STEM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Instructional Assistant - Elementary FT
Abby spent two years teaching English as a Foreign Language in Aix-en-Provence where she learned French and got her Master's from Sciences Po Aix in Political Dynamics & Mutations in Societies (Arab & Muslim World, Latin America & Europe) Dynamiques Politiques & Mutations des Sociétés (Mondes Arabes, Amérique Latine & Europe).
She also received her Bachelor's Degree from Colorado Christian University in Political Science & Global Studies. Abby loved teaching language and culture in France and is excited to be able to bring her knowledge and cultural training to the classroom to provide students a rich and exciting experience learning language. She grew up in Douglas County and is thrilled to be a part of the STEM Community!
Job Titles:
- Elementary School Director
Amie McElroy, known as Ms. Mac by her students, joined STEM as the K-8 Dean in the Fall of 2020 and was promoted to Interim Elementary School Director in the Spring of 2022. She officially moved into the Elementary School Director position at the start of the 2022-23 school year.
Before joining STEM, she taught chemistry for 13 years in Jeffco Public Schools. During her time in the classroom, Ms. Mac prioritized creating a safe and rigorous learning environment by building positive relationships with her students and creating content that was relevant and challenged her students' critical thinking skills. Ms. Mac has a strong passion for equity in education and leads the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee for the STEM.
Job Titles:
- High School Educational Assistant - FT
Andrew Gomez joined the STEM team in February of 2021 as the secondary music teacher. He has a Bachelor's from Texas Tech University in Music Education with a certificate of Jazz Studies. He is currently in the process of completing his Master's Degree in music performance.
He has a strong passion for teaching, and playing music. He is very active in the music community here in Colorado and does his best to be a positive influence as a person, educator and musician!
Andrew is very excited to continue his journey here at STEM, and hopes to be innovative in his teaching methods and help the students grow their passion for music!
Annette Nason is the MS Success Coach. She has been part of the STEM community for the past five years. She started off as a Kindergarten EA and is now helping middle schoolers with their executive functioning skills and helping monitor their grades while assisting and encouraging them in their academic endeavors.
Annette has an optimistic attitude and loves working with and helping students grow academically and in their responsibility. She has a great passion for meeting students at their level and helping them set and exceed their goals. She loves the STEM community and is looking forward to supporting students this school year. Annette enjoys crafting, traveling and learning new things. She has a wonderful husband of 19 years, two high school students and two dogs (though one of the dogs is her daughter's).
Job Titles:
- Secondary Educational Assistant - Full Time
Anthony Flores joined STEM during the 2021-22 School Year as a Secondary Educational Assistant.
Job Titles:
- Elementary Instructional Assistant
Ariana Palamara joined STEM during the 2021-22 School Year as an Elementary Instructional Assistant in kindergarten. She graduated high school in May of 2021 and is currently a freshman at Arapahoe Community College, working toward earning her associate's in Elementary Education. After that, she will move on to Metropolitan State University to earn her Master's degree.
In her free time, she loves to read and collect knickknacks from different local shops. She also loves to travel, especially if there's a beach involved wherever I'm traveling to. She also loves food as well and trying new foods, expanding her taste pallet!
Job Titles:
- Business Office Assistant
Ashley Westfall has worked in the Business Office at STEM since the Summer of 2018. She manages the MySchoolBucks software for student fees, field trips, donations, testing, etc. She also assists families with Free and Reduced Lunch, payment plans and other financial concerns. She is employed away from STEM part-time as a financial analyst.
She graduated from MSU in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently studying for her exams to become a Certified Financial Advisor.
She is married with two cats and a dog. Outside of work she loves home renovation, hiking, running, cooking, organizing and sewing. During her home renovations, she discovered a particular love of woodworking. She is looking forward to taking some carpentry classes in the near future.
Job Titles:
- Secondary Spanish Teacher
Job Titles:
- High School Learning Specialist
Becky Hathaway is starting her 11th official year as a STEM staff member in the Special Education department; however, she actually started at STEM the very first year of it's existence as a weekly volunteer and regular substitute teacher. Previously, Becky was an Active Duty officer in the United States Army, a government contractor, a math teacher at Falcon High School, and a stay-at-home Mom.
She holds a M.A. in Teaching with a focus in Special Education from Metro State University, a MBA in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Colorado Technical University, and a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Marquette University.
