Staff Directory
All staff may be contacted by emailing the following:
firstname.lastname@dsstpublicschools.org.
Short biographies for each staff member follow the listing and can be seen here.
Administration
|
Name |
Title |
Phone |
|
Middle School Director |
303-524-6387 |
|
|
Dean of Students |
303-524-6371 |
|
|
Middle School Office Manager |
303-524-6353 |
|
|
School Director in Training for DSST: Byers |
1156 |
|
|
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
|
303-524-6372 |
|
|
Office Assistant |
303-524-6354 |
Faculty
|
Name |
Title |
Phone |
| Amy Chavez | Art |
4009 |
| Whitney Clark | Social Worker |
1154 |
| Lesleigh Clayton | ELL Specialist |
4003 |
| Jeremy Cook | Technology |
1151 |
| Andy Coyle | Math |
4012 |
| Troy Devan | Psychologist |
1154 |
| Danielle Dubois | Science |
4007 |
| Jessa Forthofer | English |
4002 |
|
English |
4001 |
|
| Kira Grush | English |
4013 |
| Christy Haas-Howard | School Nurse |
2157 |
| TJ Harris | Math |
4014 |
| Dexter Korto | Social Studies |
4015 |
| Jillian Levy | Social Studies |
4016 |
| Tim Nelson | English |
4018 |
| Brandon Nelson | English |
4017 |
| Stacy Pietari | Science |
4022 |
| Jake Sidley | Athletics |
6382 |
| Meaghan Smith | Math |
4019 |
| Mike Suomi | Science |
4006 |
| Lela Waters | Math |
4021 |
| Joe Wykowski | SPED |
4010 |
Jeff Osborne- School Director
Jeff has been with DSST for three years now. He was one of the two founding science teachers on our first DSST middle school staff in Stapleton. He taught 6th grade science with DSST: Stapleton for two years after teaching 7th and 8th grade science in Memphis, Tennessee during his two year commitment with TFA. He attended the University of Central Florida where he received a BS in Liberal Studies and a MS in Health Sciences. In Memphis, Jeff also coached football, baseball, and started a golf program.
Rebecca Richardson- Dean of Students
Ms. Richardson taught 6th grade math last year for DSST: Cole. Beofre that, she taught 8th grade math in Glendale, AZ, where she was a corps member and learning team leader with Teach for America—Phoenix. Ms. Richardson has a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy and American Institutions from Brown University and a Master’s in Secondary Education from Arizona State University. Ms. Richardson taught high school level courses for her students in Arizona.
Carli Basaites- Office Manager
Carli has been a part of DSST since March 2011, and has a BA in Latin American Studies from Seattle Pacific University. Before coming to DSST, she worked with the Elementary Spanish Program in Boulder Valley and St. Vrain School Districts. Carli hopes to one day become an interpreter and has shown a strong command of the language, communicating with and supporting many of our DSST families since she first joined our organization.
Connor Allman- Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Connor is joining us from our Green Valley Ranch (GVR) middle school where he was a founding teacher last year and currently teaches 6th grade English. Connor will become our Director of Curriculum and Instruction this summer. Prior to joining DSST, Connor taught in New York and completed the New York City Teaching Fellowship. As a founding teacher and an strong participant in curriculum and assessment development these past two years, we’re excited to have Connor bring his approaches and experiences to help DSST: Cole become tops in Denver. Connor has a MS in Education from The City College of New York and a BA in English and Theater from Princeton University.
Selina Diaz – Office Assistant
Selina graduated from Faith Christian Academy in Arvada, CO. She currently attend Metropolitan State University and is working on obtaining her BS in Human Services with an emphasis in High Risk Youth.
Selina is an AmeriCorps Alumni and served two years working with preschool aged children and their families through HIPPYCorp in Adams County. Her passion is working with families, children, and the community providing support, resources and services.
Brad White- School Director in Training for DSST: Byers
Brad is joining the team, moving from Tokyo, Japan where he worked at St. Mary’s International School (an all boys Catholic school) where he was a 2nd grade teacher for four years, played a role in K-12 curriculum development and coordinating tools to enhance learning. Brad has a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and Spanish from Luther College and a Master’s in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from California State – Northridge. Brad will be a School Director in Training over the course of the 2012-2013 school year.
Amy Chavez– Art
Amy is joining our team from our Stapleton High School, where she has been teaching Art for the past two years. Amy will create an amazing program and will also focus on developing the technology skills that our students will need to be proficient this school year. Amy has previously taught art at every level, from preschool through university level. She has an amazing ability to excite students through visual art and creative modes of self expression. Amy has a BFA from Arizona State University with an emphasis in ceramics and has served in several Artist In Residency programs throughout the United States.
