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Gina Andress, co-presenting Colorado Plateau: The After School Club, has been a Flagstaff resident for 17 year, living on and around the Colorado Plateau for her entire life. Gina earned her B.A. from Northern Arizona University and has been teaching first grade at Mountain School for 8 years. She loves nothing more than to go outside with her class, ask a bunch of questions, and get dirty. Through BOEP, Gina feels that she has learned a great deal and is paying more attention to her surroundings and appreciating them so much more. She also has two daughters, who are currently students in classrooms taught by teachers who are participating in the BOEP, so learning about and experiencing the Colorado Plateau has been a family affair this year!  Gina and Susan are presenting about the after school club they developed in order to reach a wider population and age group of students at their school.     

Josh Armstrong, co-presenting A School Within A School: Alpine Adventures in the First Year and Practical Planning: Coordinating lessons and Expeditions in the Outdoors, has a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Education. He has an ESL Endorsement and has been teaching middle school for nine years. In addition to teaching both 7th and 8th grade science, Mr. Armstrong has spent many years coaching middle school wrestling and during the summers he works as a river guide.  One of his favorite parts of the school year is when he takes a group of students on a river trip.

April Baisan, presenting Can Trees Tell Stories?, has worked as a 7-8^th grade science teacher, experiential educator and artist for 25 years in the Southwest. She earned a M.A. in Teaching and Teacher Education and a secondary science teaching certificate from the University of Arizona. She has enjoyed connecting people (4^th grade through adult) and environment through sensorial experiences and art in schools, state parks, and private education/research institutions. Her primary interest is in exploring ancient lifeways such as fire making by friction, which she teaches, among other subjects, to 4^th-12^th grade students, at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.  She delights in providing hands-on activities in “reading the landscape”.

Amanda Bouchard, co-presenting Celestial Interpretations, is currently teaching full day Kindergarten at Bluff Elementary School in Bluff, UT. She has taught Kindergarten, 2^nd, 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade in and around the surrounding area, as well as two college level courses. Previous teaching experience includes teaching children from grades 1st-12th in week long worldwide health programs, including teaching in many International and American Schools abroad. She received her Masters degree at Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts in Elementary Education with a Creative Arts in Learning focus. She faces challenges everyday, but vows to keep creativity alive in the hearts and minds of the children she teaches.

Candace Brendler, co-presenting Interdisciplinary Studies Through Bat Conservation, has a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland and is pursuing a teaching license in secondary science from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. She has spent 7 years teaching ages 5-18 outdoor activities such as skiing, backpacking, and kayaking. She is a Girl Scout troop leader for girls in 3rd-5th grade and is enthusiastic about empowering them to live up to their full potential. Candace is interested in experiential education and interdisciplinary learning strategies.  

Andrew Byrne-Englehorn will be co-presenting Physical Features of the Earth: Landscape Shaped by Water. This will be his second season working with Canyon Country Outdoor Education (CCOE), a program of Canyonlands National Park. He has strong background in interpretation with the National Parks Service and has previously worked in Crater Lake National Monument, Olympic National Park, and Oregon Caves National Monument. 

Jamie Carling, presenting Adaptation and Classifications, has a B.S. in Science Composite teaching and Biology with an emphasis in Biodiversity and Ecology. She taught grades 6^th-8^th for five years in Meeker, Colorado. The last three years have been spent teaching science part-time to 7^th -12^th graders at Monticello High School. Jamie enjoys getting students out into nature and is the advisor of the Outdoor Club in Monticello. Her favorite aspect of teaching is hands-on labs, where students get a chance to interact with each other and the teacher. She wants to shine new light on how to teach the standards while involving students in labs.   

Cindy Dale, presenting Snowshoeing: Past, Present, and Future, has a M.A. in Teaching Physical Education from Oregon State University. She has been teaching for 20 years, with Colorado being the third state in her career. She currently shares her passion for the great outdoors with her elementary school students in Ignacio, CO. Cindy’s love for the Colorado Plateau extends deep into the chasm of the Grand Canyon as a Dory river guide. As a physical education educator, it is Cindy’s goal to expose students to outdoor activities that compliment all four seasons and their relationships to the Colorado Plateau.