Becky has been married for 24 year and has 2 kids that attend STEM. She grew up in Wisconsin and loves the Packers (even with out Aaron Rodgers). In her free time she enjoys reading, hiking, biking, very slowly jogging, camping, doing puzzles, and eating chocolate.
Job Titles:
- ASL Teacher ( Sign Language )
Job Titles:
- Director of Human Resources
Job Titles:
- Coach of the Month Award Presented at the Colorado Technology Association 's Apex Awards
Job Titles:
- Rotary Student Recognition Award, Which Recognizes a Student Who Demonstrates Excellence in Leadership, Community Involvement, Academics and Character
Bryce Howard won the Rotary Student Recognition Award, which recognizes a student who demonstrates excellence in leadership, community involvement, academics and character.
Job Titles:
- High School Computer Science Teacher
High School Computer Science Teacher Cameron Ryan received the 2018 Broncos Tackle STEM Coach of the Month Award presented at the Colorado Technology Association's Apex Awards. He was one of three finalists across the state honored at the annual black tie banquet. Two STEM students also won recognition there, Reade Webb and Jordon Monk, for their outstanding accomplishments in both school and Careerwise.
Carissa Elliott joined STEM School Highlands Ranch in 2020 as a Fifth Grade Teacher and moved into the role of Instructional Coach in 2022. Prior to joining STEM School Highlands Ranch, she was a Kindergarten and First Grade Teacher in Denver Public Schools. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction. She values building strong relationships in her classroom and school community, and is looking forward to another great year at STEM School Highlands Ranch. She enjoys going to the mountains with her husband, Jeff, and dog, Mia.
Carla has been a part of the STEM community since 2016. Carla and her husband Scott have a 10th grader at STEM and a 4th grader that looks forward to joining STEM for MS/HS. Carla's STEM volunteering includes two years on Driveline committee, parent volunteer on HS BEST Robotics in 2019, and parent representative on the SAC committee since May 2020. Outside of STEM, she serves on the board of directors for a nonprofit, Connect Us, which brings kids of all backgrounds together in afterschool and summer camps to help them thrive socially and emotionally.
Carla started her professional career with a degree in chemical engineering from Colorado School of Mines. She is a 25-year veteran at Merrick & Company, a Colorado headquartered engineering firm, where she started as a process design engineer. Her roles included lead engineer and project manager before her current role of engineering manager. Carla's engineering experience involves custom equipment and nuclear facility upgrades in support of the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Association. She is an avid supporter of employee development programs through Merrick's culture committee (past chair), employee recognition program (past chair), and peer mentoring program.
Job Titles:
- Elementary Health Assistant / Receptionist
Celeste Boyer joined the STEM team in August of 2021 as the Elementary Health Assistant and Receptionist.
Job Titles:
- Director of Facilities
- Facilities Director
Christian Larsen began teaching High School Mathematics in the Fall of 2022. He joins STEM School as an industry expert rather than through a traditional education path. Christian received a Graduate Degree in Applied Mathematics from DePaul University and worked as a Consulting Actuary for 10 years. He rapidly passed the rigorous exam requirements, earning an esteemed Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries (FSA). But that was only a fraction of Christian's background. Here are some of his other accomplishments and experiences:
Earned THREE degrees in music
Has written several albums on iTunes and licenses his music for movies and advertisements worldwide
Wrote an innovative iPad app that taught 2-year-olds how to read music (true!) and remained in Apple's Top 10 for many months
Later, owned a mobile app development agency for 10 years, designing apps for clients.
And even while teaching math during the day, Christian teaches private piano lessons in the evening!
Finally, a fun fact: Christian was once a Segway tour guide when he lived in Chicago!
Hello! My name is Christine Logue and I am excited to be your child's 2nd grade teacher this year! I am entering my 19th year of teaching and my 5th year at STEM School Highlands Ranch.
Colene Belisle joined STEM for the 2022-23 School Year as the High School Counselor.
She graduated from the University of Florida in 1996 with a degree in Music Education (voice). She taught in a school for seven years full-time before becoming a volunteer for another four years.
She has worked (and still works) as a private post-graduate planning consultant. She worked for the University of Michigan Business School in the MBA program, matching students with companies for internship opportunities, event planning and developing websites. She also worked for Fidelity Investments in a similar capacity (event planning, training, and development of databases)
She has taught private voice lessons for 25 years and continues to teach private lessons. She taught High School Choir, Show Choir, Piano, Guitar & Theater, and middle school choir and elementary music. She is a classically trained opera singer (soprano) who has performed in operas by Mozart, Bizet and Humperdinck. She continues to perform as a soloist for churches and private events.
