2008 - 2009 Teachers and Schools

Hendricks Elementary School

Matt Trausch, a 6^th grade science teacher, feels that his partnership with graduate fellow Chris McDonald will help energize the science instruction at the school, which is currently adopting an emphasis on hands-on and inquiry based science instruction. He hopes to spread the activities gleaned from Chris to students and teachers throughout the district.

Liberty Elementary School

Geniece Baer, a 4^th grade teacher at Liberty Elementary, will be working with graduate fellow Adriana Racolta towards the goal of helping her students to better understand how the sciences relate to one another on a grander scale. She hopes that Adriana will be able to help her develop and implement new science lessons and hands-on science projects

Lynn/Urquides Elementary School

Dorothy Wilson (2nd grade) and Cindy Maize (2nd grade) have been partnered with graduate student Michele Lanan. They hope that this collaboration will provide their students with an opportunity to participate in a broad and enriched inquiry-based science curriculum that will challenge their minds and create a deep interest and appreciation for insects and biological science.

Hermosa Montessori Charter School

Kari Debbink (7^th-8^th grades) is hoping to form a partnership with BioME Graduate Fellow Rebecca Franklin in which she can help the school's upper elementary teachers develop a more comprehensive science program that they can feel comfortable teaching in the coming years. She also hopes that Rebecca can help Hermosa Montessori's middle school develop some lessons to teach evolutionary biology in a creative and clear manner. Overall, the school looks forward to collaborating with Rebecca to develop curricular components that make science fun and interesting to its students and gives the teachers more confidence in their scientific knowledge.

Cross Middle School

Annie Simpson (7th grade) and Ben Briggs (7th grade) are working with graduate fellow Karie Decker, hoping to show their students that scientists are "alive," and have  plenty of sharable knowledge.

Mansfeld Middle School

Patricia Robles-Medina (6^th grade) and Darrek Hernandez (8^th grade) are thrilled to be partnered with graduate fellow Bridget Barker. They feel that the program will help them to enhance the learning of their students by developing inquiry-based lessons and demonstrating practical and real-life applications.

Catalina Foothills High School

Rebecca Sampson, a Biology teacher at Catalina Foothills High School, looks forward to working with graduate fellow Jen Schaefer to enrich her students' classroom learning by providing authentic experiences steeped in scientific inquiry and real-world research.

City High School

Molly Renner, a 10^th grade Biology teacher, and Elliott Lax, a 9^th-12th Grade Science Coordinator, are eager toenhance their science programs in genetics, sustainability, and field studies by developing more authentic and place-based curriculum. By working with BioME Graduate Fellow David Morales, they hope to expand their school's connections to the university and thus achieve their goal.

Tucson High Magnet School

Margaret Wilch teaches 11^th and 12^th grade biotechnology, environmental science, and independent research at Tucson High Magnet School. She expects that her BioME partnership with Matt Herron will allow for greater support of student research and independent learning in all classes. Their partnership will model collaboration and emphasize the process of science.

Sheila Marquez, a 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grade Biology teacher and an 11^th and 12^th grade Anatomy and Physiology teacher at Tucson High Magnet School, envisions her partnership with graduate fellow Lisbeth Echevarria as a source for new ideas and perspectives, with the possibility of developing new lessons and revising old ones. As a personal goal, she would love to use this opportunity to encourage her students to register for additional science classes while in high school.