Rebecca Deal will be co-presenting Physical Features of the Earth: Landscape Shaped by Water, a program she regularly presents to 5^th graders of San Juan County through the Canyon Country Outdoor Education (CCOE) program of Canyonlands National Park.  In her work she conducts classroom programs and field trip units in the National Parks of this area with students from local Elementary Schools. Rebecca has worked with this program for 10 months and prior to that with students as an Education and Natural Resources Volunteer with the Peace Corps in Togo.

Bonnie Dodge, presenting Water as a Resource, has a B.S. in Education from ECSU (Eastern CT State University), a MST (Masters of Science for Teachers) and Green Technologies Certificate from NMT (New Mexico Tech).  She has taught Title I classes K-5 in Connecticut for nine years, worked in the aerospace industry for thirteen years, and for the last seven years she has taught math and science at an alternative high school in Belen, NM.  She teaches because she wants to share her knowledge and experiences with young people, exciting them about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and instilling in them the importance of STEM in their lives. Bonnie chose to teach at an alternative high school for at-risk students in order to encourage these students to continue their education and pursue STEM professions. She wants students to increase their academic self-confidence so they can enrich their lives and become productive members of society.  She says, “Every child has the potential to succeed given the tools and the desire.” 

Sandra Emery is co-presenting Colorado Plateau Virtual Tour. Sandra has a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of NM and has been teaching first grade for 10 years. She loves her first graders from Ruth N. Bond Elementary, as they are so eager to learn. They chose to present on a “virtual tour” because their district budget does not have the funds for many field trips, and The Colorado Plateau Virtual Tour is free and easy! 

Diane Hirschinger Gallegos, presenting Get Up Close and Personal with Nature, is a naturalist, educator, author, and outdoor recreationist. She has a B.S. in Recreation from the University of Lacrosse, Wisconsin and a M.S. from UNC. Her 14-year teaching experience includes grades K-12 & Colorado Mt. College. Diane’s passions and talent have helped her hold positions as Founder and Director of Recreation Vail/Eagle County and the Colorado National Monument Board of Directors, and founder of “Walks and Talks” interpretive hikes National Monument. She is also an author of Through the Eyes of the Children, Western Field Guide, which has earned her the accolades of “Author of the Year,” “US Environmental Achievement Award,” “Best Children’s Book,” and “Best Field Guide” from the Denver Post with a cover and feature article in “Science & Children’s” magazine. She has also published Adventures in the Colorado National Monument, Teachers Guide, and winner of the “National Park Award of Excellence.” 

Molly Goulden, co presenting A School Within A School: Alpine Adventures in the First Year and Practical Planning: Coordinating lessons and Expeditions in the Outdoors will graduate in May with her teaching certificate and M.Ed from Northern Arizona University. She is currently student teaching in a social studies classroom as a part of Alpine Leadership Academy in Flagstaff. Her undergraduate degree is in Political Science and she spent three years teaching environmental/experiential education in Colorado, Wyoming, and California.

Ravis M. Henry, presenting The National Park Service as an Educational Resource, is from Alamo, NM and is of Navajo and Apache descents, but was born and raised at Canyon de Chelly. He is currently taking classes at both Coconino Community College and Northern Arizona University, pursuing degrees in Anthropology and Parks and Recreation Management. Ravis is currently working at Canyon de Chelly National Monument as a Park Guide and first started with the National Park Service as a volunteer. Today he works primarily with Educational Programs and Outreach Services in the local community.

Mary Lynne Herr, presenting Archeaoastronomy of Chaco Canyon and Sun Dagger Math, came to the Four Corners Region of the Land of Enchantment in 1981 to settle near the Chuska Mountains. She has worn many professional “hats,” including Teacher, district Curriculum Specialist, Principal and Director of Technology for schools on the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo. In addition, she has work in higher education, preparing current and future teachers to teach art, math, reading and writing, as well as integrating technology into all subjects. She has a B.A. in Art from Framingham State University, M.A. in Administration from University of New Mexico and a Ph.D in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. She has served on the Advisory Board of the Navajo Nation Rural Systemic Initiative (1998-2001) and worked as the Executive Director of the New Mexico MESA, the Math Engineering Science Achievement pre-college program. Currently she is the Gifted and Talented Education Facilitator for the Ignacio Schools, in southwest Colorado. Her passion is to inspire children of all ages to learn new ways to rekindle their innate curiosity and fan the flames of inquiry.

