District 7 Announces Coordinator Appointments in Special Education and Curriculum and Instruction

EDWARDSVILLE — Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 has announced the appointments of Kalan Gott as special education coordinator and Caty Happe as curriculum coordinator. Both appointments were approved in March by the Board of Education.

Gott replaces Lori Compton, who is retiring at the end of the school year following a 25-year career in District 7.

Gott currently serves as an elementary instructional coach in the district’s curriculum department, where she works alongside teachers and building leaders to support instruction and student achievement. She joined District 7 in 2021 as a self-contained special education teacher at Lincoln Middle School, where she supported students with social-emotional learning needs for three years before transitioning into her current role in 2023.

Prior to joining District 7, Gott spent eight years in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, the nation’s fifth-largest school district. During her time there, she served as a K-3 resource teacher in a turnaround school, supporting early learners with individualized academic needs. She later worked for six years as an autism itinerant, partnering with educators to support students with autism and helping implement effective classroom strategies and supports. She also served as a self-contained classroom teacher for students with specific learning disabilities.

Gott began her career teaching middle school special education, working in co-taught, pull-out and push-in instructional models designed to meet the needs of diverse learners.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in education and a learning behavior specialist endorsement from Illinois State University. Gott also holds a master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an educational specialist degree in educational leadership from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Happe joins the district’s curriculum and instruction department, transitioning from her role as instructional technology coach at Edwardsville High School, a position she has held since 2022. In her new role, Happe will oversee curriculum and instruction at EHS.

A 2011 graduate of EHS (formerly Caty Ponce), Happe brings both a personal connection to the school and a strong background in education. She previously taught mathematics at Edwardsville High School during the 2016-17 school year and returned in 2018, where she has remained in the classroom while also supporting staff through her instructional technology role. During the 2017-18 school year, she taught at Hazelwood West High School.

Happe earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with secondary education certification from McKendree University in December 2015. She later completed a master’s degree in educational leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in spring 2020 and holds a K-12 principal endorsement.

Gott and Happe will begin their new roles July 1.

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