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Teacher Bios
Administration
| Sonny Zinn - Lead Teacher |
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Sonny has been teaching (K-8) for
a LONG time. A product of Boulder Valley Schools, the tumultuous
60's and 70's in Boulder, The Colorado College, and
stints living in Delaware, California, Turkey, and Italy, Sonny
likes to think of herself as interested in just about everything.
After 1+ years as the Lead Teacher at Horizons, Sonny is clear
that it's important to spend as much time as possible in
classrooms with kids. When she isn't at school (it does
happen) Sonny like to spend time with her amazing family and
friends, ride bikes and horses, putter in her garden, read,
play with her dog, and create (from food to art). |
Nel Nelson-Woller - Assistant Lead Teacher |
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Nel's experience in the educational
field includes teaching students in grades 1-6. She has written
curriculum and science textbooks, and conducted teacher training.
Among the things most treasured by Nel are her days filled with
learners where she continues to grow and learn from them on
an ongoing basis. She spends her free time with her family,
exercising, reading, and when time allows, cooking. |
Hope Nelson-Roohr - Administrative Assistant |
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Hope was born in a tenement in the
Bronx and raised in NYC, where she attended neighborhood schools
until her junior year of high school when she switched to the
New York High School of Performing Arts with a dual focus in
dance and theater. Hope attended Queens College and obtained
a degree in Communications, with an emphasis in marketing and
public relations. In 1974, Hope hitchhiked across country,
from the Bronx to Boulder to Berkeley, and knew she would return
to Boulder. She did, and kickstarted her career making
onion rings for Round The Corner restaurants. Her proudest
accomplishments are her two daughters. If Bruce Springsteen
is in town, you will find her front and center at the concert. |
Special Education
Susan Donohoe |
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Susan is excited to be a new member of the Horizons community. She grew up in New Jersey, fell in love with the West after a year in Steamboat, and started working with kids in a residential treatment program in Portland, OR. Susan has a BA in Psychology from Villanova University and an MA in Special Education and Elementary Education from Portland State University. She especially loves teaching reading and writing, and has worked in grades K-5. Susan enjoyed several years as a part-time yoga teacher while mothering her young children, and co-founded an environmental non-profit in Boston called Conscious Consuming. Susan enjoys balancing her work with yoga, hiking, art, reading, cooking, writing the Conscious Consuming blog, spending time with her two girls, and jumping on the trampoline. |
Terry Kuh |
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Terry has an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and she taught first grade for four years in Connecticut. She has a graduate degree in Special Education and taught visually impaired students for nine years. She came to Horizons as a parent in 1993. In 1996, she started to work at the school -----first as a para, then in the computer lab and now she is a special education teacher. Terry enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, traveling, gardening and reading. |
Nancy Wagner |
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Nancy received her undergraduate
degree at CU Boulder and her Masters degree in Clinical Social
Work in North Carolina. Since then, she has worked as
a clinician in mental health settings and has had a private
practice for 16 years in Boulder. She came to work for the school
district 7 years ago and can say she truly loves her job. The
biggest reward, she says, comes from working with a team of
parents and teachers to support students to develop throughout
school and in their whole lives. In her free time, Nancy enjoys
spending time with her family, traveling, exploring, being in
the mountains, exercising, and music. |
504
| Mary Pat Judkins |
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Mary Pat completed her undergraduate and graduate
degrees in Speech, Language Pathology. She worked in this field
for 12 years in the public school system and private practice.
Mary Pat became a Horizons community member 15 years ago as
a parent and has been working with students in the computer
lab for the last 13 years. In her free time she loves to canoe,
hike, travel, read and play mahjong with her family and friends. |
K/1
| Karen Burgess |
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Karen has been teaching at Horizons for the past
10 years. She has taught 2/3, K, and now K/1. Karen also taught
4/5 at Uni Hill prior to joining Horizons. Karen has a B.A.
in Business and Economics from Cornell University and a M.A.
in Elementary Education from CU Boulder. As an avid quilter,
Karen now splits her time between teaching and her quilt shop. |
Jessica Feld |
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Jessica has taught Kindergarten for 6 years in
the Boulder Valley School District. She also has taught elementary
science methods at UNC to pre-service teachers for 10 years.
