..........Hello.  I’m the new kid on the block, so to speak.  This is my first year at Arapahoe Ridge High School, and my first year in Boulder Valley School District.  But, it’s not my first year teaching.  Before I came to Boulder, I was a special education teacher at West Middle School in Aurora for 5 years.
          I am originally from Miami, Florida, but have also lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio.  In the early 80’s, my mom was done with the cold weather, so we moved back to Miami.  I graduated high school and attended Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.  Upon graduating, I started working in a treatment center for adolescents with behavior issues in Naples, Florida.  It was quite challenging, but super rewarding.  While I worked to get my Masters in Counseling from Nova Southeastern University, I worked as a Nanny.
          In 1999, I packed up my little Toyota Tercel and moved to Colorado without a job and not knowing a soul.  I continued to work with children and families in a counseling setting for a bit until I went back to school and received my Special Education License.  I began to teach in Aurora until I moved to Boulder last summer.
          It has been a crazy year for me.  I moved, got a new job, and was married in September.  I currently live in the hills of Boulder with my husband, Ian and my two chocolate labs, Jacob and Bear.  They definitely keep me busy.  When I am not teaching, I am running, biking, hiking, camping, skiing, shopping at Target, eating good food, hanging out with good friends, basically enjoying the easy going lifestyle of the Coloradan.