Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.   Nederland Middle Senior High School and Nederland Elementary School teachers returned to their classrooms in mid-August after what seemed to be the shortest summer ever. But then, it always comes too soon.

The students want just one more day of sleeping in; the teachers need more prep time and the parents have to readjust their leisure summer schedule to the academic year’s busy deadline regimes.

Perhaps those making the biggest leap are the new teachers who have to adjust a new community, a new building, new students and their parents and teaching at high altitude.

On Tuesday, August 14, at the Nederland Middle Senior High School Back to School night, the 2018-2019 Panther family introduced themselves to each other, giving the teachers a chance a answer questions about what will take place in the classroom, and gave the kids the opportunity to assess where their new classrooms are and what they will be learning.

Seven new NMSHS have been hired. Lori Ledbetter will teach 7th and 8th grade comp math, algebra 1, Math Support and Woodshop. She and her husband moved to Colorado in 1988, specifically to Coal Creek Canyon where they and their two children bike, hike, camp, ski and snowshoed.

Ledbetter has taught math for 10 years and looks forward to helping students grow in math and as people. In the past she has served as PTO teacher liaison, School Accountability Committees and a Matchcounts coach, cyberpatriot coach, Robotics Coast and plans to connote to support the school in these or other roles.

“I can’t wait to get into my classroom and meet all the students and their families.”

Juliana Kellner will teach will be on the move, teaching PE/Health-weights/P20, and 6th -8th grade PE/Health. She and her husband arrived in Colorado from Wisconsin this summer. She grew up about 40 minutes from Chicago. This is her fifth year of teaching.

“I previously worked at Oswego East High School in Oswego, Illinois and last year she taught in two middle schools in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
“I enjoy being outside hiking camping, skiing, learning to snowboard and playing soccer. I love reading and am a Netflix binge watcher. I will be coaching high school girls volleyball. One of my favorite quotes is from Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.’”

This will be Kellner’s first year teaching at a small school and she is anticipating the change of pace. “Ned feels like a family environment and I’m really excited to meet everyone soon.”

Kelly Strong will teach Social Studies, World History, AP Psychology, and 7-9 grade Government. She spent the last three years working as an instructional literacy coach for eight school districts of the San Juan Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Southwest Colorado.

“I supported educator collaboration and best practice instruction through the common assignment system, bringing like-content teachers together across our rural region to collaborate on standards-driven instructional units.”

She has also taught AP US and World History in a large city outside of Houston and two years of secondary language arts and social studies in Dove Creek, Colorado.

“I am thrilled to be heading back to the classroom to work with students and being part of the community in Nederland. Boulder Valley is home and it feels great to be back after seven years away.”

Noel Yegian is the new middle school counselor. She has lived in Colorado for the past 25 years and lives in Boulder with her husband and three teenagers. She has been an Attendance Advocate for the Boulder Valley School district for the past eight years, supporting students whose chronic absenteeism impacts their education.

“I look forward to being a full-time counselor and to working in a small, friendly mountain community. I am passionate about middle school and look forward to doing what I can to help make that wonderful moment of life more meaningful and happy.”

Yegian loves to bicycle, hike and read and travel in their 1980s vintage camper.

Alberto Gonzalez will teach Spanish 1, 2, 3 and 4 and coach high school soccer. Originally from Spain, Gonzalez moved to the United States 13 years ago and lived in Denver for the past nine with his wife and five year old twins. He has 26 years of teaching experience at all grade levels and is a professor the Front Range Community College in Fort Collins. He has been a physical education teacher, athletic director, soccer coach and personal trainer.

“With work, passion and motivation we will build a great soccer team.”
Gonzalez was three times a state Judo Champion and played for a semi-pro soccer team for several years.

“My philosophy is to work hard and give my best every day. I love education and the learning process. Learning needs to be done and we need to engage our students during this process.”

Brian Nelson will teach ELA, 9-10 advanced ELA business and Leadership.

He earned a master’s degree from Columbia University and has taught for 20 years. He has tried to discover the underlying principles in education that make a difference in transforming both present and future quality of life for students. He has built and refined a new gifted and talented center in Jefferson County Schools using Expeditionary Leaning principles to cultivate community, collaborative problem-solving and reflection.

Rovenna Yakubov will be the new 8th grade English and AP Lit teacher, TAG Coordinator, and Panther Post Newsletter Editor.