Amy J. John, presenting You and Your Science Project, has a B.A. from Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO in Elementary Education specializing in bicultural and geology, and a M.A. from New Mexico Tech in Science Teaching specializing in hydrology. Amy has taught for 16 years, including 5^th, 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade students at Tse Bit Ai Middle School in Shiprock, New Mexico, and is currently writing the Science Curriculum for the Central Consolidated School District. One of the things that she enjoys most about teaching is giving students knowledge of science and engaging them so that they may become a scientist, engineer, doctor or just to get them to go to college in the future. 

Nancy Kastning is co-presenting Mapping the Colorado Plateau and Its Aquifers. She has a BA. in Biology from Adams State College and an M.S. in Botany from University of Wyoming. She has taught college to middle school since 2004. She has been a field scientist who completed many botanical, ecological, range, wetlands, and environmental surveys and legal documents for numerous federal and private entities. She is currently teaching 8^th grade at Tse Bit’ Ai Middle School in Shiprock, New Mexico. She has a passion for maps and the mapping of different attributes of the land and loves to share it with students. She also loves to share the knowledge represented on those maps.

Justin Kendhamer, co-presenting A School Within A School: Alpine Adventures in the First Year and Practical Planning: Coordinating lessons and Expeditions in the Outdoors, has a B.S. in Psychology and is certified to teach physical education, health, and social studies. During the last six years he has taught a combination of PE and social studies at the high school and middle school levels in Arizona and abroad. Mr. Kendhammer has spent many of his teaching years working as a soccer coach as well.  Most recently, those coaching hours have transitioned into developing a middle school garden and a gardening club with the Alpine Leadership Academy at Mount Elden Middle School in Flagstaff, AZ.

Clayton Long, presenting Navajo Land! Come Alive!, is the Bilingual Education Director for the San Juan School District in Utah. He has a B.S. in Educational Psychology and a M.A. in Educational Administration. He also holds a title of Honoree Doctor from the College of Eastern Utah. Clayton is recognized as a supervisor over Navajo Language Programs (K-12 Diné Language Program, Navajo Translation Team, Board President of Navajo Language Renaissance [Rosetta Stone Navajo Projects] and Diné Language Teacher Program.

Margretta Meyer, co-presenting Physical Features of the Earth: Landscape Shaped by Water, has enjoyed teaching with Canyon Country Outdoor Education (CCOE), a program of Canyonlands National Park, for 5 years. She has a Masters Degree in Geology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and uses her expertise to teach natural sciences to all grades of elementary students. 

Tanya Nees, co-presenting Celestial Interpretations, is a 2^nd and 3^rd grade teacher at Bluff Elementary. Over the past seven years she has worked in BIA, public, and charter schools in New Mexico, California, and Utah. Her classroom experience teaching 1^st-5^th grade has given her a firsthand perspective of the unique developmental traits of each grade level. She received her B.S. from Wellesley College in Bioethics and her teaching certificate from Western New Mexico University. Tanya is passionate about inspiring curiosity in her students by integrating content knowledge with standard based lessons.

Mansel A. Nelson, facilitating a workshop on Water Conservation Education – An Impact of Climate Change. He obtained a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Utah and a M.S. in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University. Mansel was active as a trainer in the military for 14 years, followed by 20 years as an educator. Mansel taught high school and currently teaches grades K-16. Mansel is focused on the application of science, mathematics, engineering and technology to local environmental issues. He is interested in helping students identify their passion and turning it into a career through education. With the impacts of climate change we can anticipate reduced access to water resources, so we must adapt to these changes through water conservation is his message.

Carole Palmer, presenting Water We Doing for School Gardens and Habitats, is an education associate coordinator with National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Lands Conservation Program, and has lived in Arizona for 25 years, residing on the Navajo Reservation since March 2004. Both as a volunteer and through her work with NWF, she has participated in regional networking efforts to support school gardening, community gardening and land restoration projects with native plants in the Four Corners and throughout New Mexico and Arizona. She is also active in the Environmental Education Association of New Mexico, the Arizona Association for Environmental Education, the New Mexico Science Teachers Association, and the Gallup Farmers’ Market.