She recently was the Executive Director of Thorne Ecological
Institute. Jessica has a Masters in Science Education and a
Masters in Non-Profit Management. Jessica loves to travel and
to spend time in nature with her husband, Allan, and her son,
Jackson. |
Elizabeth Hershoff |
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Elizabeth has taught elementary and special education
for 25 years. She has a M.A. In Educational Psychology and enjoys
being a learner as well as a teacher. In her free time, she
enjoys knitting, reading, and living in Lyons. |
Jeanne Kipke |
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Jeanne joined Horizons in 1998 after graduating
from CU Boulder with a BA in Sociology and a certification in
Elementary Education. Jeanne has joyfully taught Horizons youngest
since the year 2000 from Kindergarten to K/1. Besides working
with children, Jeanne's passions include art (drawing, painting,
and sculpting), writing (fiction, nonfiction and poetry), Nia,
and taking long walks. |
Wendy Thoresen |
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Coming soon |
2/3
| Adam Brink |
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Adam is entering his 7th year at Horizons and
5th year as a homeroom teacher. He first started teaching in
Maine as an outdoor educator, taking kids climbing, backpacking,
and canoeing. When Adam is not wrapped up in the world of school,
he is traveling and rock climbing with his wife, Jessi, and
dog, Arlo. |
Julie Cohen |
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Julie has a BA from Grinell College, an international
Montessori teaching license, and a M.A. In Instruction and Curriculum
from CU Boulder. She has been teaching in Boulder since 1992.
Julie enjoys spending time with her family, outdoor sports,
and traveling. |
Beth Coleman |
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Beth's Horizons career began in 1993 when she
ran the Wednesday afternoon enrichment program. Since that time,
she has taught Kindergarten through 3rd grades. She is currently
teaching the afternoon portion of a 2/3 class with Julie Cohen.
Prior to receiving her Masters Degree in Elementary Education,
Beth taught at various preschools and at an alternative private
school for children 8-18. In her "free" time Beth
loves to run, play ultimate frisbee, and spend time with her
sweet girls and husband. |
Aubrey Demmon |
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Aubrey has been teaching for eight years. She
has taught high school English, elementary Spanish, and K-8th
grade students. Most of her teaching has been grades 2 and 3.
Aubrey received her BA at Bradley University and her Masters
in Literacy at Lesley University. She enjoys snowboarding, spending
time with her family, and playing with her 4 cats and dog. |
Nichole Houser |
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Nichole grew up on the western slope in Carbondale, CO. She graduated from CU Boulder with a certification in Elementary Education and a BA in Spanish Language and Literature. She loves traveling and spending time outdoors going climbing, hiking, or just lounging and soaking up the sun. |
4/5
Peter Hegelbach |
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Peter has taught all grades from K-12 in areas
from special education to film making. After a brief stint as
an ocean lifeguard, he began a twelve-year career teaching in
multi-age settings. Peter graduated with a BA in architecture
from Princeton University and a MA in elementary education from
the University of Colorado – Denver. Recently, he authored
publications for the Center for Teaching International Relations
on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, illegal
diamond trade in Sierra Leone, and a teacher's guide to
the “State of the World Atlas.” When not with his
two daughters, Peter can be found running the hills and trails
of Boulder. |
Lauren Tracey |
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Coming soon |
Nel Nelson-Woller |
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Read Nel's bio above >> |
Sally Warren |
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Sally was educated and began teaching in Canada.
She has over 25 years experience in special education, regular
elementary education, leadership, and teacher training. Interests
include skate skiing, running, and reading. |
Rex West |
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Rex is a Boulder native and has enjoyed teaching
(K-5) in several countries for 16 years. He is devoted to his
wife, Sue, and his son, Jivan. Rex is currently working on a
Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology at Naropa University.
Passions include gardening, music, speaking Spanish, meditation,
and being in nature. |
Middle School
Janice Cooper
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Before joining Horizons, Janice taught 4th and
5th grades at Friends' School for nine years. Janice came into
teaching through her acting and directing work in children's
theater where she realized she wanted a greater involvement
in children's education. Janice returned to college to get her
teaching degree and make the classroom her stage. Janice and
her husband, Antony, moved here from London 20 years ago, and
her two sons, Harry and Jackson, were raised in Boulder and
now attend university in Boston. When not spending time with
the rest of her family – Sophie, the border collie, and
Alec, the large, lethargic cat – you can find Janice hiking,
playing guitar and singing, discussing books, tubing, cooking,
and playing chess. |
Jim Freund |
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Jim has been married to Lynda for
over 20 years. They share their lives with two wonderful teenagers,
Darcy and MacLean. Jim has a B.S. In Civil Engineering and a
M.A. In Education. He has been teaching at Horizons/Paddock
since 1993. He enjoys biking, hiking, camping, most sports,
reading, writing, traveling, and teaching. |
Illya Kowalchuk |
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Illya began his school days on Long
Island by working hard to avoid homework through baseball, football,
hockey, scouting, and biking. Buckling down when college applications neared, Illya
followed the Civil Engineering path for three years, but ultimately
left CU for a yearlong hiatus in Breckenridge. Returning to
CU, Illya graduated with a BA in History and a Teaching Certification.
