services at Parent/Teacher Conferences.   
• Please feel free to contact the school or myself if you have any concerns, questions or information.

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