Shawnmarie Powell will be presenting Adding Place Based Methods to Geography Lesson Plans.  A graduate of Montana State University with a degree in Secondary Education/History, Ms. Powell spent one year teaching 5^th grade, ½ a year teaching 4^th grade, and 4.5 years teaching 9^th – 12^th grade students in Geography, United States History, World History, Government, and Economics. Ms. Powell then decided on a change of pace and currently operates the After School Program at Bluff Elementary School, while working as a reading interventionist, and spending time helping teach social studies in grades K-5.  Shawnmarie loves the challenge of teaching students about places and people, and sparking interest in what elementary students sometimes view as a “boring” subject. Her purpose for presenting this geography set of lessons is to share what she has found to work for multiple age groups and in several different disciplines.

Susan Spizzirri will be co-presenting Colorado Plateau: The After School Club. Susan grew up in Chicago and has been living in Flagstaff, Arizona for about 11 years. She has degrees in Spanish and Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University, and now teaches 5^th grade at Mountain School in Flagstaff, AZ where she has been for 3 years. In Susan’s classroom, she aims to incorporate Montessori methods and hands-on learning.  She completed the BOEP Summer Institute this past summer and feels it strengthened her knowledge and love for the outdoors in the southwest. Growing up in a city in the Midwest, the curriculum offered by BOEP is not only new content for Susan, but a unique area of education in which she is excited to focus. While she has been incorporating BOEP lessons in her classroom, she feels most successful with the after school program she facilitates and would love to share its success with others!

Luz Rebecca Sumingwa, co-presenting Mapping the Colorado Plateau, Its Aquifers and Watersheds, has a B.A. in General Science, Certificate Program in Biology from the University of the Philippines and a M.A. in School Management and Supervision from the Philippines. She had been teaching for almost 27 years, which includes 23 years in the private and public secondary schools in the Philippines and 3 years high school teaching here in the United States. She is presently teaching at the Tse Bit’ Ai Middle School, Shiprock, New Mexico. In all her years of teaching, she finds that teaching middle school students is the greatest challenge in her teaching career. She also agrees that life is really an unending learning process.

Ervin Trujillo, presenting Math Mapping the Colorado Plateau, is a 7^th grade math teacher at Heights Middle School in Farmington, NM. Ervin has a B.S. in Education and M.A. in Education from the University of New Mexico. He has 4 years experience in a self-contained elementary school and is currently in his 3^rd year teaching in a middle school. Ervin uses various teaching methods, strategies, and personal experiences to help students understand math concepts. Ervin likes to use his experiences in constructions to make real world connections and experiences for the students. He likes to find new ways of introducing concepts and activities so that he doesn’t teach the same lessons every year.

Megan Walker, co-presenting A School Within A School: Alpine Adventures in the First Year and Practical Planning: Coordinating lessons and Expeditions in the Outdoors, has a B.S. Degree in English Education, a M.A. in English, and an Endorsement for Teaching Students with Gifts and Talents. This is her sixth year teaching middle school; she has also spent time teaching at community colleges and at a university in southern Ecuador.  During her time at the middle school level, Ms. Walker has worked closely with the Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival and Grand Canyon Youth to help develop and coordinate their student outreach programs.

Zackery Zdinak, presenting Outdoor Guided Science Inquiry of Kindergarteners, has been presenting education programs since bringing two spotted turtles to his Kindergarten for Show & Tell. His Wildlife Biology degree brought him to the Colorado Plateau in 1980 for job at Arches National Park. He found giving environmental education classes at Moab schools so rewarding, he continued combining wildlife management, science education and nature awareness at National Parks and Forest Service positions in Utah and Arizona. In 1998 he founded Life Drawing & Education in Flagstaff, Arizona, a resource for educational programs, interpretive media design and scientific illustration. He honed education skills through the Arizona Foundation for Resource Education, Arizona Association for Environmental Education, North American Association for Environmental Education, National Science Teachers Association and the Connecticut Science Center. For the past four years, he has been collaborating with Kindergarten teacher Andrea Andretta on developing early childhood science skill learning through art, inquiry and nature exploration.

Noah Zind, co-presenting Interdisciplinary Studies Through Bat Conservation, is pursuing a degree in secondary education and biology from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. He has an Associates Degree in Outdoor Recreation Leadership from Colorado Mountain College. Noah spent five years as a mentor for teenagers at Second Nature Wilderness Program and four years at AAVE, a summer program for teenagers, instructing a variety of recreational activities including backpacking and rock climbing. Noah is interested in using outdoor and interdisciplinary methods to teach middle school science.