He has worked at Horizons for nine years: one year in Kindergarten
and the rest in Middle School. Illya has attended numerous professional
conferences from innovators such as Donald Graves, Linda Reif,
and Carl Anderson. Illya, Peter Hegelbach, Lynn Dobransky Pence,
and Sonny Zinn were awarded a fellowship from the Council for
Basic Education for their development of Horizons Middle School's
Rise and Fall of Ancient Civilizations history curriculum. Illya
recently completed his M Ed through Lesley University's Arts
Integration program. Currently, Illya avoids homework by playing
with his family, fishing, reading, biking, hunting, and doing
artwork. |
Gayle Nosal |
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Gayle is entering her 4th year at
Horizons and her 2nd year as a middle school homeroom teacher.
Prior to Horizons, Gayle had a career in the advertising business
in New York, NY, and then she moved to the mountains to direct
a nonprofit in Eagle Country, CO called Study Friends. Gayle
has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Skidmore College,
earned an MFA in Writing in 1996, and has been certified as
a biblio/poetry therapist since 2000. She is also currently
a professor at University College in Denver, teaching in the
MALS program. In addition to teaching middle school students,
Gayle's passions include spending time with her two children,
attending live theatre and music performances, reading, and
doing service work. |
Lynn Dobransky Pence |
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Nearly a Boulder native, Lynn began
teaching in 1994, after a career in mortgage banking. She completed
her undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Colorado
– Boulder earning a BA in Sociology and a masters degree
in Multicultural, Bilingual Foundations of Education. She has
taught in St. Vrain as well as Boulder Valley schools both during
the academic year and in summer programs. Lynn has been teaching
and learning in the Horizons community since 1998 focusing her
work with middle school students in the areas of language arts,
Spanish, history, homeroom, service learning through PeaceJam
and UNICEF and Friday exploratory classes. In her "free
time," Lynn can be found spending time with her son hiking,
biking, reading, swimming, listening to music, and pretending
to be a pirate. |
Chris Rinaldo |
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Coming soon |
Cece Schehl |
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Cece graduated with a BA in English
from Truman State University and has completed graduate work
in English-Secondary Education, Business Administration, and
Interdisciplinary Arts. She began teaching management and personal
skills education in the energy and pharmaceutical industries,
then found her love learning alongside teens. She is currently
a 5th year middle school teacher and is an active participant
in the Colorado Writing Project. When not with her children,
she writes poetry, hikes and chases after her ornery dog, Buddy. |
Art
| Kara Priest |
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Kara teaches Art at Horizons. Kara had in depth
study in drawing and painting. She grew up in a family of professional
oil painters – both parents had degrees from Minneapolis
School of Art and were highly proficient in classical style
oil painting. Kara studied Jacque Devand (professional illustrator
for Hollywood), Frank Covino (Italian American artist and teacher),
Italian Veradacio painting, and Berndt Savig (current Head of
Red Rocks College Art Department). Other studies include drawing,
painting, sculpture, composition and history. Kara has done
illustration and design work for books, CD covers, and private
businesses. She has been involved in multimedia productions,
creating installations and designing artwork. Kara has taught
for about 15 years, including K-12 experience, private lessons
for all ages, workshops and camps. Recently Kara taught Mandela
workshops for local teacher groups and teaches each year to
Masters of Education students. Kara designs nearly all of her
own curricula and has lately been teaching some of them to other
educators. |
Spanish
| Sylvia Padrón-Schneider |
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Sylvia is a native Spanish speaker.
She has a BA in Graphic Design and a Masters in Linguistics
at the University of S.L.P. In Mexico. She lived in England
for two years and has a Certificate in English as a Second Language
at Cambridge University. She has traveled to South America for
6 months and Europe for 8 months. She loves cooking, traveling
and languages. She has taught Spanish at Horizons for 10 years.
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Pat Smalley |
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Pat has been teaching Spanish in
Boulder for seven years. His love for the language began while
studying at La Universidad de Lenguas Modernas in Granada, Spain,
and since then has spent time traveling through various Spanish-speaking
countries. When not teaching, Pat enjoys spending time with
his family, furthering his language study, and being outdoors. |
Technology
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