Whitney Clark - Social Worker
Whitney has worked in DSST schools for four years, including Cole, Green Valley Ranch and Stapleton. Whitney earned a bachelor's degree in Social Work from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Go Wildcats! After working for two years in Child Protection Services in Kansas City, Whitney moved to Denver to attend graduation school at the University of Denver. She earned a Masters degree in Social Work in 2008. Whitney loves reading, yoga, skiing, traveling, and spending time with the amazing students of DSST Cole!
LesleighClayton - English Language Learner Interventionist
Lesleigh is joining our Cole team from Manny Martinez Middle School here in Denver where she served as a reading intervention teacher. Prior to teaching in Denver, Lesleigh taught on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, teaching MS/HS English and Yearbook. She has a BS in English from Fort Lewis College. Lesleigh has been instrumental in building a strong team at Manny Martinez and has also helped produce great gains with her language learners at Manny. We’re excited to bring her on board and know that she’ll play a huge role in helping achieve reading and writing gains that are tops in the state of Colorado.
Jeremy Cook – Technology
Jeremy graduated from DSST Stapleton in 2008 and attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he earned his BS in Aeronautics graduating in 2012. Jeremy hopes to soon enter a career within the field of his degree program but is thankful for the opportunity to help grow the DSST school system and give a unique prospective of graduating from DSST.
Andy Coyle - 6th Grade Math
Andy will be joining TJ to teach 6th grade math. Andy joins us from Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was teaching math at Matheson Jr. High School. In addition to teaching math, Andy also coached wrestling and soccer. Andy has a B.S. in Recreation Administration from Eastern Illinois University. Andy has worked incredibly hard to create a classroom built around high expectations, both academically and behaviorally. We’re excited to have him bring his experiences and join the DSST: Cole crew.
Troy Devan – Psychologist
Troy has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. In 2010, he also completed his Ed.S. in School Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. He worked in rural Colorado for two years prior to returning to work in Denver Public Schools. Troy worked in several schools in Montbello and Cole last year. He is solely working for the DSST charter school network this year and couldn't be happier to do so.
Danielle DuBois- 7th grade Science
Danielle is joining the team from Kingman, Arizona, where she taught 7th and 8th grade Science at White Cliffs Middle School. Danielle has done amazing things with her students, enhancing her instruction with scientific inquiry, technology, and opportunities for students outside of the classroom. She strives to not only teach science, but also to ensure students understand such difficult scientific material. Danielle has a BS in Animal Science and a MA in Teaching, both from Cornell University. She also has some wonderful experiences both inside and outside of the classroom which will help to deepen our student’s understanding of Life Sciences.
Jessa Forthofer- 6th Grade English
Jessa Forthofer is one of three teachers on our English team, working alongside Courtni Frank and Lesleigh Clayton. She loves having conversations about books with students. Jessa began her teaching career in a 9th grade English classroom in Memphis, Tennessee. While teaching there, she completed her MA in Teaching at Christian Brothers University. For her undergraduate degree, Jessa attended CU-Boulder and received a BA in Communications and Gender Studies. She enjoys running and weightlifting, as well as trying new restaurants.
Courtni Frank- 6th Grade English
Courtni will be joining DSST: Cole from our Stapleton campus this year to become a founding teacher at Cole. Courtni joined DSST: Stapleton last year after teaching at Rachel B. Noel Middle School here in Denver. Prior to coming back to Denver, Courtni was with TFA in Richmond, CA, in the bay area, where she was teaching HS SPED. Courtni has a BA in English from CU-Boulder and an MA in Education from Alliant International University in San Francisco.
Kira Grush - 7th Grade English
Kira currently teachers at AXL Academy in Aurora, Colorado and will teach English next year at DSST: Cole. She is completing her second year as a corps member with TFA as a 5th grade teacher. She has also taught 6th grade. In both years, she has led her students to impressive results in both math and English. She attended Colorado College and has a BA in Biology with a minor in English. Soon, she will also have completed her Master’s in Education at CU Denver. We’re thrilled to have Kira bring her great results and strong classroom culture to join our program here at DSST: Cole.
Christy Haas-Howard - School Nurse
Christy has a BA in Economics from Claremont McKenna College, a BS in nursing from Metropolitan State University, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Colorado. She is the school nurse and one of the founding staff members at DSST: Cole. She has worked as a school nurse in Denver Public Schools since 2005, and continues to enjoy working with the students and families from the Cole neighborhood.
TJ Harris - 6th Grade Math
TJ is returning from work in Tanzania, developing curriculum and training teachers, and will return to our team this summer. For those of you who don’t’ know, he worked with us last summer during summer school and spent this past year in Africa. He has a BA in Geography from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is in his 5th year in education, three have been with the Culture and Language Academy of Success (CLAS) Middle School in LA. He taught Earth and Life Science his first two years and has since found his place teaching math. TJ will join us, teaching math next year. Welcome back TJ!
