Mrs. Whitney Lyons

Hi, I'm Mrs. Lyons! My family and I have lived in Claremore since 2014. This is my second year as a faculty member of Westside; however, my relationship with Westside began in 2017 when my oldest son started Pre-K. I was a very active member of Westside's PTO. I am very proud to say that I coordinated Westside's Craft Bazaar its first couple of years. It's now a local event that has grown bigger and bigger each year and is a wonderful fundraiser for our Westside students. I received my Bachelor's in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner!).  I then went on to receive my Master's degree in Counseling from the University of Central Oklahoma. Following my graduation I worked as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the healthcare field which allowed me to work with children and adults. I have loved my transition to the educational side of counseling and I am so proud to be a Zebra! I am married to my husband of fifteen years. I have two children who also attend Claremore Public Schools. When not at school, I love spending time outside at the lake or in the garden, attending my boys athletic events, and crafting. 

Ellyssa Walter

Hello! My name is Ellyssa Walter, school psychologist at Westside Elementary. I am happy to be part of the Zebra family! I am married with 3 wonderful daughters. I graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelors in psychology and received my Masters in Education and Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. The best part of being a school psychologist is the unique opportunity I have to work with children, families, teachers and administrators to support students' social, emotional, and academic learning in school and life. I absolutely love collaborating, problem solving, and celebrating our students' successes! Every student has the potential to learn and improve. It is truly a privilege to support students as they work to reach their goals. When I’m not at school, I love spending time outside with my family and animals. I also enjoy reading, listening to music, and painting!

Courtney Burnshire

I graduated from Northeastern State University with a Bachelors in Psychology. I'm about halfway done with my Masters Degree in Social Work at the University of Oklahoma. I started working for DHS in 2011 as a Child Support Enforcement Specialist. After that, I worked in Child Welfare for 7 years before moving to School-Based in 2020. Being a school social worker is my dream job and I absolutely love working in Claremore. This District as a whole really cares about the families of our students. That makes my job wonderful because I always feel supported in the things I need to do to help our families.