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My life has been interesting to say the least! I spent from my second grade year to my high school graduation at Mooseheart, Illinois. Mooseheart is a residential childcare facility, located on a 1,000-acre campus 38 miles west of Chicago. The Child City is a home for children and teens in need, from infancy through high school. The Moose fraternal organization, MOOSEHEART, cares for youth whose families are unable to care for them. Some have lost one or both parents; others are living in environments that are simply not conducive to healthy growth and development. Whatever the reason, the men and women of the Moose, through unparalleled generosity and volunteerism, furnish the resources necessary to care for children in need. I was Valedictorian and earned a full ride Moose International Scholarship to the University of Montana. Check out the website that shares my wonderful experience of ten years. (www.mooseheart.org) While at Mooseheart, I spent two summers with the Youth Conservation Corps in Yellowstone National Park. I (http://www.nps.gov/yell/parkmgmt/yccjobs.htm) We built bridges, fences, broke trail, restored cabins, and spent weeks camping out in the beautiful national park. Because of Yellowstone, I gained an appreciation for the west and attended college at the University of Montana, Missoula where I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Forestry, Fire Science, and Resource Conservation. Two of my college summers were spent in Germany working at a Hotel and Restaurant. I learned to speak German there and had so much fun travelling throughout Europe. Below is a picture of the Restaurant in the hotel. (http://www.schwarzwaldfuehrer.de/mittlererschwarzwald/offenburgortenau/lahr/ restaurantschwarzwaldstube.html) The other two summers I spent on the Clearwater National Forest as a Trail Crew Member and Firefighter. I loved fighting fire and being outdoors. I marveled at how much science there was to fire behavior and humans reactions to it. My senior year of college I worked on the University of Montana NASA Earth Observing System Education Project as a Research Assistant and then recieved a full time position for the year that followed. I traveled throughout the United States teaching teachers technology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and NASA observation tools. I also was a Teacher Assistant for one of the first online classes offered at the University of Montana in 1999! Yes, that is how old I am! Internet was just budding it's full potential! From the EOS Education Project I realized my love for teaching and found a job in Honduras, Central America where I taught second grade Honduran students. I had an amazing year there and that is where I learned to get by speaking Spanish. http://www.ebhonline.net/ When I returned to America, I took a Forest Service Firefighting position and met my husband the second day I was back in the states. I worked with the Forest Service for 6 more years while earning my Masters Degree in Education from the University of Phoenix Online. In 2007 I happily accepted a teaching position with the Mountain View School District 244. On my first day at Grangeville Elementary and Middle School, I walked into a classroom that had Apple 2G computers...in 2007! I had my work cut out for me, but our staff was wonderful and supportive. Within two weeks our technology coordinator had rounded up 12 Micron computers with 528MG of RAM. What an improvement from the Apple 2G! We have come so far in my six years at GEMS. It seems every year I earn a computer or two through grants. Over the years last eight years, I have taught Computers, Technology through STEM, Math, Reading, Spanish, and Wood Shop. This year I am excited to return to the second and third grade classroom. I love GEMS because of the amazing staff and students.