She has two boys, one who was a former STEM student but is now living on his own in Tucson (works for Raytheon), and the other who is a junior at CSU.
In her free time, she enjoys being outside, attending broadway shows, singing, playing piano, and spending time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Secondary English Language Arts Teacher
Job Titles:
- Secondary Social Studies Teacher / Girls and Boys Soccer Coach
Daniel Kerwin's first encounter with STEM came during the 2020-21 school year when he was placed at the school to fulfill his student teaching experience while completing his Master's of Education at the University of Denver. He was mentored by Katie Hoffman, who was the 8th Grade Social Studies teacher at the time and feels very fortunate to have had such a terrific mentor. After a year of teaching middle school in Denver Public Schools, he was excited to return to STEM full-time for the 2022-23 school year.
Kerwin especially feels at home at STEM based on his multicultural upbringing, which included time spent at many K-12 international schools - schools that Kerwin says had a very similar atmosphere to STEM. He was born in 1988 in Melbourne, Australia, then went on to spend time in Auckland, New Zealand (1994-96), Hong Kong (1996-97), Essex, UK (1998-2002) and Yokohama, Japan (2002-2006). In 2006, the Kerwin family set up a home base in Colorado Springs, while Kerwin accepted enrollment at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.
After graduating from Macalester with a degree in History in 2010 (Media Studies and Japanese minors), Kerwin first pursued his passion for journalism as a sports reporter for the Worthington Daily Globe and the New Ulm Journal in Southwestern Minnesota. In 2013 he moved to Tokyo, Japan. He entered the teaching profession for the first time, teaching ESL to business people for AEON Corporation at a school right across from Tokyo Station in the city's heart.
Upon returning to Colorado in 2016, Kerwin joined the construction crew building the Children's Hospital in Colorado Springs before reentering the teaching profession, first as a substitute teacher in Colorado Springs District 11, then by pursuing his Master's degree at DU.
Kerwin continues his love of sports by playing Australian Rules football for the Denver Bulldogs (a member team and multi-time champion of the United States Australian Football League) and by playing golf whenever possible. He is a fan of the St. Kilda Saints (Australian Football) in Melbourne, and the Yokohama Baystars (baseball) in Japan, and also supports the local Colorado teams (as well as having soft spots for teams in Minnesota and Georgia, where much of his extended family lives).
Job Titles:
- Secondary Spanish Teacher
Hello, my name is Dorothy Lee. I have been the Spanish Teacher at STEM since 2023. I have a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Denver. I enjoy running and live theater.
Job Titles:
- Director of Student Support
Job Titles:
- After School Programming Assistant
Erica Wilkerson is originally from Atlanta, Ga. She has been in the school system since 1998. She began as an instructional aide. After several years, she returned to school and received her Bachelors of Arts in Early Childhood Education in 2007 from Piedmont College located in Athens, Ga.
She joined STEM for the 2021-22 School year but was not new to the STEM program. She taught in East Atlanta in a STEM school for the past 7 years. She is a mother to three and a Grammy to three. She moved to Colorado in October of 2020. She loves the sunshine, the mountains and the snow!
She is super excited to begin a new adventure with her fellow teachers here at STEM School Highlands Ranch.
Erin Casab joined STEM for the 2022-23 School Year as the Elementary School Music Teacher.
She has a B.S. in Music Education from the University of Vermont. Before joining STEM, she was the K-4 Elementary Music Teacher at Barre City Elementary and Middle School in Barre, Vt.
Erin Quigley joined the KOSON/STEM BOD in May of 2023 as a Parent Representative. She is a mom to STEM students, Caidyn and Iris Wheelock. She is an education consultant who works from home.
Her husband, Chris, is a Physician Assistant in thoracic surgery based out of UC Health Hospital in Highlands Ranch. Before becoming a consultant for principals nationwide, she was a high school language arts teacher, a principal, and executive director of a charter school, and she co-founded a high school in New York City that continues to thrive.
