My name is Adam Bander and I teach seventh grade mathematics at East
Middle School. This will be my third year teaching mathematics in
Aurora Public Schools, and my second experience with seventh grade. Last year
I taught sixth graders. The GK-12 program is an exciting opportunity to
be paired with a knowledgeable graduate student. I look forward to working
with my graduate fellow this year to develop my teaching practice and
increase student learning.
John Brockway
John Brockway - I am a 6th grade math teacher at East Middle School in the
Aurora Public Schools.
I am a Colorado native and received my BS in Mathematics and Master in
Elementary Education from Regis University. This is my fifth year
teaching math at East and our primary mathematical resources are
Connected Math and the Procedural Fluency workbooks. I enjoy the
opportunity to encourage and challenge young individuals to reach
beyond their perceived learning ability. In addition to teaching, I
also coach the girl’s middle school swim team. Prior to
becoming a teacher, I was a competitive year round swim coach and had
the good fortune to work and live in Williamsburg, Virginia; Spring,
Texas; and Topeka, Kansas.
Jennifer Case
Jennifer Case -
I am a Sixth Grade Math Teacher at East Middle School. I am
enjoying my fourth year of teaching and living in Aurora, Colorado. I
love having the opportunity to get to know a new group of students each
year and watching them grow. Before living here I spent four years
teaching fifth grade in Atlanta, Georgia. I grew up near Dayton, Ohio
and got my BS at The Ohio State University and a Masters of Education
at Wright State University. I love spending time in the mountains doing
a range of hiking, camping, and skiing. I’m excited to see my
students benefit from working with the School of Mines this year.
Katherine Flick
Katie Flick - I am an 8th grade mathematics teacher at Aurora Hills
Middle School in
Aurora Public Schools. This is my third year here at Aurora Hills. I
attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins where I majored in
Mathematics with a concentration in Education and a minor in Spanish. I
am currently working a masters degree in Education at Regis University
in Denver in addition to being a part of the GK-12 program at Colorado
School of Mines. I am really excited about this school year and being
part of such a
great program.
Lynae Freese
Hi, my name is Lynae Freese. I teach 6th grade math, science and social
studies at Aurora Hills Middle School in Aurora Public Schools. I have
just begun my tenth year teaching, my fourth in APS. This is my first
year with the GK-12 project. I am looking forward to having my fellow
in class, working with students, and getting them excited about how
math and science can be applied in the world beyond the school walls.
Corey Gallegos
My name is Corey Gallegos and I am a fourth year teacher at Aurora Hills Middle
School. Currently, I teach 8th grade physical science and forensics.
This is my second year in the GK-12 fellowship program and I feel that
it has been instrumental in developing my science content knowledge. By
facilitating lessons with an engineer I am able to see applications for
student learning that I otherwise may not have seen. I highly recommend
this program for any science or math teachers at the middle or
elementary school levels.
Tanya Griego
My name is Tanya Griego. I teach 7th grade life science at Aurora Hills
Middle School. I have been a teacher for 4 years and have a Master's
degree in biology from the University of Colorado at Denver. My
favorite subjects to teach in life science are the human body and
cells. I love to do dissections with my students!
Jonathan Havens
Jon Havens is 7th grade science and health science teacher at North
Middle School Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Aurora. My
previous career was spent as cartographer and geospatial intelligence
analyst specializing in analyzing satellite imagery. This is my second
year with the CSM GK12 and enjoy the expertise that the fellows can
bring to the classroom
Michael Potoczak
My name is Mike Potoczak, and I teach 8th grade math and science at
Aurora Hills Middle School. I also coach our school’s track
and basketball teams, as well as run a rock-climbing club and a
ski/snowboard club. I’m originally from the Boston area, but
came to visit Colorado and never left. I’ve loved teaching
middle school, and hope to continue throughout my career. I look
forward to working with our fellow and seeing what he will bring to our
classroom. Thanks to Professor Moskal and the School of Mines for
putting this together.
Jennifer Rahn
My name is Jennifer Rahn. I am in my 9th year of teaching. I currently
am teaching 7th grade math including a section of advanced math and
Galaxy math. The Galaxy students are a cohort of students that will be
going into engineering or science fields. In addition to teaching math,
I also enjoy coaching soccer and volleyball. I find that it is just as
important to build relationship with students in sports as it is in the
classroom. Addtionally, I really enjoy traveling and am constantly
looking into the next trip.
Brian Sholette
My name is Brian Shallotte and I am excited to be a part of the GK-12
program for a second year. I teach 6th grade Earth & Space
Science at North Middle School in Aurora. This program was beneficial
to my students and me last year in many ways, such as adding extra:
expertise, assistance, & activities. I look forward to bringing
my passion and experience to the program to make it a great experience
for all.
