This is my eighth year teaching and my fourth year at Niwot Elementary. In 2013, I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After I graduated, I focused on traveling and skateboarding. Working at skateboarding camps, I realized my love of working with kids, so I decided to go back to the University of Colorado to obtain my teacher’s license. To receive my license, I student taught here at Niwot Elementary with Mrs. Yonker. I spent three years teaching fourth grade and one year teaching fifth grade at Soaring Heights PK-8 in Erie before returning to Niwot Elementary. It is so nice to be a part of this wonderful community as a full time teacher!

Outside of school, I love to skateboard and travel. I have been skateboarding for 25 years and am lucky enough to have been sponsored for 17 of them. If I am not in school, you will most likely find me skateboarding. I also love to travel both for skateboarding as well as exploring to learn about new cultures and places. Road trips to all parts of the United States have always been a big part of my life as a skateboarder. Listening to Led Zeppelin makes the driving fly by! Every spring and summer break my partner and I try to go somewhere out of the country. Some of our favorite places to visit have been Germany, Spain, Peru, Italy, and Greece. Some of my other favorite things include my cat (Oskar), playing pickleball, hiking, paddleboarding, football, and hockey. I am a huge fan of all Colorado sports teams (except for CSU ). Since my entire family is from Pittsburgh, I am also a huge Steelers and Penguins fan.

I absolutely love being an educator, especially at such a fantastic school! Like I said earlier, my favorite part of my job is building relationships. I truly believe that is the most important part of the beginning of the year. After establishing a community of learners in the classroom, students can learn and grow in an environment where they know that they are safe, respected, and their voices and experiences are valued. Due to my own educational background, I also love teaching math and science. It is so fun to teach students about the world around them!