Dexter Korto - 7th Grade Social Studies
Dexter attended the Miami University on a full football scholarship and earned his undergraduate degree in International Studies, with a concentration in Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy. After graduating he committed to a year of service with the AmeriCorps program City Year, for its pilot year in Denver Public Schools. Dexter worked tirelessly in the education reform laden far North East region, at Montbello High School. Although his AmeriCorps program is over, he still remains tightly woven into the Montbello community and the high school that will be phased out. He is currently pursuing a MA in Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies from UCD. Dexter will join Cole as our 7th grade social studies teacher this fall.
Jillian Levy - 6th Grade Social Studies
Jillian has a M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Arizona State University and a BA in History from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She is currently a 5th grade teacher in Glendale, Arizona. She has developed amazing, relevant curriculum to engage her students and has also lead tutoring programs and implemented a reading remediation program (which resulted in 91% of her students passing the state reading assessment). She is a second year TFA corps member in the Phoenix corps and will be joining us to teach Social Studies next year.
Brandon Nelson - 6th Grade Science
Brandon teaches high school science in Colorado Springs at Harrison High School. Like others on our team, Brandon is finishing his second year with the TFA Colorado corps. The courses Brandon teaches include Chemistry, Biology, Physical/Earth Science, and Biochemistry. Brandon is an extremely strong planner and does an amazing job in his classes to make some of the more challenging science content accessible and highly engaging for his students. Brandon has two Bachelor’s degrees, one from CU in Sociology and on from Metro State College in Chemistry.
Tim Nelson - 7th Grade English
Tim is currently teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Language Arts at Santa Cruz Catholic School in Tucson, Az. He is fulfilling his second year there, working with the University of Notre Dame ACE (Alliance for Catholic Education) program. Tim has played an integral role in creating a Catholic values and academically driven focus with many soon-to-be first generation college students. He has also been involved in professional development in his school that has led to more time on instruction in classrooms at his school. Tim graduated with a BA in English and Theology from Notre Dame and will have his Master’s in Education from Notre Dame this December. It’s super exciting to bring Tim on to complete our 7th grade English team.
Stacy Pietari - 7th Grade Science
Stacy is also joining us from our GVR campus. Stacy currently teaches 6th grade science and will join our team to teach science as well. Prior to joining DSST Stacy taught in New Orleans with Teach for America (TFA) and also worked as a curriculum writer for the St. Bernard Parrish School Board. She has a BA in Environmental Studies from University of Minnesota – Duluth. It’s great to have Stacy join our team, bringing her DSST and TFA experiences, combined with her strengths in curriculum and environmental sciences.
Jake Sidley - Athletic Director
Meaghan Smith - 7th Grade Math
Meaghan is joining DSST: Cole to teach math next year. She currently teaches middle school math at the Blackham School with Bridgeport (Connecticut) Public Schools. She has a BA in Math and Secondary Education from Roger Williams University. In addition to her strength as a math teacher, Meaghan has worked and trained with The Leadership and Learning Center for things such as Common Core State Standards and Data Teams. She is also the coach of the Math Team at her school
Michael Suomi- 6th Grade Science
Mike is a first year teacher and TFA-Colorado Corps member joining us from Seattle, Washington. Since 2007, Mike has worked with KPFF Consulting Engineers and volunteered with CCS Youth Tutoring program as a tutor and club leader. He has wonderful experiences with Engineers Without Borders, studying abroad, and working in Haiti after the earthquakes. Mike has a MS in Structural Engineering from the University of Washington and a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Lela Waters - 7th Grade Math
Lela is currently teaching 7th grade math at Fox Meadows Middle School in Colorado Springs. This is her second year in the TFA Colorado corps. Lela graduated with a BA in Chemistry and Psychology from Northwestern University. Lela has established an impressive classroom culture by leading her students to develop strong intrinsic motivation to learn and succeed. Lela will be working at TFA Institute in Phoenix this summer and joining us in the fall to teach 7th grade math with Meaghan.
Joe Wykowski- Special Education
Joe is joining us from Summit View Elementary in Highlands Ranch, CO, where he worked as an Educational Assistant for students with severe needs. Joe graduated from Colorado College with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Educational Studies. He possesses an extensive background in, and passion for, working with individuals of all ages with disabilities. While an undergraduate student he played goalkeeper for the men’s soccer team and served as president of the all-male acappella group on campus. Joe has been involved with youth athletics for many years, working with the Special Olympics, as a soccer goalkeeper coach, and managing sports and recreation programs. He continues to be involved in the soccer community through refereeing at the adult & collegiate level. He dreams of establishing the premier Glee Club in the state!