Despite being transplants in 2015 (Chris is originally from Washington, and she is originally from New Jersey), they are Coloradans at heart. They love all things outdoors. She also loves to cook, paint, bike, run short distances, read, and nerd out on the latest education research. Having led a Denver charter school, she knows the vital role board members play in supporting the vision of a school. She believes boards are most helpful when they make data-informed decisions, ask the tough questions, communicate effectively with the community, and keep their eyes focused on what matters most- students thriving.
She has had many experiences doing all of these and is passionate about applying that experience to STEM. One specific area that she cares deeply about is how to support the incredible STEM teachers and school leaders so they are also thriving. They are the heart and soul of this school, and their success at STEM = students' success. She welcomes the opportunity to support STEM, so it continues to be one of the best schools in Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Middle School Social Studies Teacher
Evan Voorn is starting his fifth year teaching 6th Grade Social Studies at STEM and his 10th year as an educator. Before STEM, he lived and worked in Arlington, Texas teaching German, which is why most STEM students know him as Herr Voorn. While he still speaks German in his free time, he is overjoyed to be teaching his true passion: all things history, geography, religion, civics, and culture.
In his free time, Herr Voorn enjoys hiking, reading nonfiction books, and listening to rock music. He's spent his whole life in Boy Scouts, where he earned his Eagle Scout, worked 10 summers at camp, and currently serves as an Assistant Scoutmaster for a troop in Littleton. When not teaching, Herr Voorn is always planning his next adventure somewhere in the mountains of Colorado or the deserts of Utah.
Job Titles:
- Secondary Science Teacher
Gitanjali Rao received the President's Volunteer Service Award for her exemplary volunteer service to her community. The award recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country.
Sophomore Ava Mitchell received an overall superior assessment on her Thespys category at the last chapter event. As a result of this, she qualified to participate in the Thespys awards program, which will take place at the International Thespian Festival.
Gitanjali Rao has qualified for the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held in Anaheim, Calif., in May 2020. ISEF is one of the leading science fair competition that attracts participants from all around the globe, who showcase their projects, inventions and innovations in science. Gitanjali's project titled "A Novel Approach to Early Directional Diagnosis of Prescription Opioid Addiction" was first in her category of "Biological Sciences" at the Denver Metro Regional Science Fair. Her project further qualified for ISEF and the state fair for being in the Top 3 in the "Best of Fair", that spanned across all science categories. The project also received a honorable mention for most inventive project category award and she is invited to present her research at the annual Research and Creative Activities Symposium to compete with graduate and undergraduate student projects at CU Denver.
Gitanjali Rao was named a 2020 Carson Scholar. She was previously honored with a scholarship award and received recognition to acknowledge her continued academic and humanitarian achievements. She was among 8,600 gifted students from across the country who have received this honor.
Student Gitanjali Rao was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Science List as an inventor to watch for her unique invention that detects lead in drinking water. She was also featured in the Denver Business Journal, KOA Radio Broadcast, Highlands Ranch Herald and the Denver Post. She was profiled on the NBC Today Show and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She also received the Best of Fair in Denver Regional Science Fair among all middle school students for her project that created a simple device that can detect the onset of prescription addiction using the latest development in human genetics. The solution detects a specific addiction gene protein and antibody, using an automated colorimetry device and an image processing algorithm. She conducted her research in the Cell and Development Biology lab at University of Colorado, Denver and will continue to perform further research, tests and shadow graduate students.
Job Titles:
- Secondary Spanish Teacher
Greg Shick joined the KOSON/STEM BOD in May of 2023 as a Parent Representative. He is the parent of STEM middle school student Avi Shick.
His wife, Irene Shick is a local Realtor and the owner of a small business, the Centennial State Group. She currently serves as the president of the STEM PTO, organizing community events, raising funds for the school and supporting teachers and staff.
Greg is a 5th-generation Denver native and completed both of his STEM degrees at Colorado colleges (DU-Statistics & UCD-Finance). Greg has spent his professional career working in data, starting with consulting, then AT&T and now as a Director of Analytics for Charles Schwab in asset and risk management. Greg also serves on the advisory board for the University of Denver's Business Information & Analytics department, helping connect academia with real-world experience, giving students opportunities for job shadowing, internships and career advice.
During the time the Shick family has spent at STEM, they have been supported by teachers, admins and the community at large. One lesson they have learned is that engagement is the key to success at STEM. Getting involved in the community produces amazing results.
