I was born in Fort Collins and am a product of the Poudre School District. I attended Beattie Elementary, Boltz Junior High, Webber Junior High (the first year it was open) and Rocky Mountain High School. I am proud and honored to now serve as a principal in such an incredible district.
I graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a B.S. in Environmental Chemistry in 1998. After working for a short time in the chemistry field, I realized that I was not happy with life in a lab. I returned to Colorado and earned my teaching license and master's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Colorado. While earning my license, I worked at Dunn Elementary as a reading paraprofessional. Once I had my license, I earned a position as a reading specialist at Irish Elementary where I worked for three years.
In 2000, I was offered a second grade classroom teaching position here at Traut. I served as a second grade teacher for seven wonderful years. In 2007, I became the Intervention and Assessment Coordinator. I was delighted to have the opportunity to work with an outstanding team of tutors and paraprofessionals serving students in a small group setting.
I successfully defended my Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in March, 2017, and graduated in May. My research was about the relationship between speed of processing, cognitive capacity, and academic achievement.
I believe that teaching is an art. Working at Traut allows our teachers to be educational artists while operating within the highly defined framework of Core Knowledge Scope and Sequence. The Core Knowledge sequence provides a scaffold by which we can create lessons and facilitate learning in our own “artistic” way. Furthermore, the partnership between parents and teachers creates an environment of rigor and community that helps our students thrive. We get to experience all of this with the comfort of knowing that we are helping to create culturally literate citizens in a school that provides a depth of learning that is simply unparalleled.
Being a mom, hiking, swimming, singing, playing piano, gardening, scrapbooking, and cooking with my children.
"Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austin, and "Brain Rules" by John J. Medina
"One man gets nothing but discord out of a piano; another gets harmony. No one claims that the piano is at fault. Life is about the same. The discord is there, and the harmony is there. Play it correctly and it will give forth the beauty; play it falsely, and it will give forth ugliness. Life is not at fault,"
~ Ninon de L'Enclos
The opportunity to lead our incredible community is a privilege and an honor. Traut is, without question, one of the very best elementary schools in the state of Colorado. We have a phenomenal staff and the greatest families in town. To get to work here is a gift and a blessing. Many have heard me say it before, but it bears repeating: I fully believe that the depth of learning at our school is unparalleled. This is the direct result of our strong parent-teacher-student partnership model.
Please know that I embrace an open-door policy; if you have questions, concerns, celebrations, or ideas, bring them to me. I value your feedback, and I welcome it! The powerful collaboration and shared governance we enjoy at Traut is why we are strong.
You name it - I've taught it. While I am a reading specialist, I am passionate about teaching the entire Core Knowledge sequence.