Job Titles:
- Secondary Engineer / Computer Science
Gretchen Grewe joined STEM for the 2022-23 School Year as a third-grade teacher.
STEM student Hana Lee was chosen as a finalist in the 15th annual Kiwanis Club of Castle Rock's Stars of Tomorrow Talent Competition.
Job Titles:
- Crisis Recovery Coordinator
Crisis Recovery Coordinator Hannah Reese was recognized by the Center for Bright Kids as a recipient of the 2019 Lighthouse Advocacy Award.
Job Titles:
- Eighth Grade Language Arts Teacher
Heather Dillon has taught middle school language arts at STEM School Highlands Ranch since 2016. She got her start in education as a high school English teacher for 4 years at ThunderRidge High School and Thornton High School. Prior to joining STEM, she took time off from being a full-time teacher to be a substitute teacher in Douglas County School District for ten years while raising her two boys. Her passion is working with middle schoolers, and she enjoys helping students explore and find their own passion as they become better readers, writers, and communicators. She is excited to begin her seventh year at STEM Highlands Ranch as the 8th grade ELA teacher and ELA department co-lead, as well as the middle school broadcasting club sponsor and program leader for the 8th grade Boston trip.
She has a bachelor's in Secondary English from Metropolitan State University of Denver, along with a minor in Mathematics. She enjoys singing, reading, traveling, gardening, paddleboarding, and spending time with family.
Job Titles:
- After School Programming Assistant
Holly Li joined STEM for the 2022-23 School Year as a Secondary Math teacher. She was born and raised in Beijing, China, and came to the United States in 2002 at 27 years old to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry at the University of Kentucky.
After a couple of years of study, she realized that she wanted to become a teacher because she loves the energy of young children. She taught four years of science and chemistry in public schools in Kentucky and four years of Chinese in public and private schools in Colorado.
She lives in Highlands Ranch with her husband and daughter, who also attends STEM. In her spare time, she loves hiking in nature and taking pictures. She also enjoys cooking Chinese food and loves learning how to cook foreign food. She is a curious person and likes to know about different cultures and languages. She is learning Spanish in her spare time.
Job Titles:
- Instructional Assistant - ES FT
Job Titles:
- Secondary Engineering / Robotics Teacher
Job Titles:
- Instructional Assistant - Elementary FT
Job Titles:
- High School Business Teacher
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- Secondary Social Studies Teacher
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- Gift and Talented Coordinator / Instructional Specialist
Job Titles:
- Instructional Assistant - ES FT
Job Titles:
- Instructional Assistant - Elementary FT
Job Titles:
- Eighth Grade Science Teacher
Job Titles:
- Secondary Science Teacher
Job Titles:
- College & Career Counselor
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- LSS Educational Assistant
Job Titles:
- Instructional Assistant - Elementary FT
Job Titles:
- Secondary Health Assistant / Front Office Support
Job Titles:
- Secondary Social Studies Teacher
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- Secondary Engineering Teacher
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- Long - Term Sub - Secondary Math Teacher
Job Titles:
- Instructional Assistant - Middle School
Job Titles:
- Chief Innovation Officer, KOSON Schools
Job Titles:
- Secondary Social Studies Teacher
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- Secondary / CE Engineering Teacher
Job Titles:
- Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Job Titles:
- Secondary Social Studies Teacher
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- Speech Language Pathologist
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- Assistant
- Facilities Manager
Job Titles:
- Educational Assistant - Secondary FT
Job Titles:
- Communications Director
- Director of Communications
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- Career Discovery Coordinator
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- K - 12 English Language Development Teacher
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- Sixth Grade Language Arts Teacher
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- Speech Language Pathologist
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- Secondary Computer Science Teacher
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- Instructional Assistant - Elementary FT
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- Elementary LSS Teacher / Shannon
Job Titles:
- Occupational Therapist
- Occupational Therapist ( K - 12 )
Job Titles:
- Secondary Science Teacher
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- Secondary Language Arts Teacher
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- Elementary Physical Education Teacher
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- Athletics Director / Secondary PE Teacher
Job Titles:
- Business Office Asst. / General Purchaser
Job Titles:
- Secondary English Teacher
Job Titles:
- Instructional Assistant - Middle School
Job Titles:
- Secondary Computer Science Teacher
Job Titles:
- Secondary Language Arts Teacher
Job Titles:
- Elementary Instructional Assistant - Full Time