Jeff Rothenberg, Physical Education
Megan Klope, 3rd grade (picture & bio forthcoming)
Molly Meck, 1st grade
Amanda Turner, 4th grade
Rene Yokoyama, Kindergarten
Ciara Leckie, 2nd grade
Jana Hunter, 4th Grade
Megan Hosch-Schmitt, Art
Rachel Simon Marks, Kindergarten
Kristi Leland, 1st Grade
Katie Cryan Leary, Kindergarten
Joe Bailey-Fogarty, 5th grade
Jeffrey Riley, Librarian / Technology Specialist (Library Site)
Nikki Meyers, Special Education
Carla Kirch, Administrative Assistant
Jacki Lykken, Office Assistant
David Elliott, Principal (Principal Blog)

I am a Western Washington University graduate and have been working in Seattle Schools as a Physical Educator the past 5 years.  Most recently I was at Broadview/ Thomson K-8.  Before my time in Seattle I also earned a Masters Degree in Outdoor Education from Australia where I gained much more experience in the Adventure Learning Process.

I am extremely excited to be working with David Elliott and a group of such visionary and dedicated educators towards creating a 21st Century School.  I believe in the power of a physically fit body and mind, which can lead to a well-balanced individual ready to take on any of life’s challenges.  I aim to spark a love for physical activity and sport within our students, and believe the lessons of the game can often be transferred to real world experiences.

In my spare time I enjoy participating in activities like kiteboarding, biking, hiking, running, rock climbing, stand-up paddling, soccer and yoga. I can also ride the unicycle, maybe not as well as our students, but I can ride!

_  I am so thrilled to be part of this school community! From the moment I first met the team at my interview, I knew that this is exactly the learning environment that I so want to be part of.  I look forward to the great experiences we will have and boundaries that we will push as a visionary 21st Century School.

I grew up on Whidbey Island with my patient mom, great brother and sister, and a wildlife biologist dad who always kept our lives full of adventure! I attended UW and then graduated from Central Washington University.  I stayed living in Ellensburg and commuted down to Yakima for two years to teach at a SIG grant school full of truly resilient kids. Their Spanish language barrier and difficult home lives challenged and pushed me every day and gave me a great start to a career in education.

When I’m not at school I enjoy traveling and visiting new places, trying new things, delicious food, music, spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, hot yoga, and going on long runs with the world’s greatest running buddy-my yellow lab, James!

I am so excited to be joining the incredible team of educators at Queen Anne Elementary.  For me this really is a dream come true. 

I came to teaching a little  late in life.  My first career was in television news and after graduating from Washington State University, I worked as a reporter at stations in the Tri- Cities, Eugene, Portland and Seattle before retiring when my kids were born.  It was because of them them that I got involved in education.  I started volunteering in their classrooms and I was hooked.  I went back to school got my Masters in Education and was hired at Arbor Heights Elementary in West Seattle where I taught kindergarten and first grade.

When I'm not teaching I hang out with my kids - Hayley is a freshman at Ballard high school this year, and Sam is a 6th grader at McClure.

I joined Queen Anne Elementary in February 2011 as a kindergarten and 5th grade math teacher.  This year I return to my roots as a 3rd/4th grade classroom teacher, job-sharing with the fabulous Jana Hunter.  I am thrilled to work towards our goals of creating a cutting-edge 21st century school with such a dynamic group of educators, including David Elliott, who hired me for my first teaching position in 2007.

I earned a BA in Women’s Studies from the College of William and Mary (Tribe Pride!) in 2000, and a Masters in Teaching from Seattle University in 2007.   I became a teacher because, quite simply, I love kids and I love the learning process.  My goal as a teacher is to create a rigorous environment where all students achieve, and where all students feel safe and included.

When not lesson planning, I can be found spending time with my husband Darren, and our two boys, Elliott and Atticus.  We enjoy nature, staying active, watching Australian and American football, and traveling to visit family in Virginia and Australia.

I am extremely excited to be a part of the phenomenal Queen Anne Elementary community. It’s truly an honor to begin my teaching career among such a dedicated, loving and inspirational staff. I view teaching as an opportunity to help guide students in their incredible journey of self-discovery.

I absolutely love teaching kindergarteners and watching their immense growth throughout the year. Kindergarten is truly the “launching pad” for further learning and exploration. Without fail, kindergarteners make me laugh, cry, inquire and discover more of myself and the world around me. 

I grew up in Bothell, Washington, in a family surrounded by plenty of food and love. Throughout my childhood, I was active in sports and landed on softball as my sport of choice. I attended school at the University of Washington where I earned my undergraduate degree in psychology, my Masters in Teaching and an English Language Learners endorsement. I enjoy spending my free time outside hiking, playing in the sunshine and traveling.

I couldn't be happier to be working with such an enthusiastic staff and school community. I'm excited to help build Queen Anne Elementary amongst a  dedicated group of people who share the same great goals. Our students will undoubtedly be nurtured and stimulated and continue to be the driving force behind our commitment to providing them the most valuable education possible.

I received my Masters In Teaching at the University of Washington in 2004 before teaching at Loyal Heights Elementary in Seattle. I am a National Board Certified Teacher in Early and Middle Childhood Literacy. I enjoy learning from my students and reaching them at the variety of learning styles unique to each child.

I am returning to Seattle Public Schools after teaching the past two years in Vienna, Austria. I had an incredible experience teaching students and getting to know families from around the globe. I enjoyed the international community and was amazed by how valuable it was to have 13 different countries represented in my single classroom. I respect a diverse community where we can learn from one another and are brought together by a common goal.

Aside from teaching, my new favorite hobby is adoring my daughter who was born in October 2010. I also adore my husband, family, running, sports, eating and traveling the world near and far. This is an exciting time of my life and I am thrilled to have landed a place here at Queen Anne Elementary.

After graduating from UW with a BA in Sociology, I quickly discovered that I wanted to take a path that would challenge everything I had known.  I joined AmeriCorps and traveled to the Redwoods to work with kids. I loved the spontaneity of filling different roles (mentoring, tutoring, fundraising…) within a school setting.  The more I worked with students the more I found value in guiding them to reach their potential.  That wonderful feeling followed me to Vermont where I found myself working in schools again. With fewer restrictions on the way in which educators were deemed successful, the more I was able to incorporate creative and innovative processes of learning. As my motivation to teach grew steadily, I returned to Seattle to go back to school.  While at Antioch University obtaining my MA in Education, I met incredible individuals who helped support and shape my philosophy and ideas even more.

While delving into various roles within education over the years, I had always envisioned what the perfect school would look like for parents, students, teachers, and administrators.  Little did I know that 12 years later I would land in a position in which my imagination would become reality. Queen Anne Elementary clearly exemplifies key components to educating students in unconventional ways while fostering a safe environment for all to learn. I am honored to be part of a community that is like no other and thrilled to join the team! 

My name is Megan Hosch-Schmitt and I am the K-5 art teacher! I am excited to continue teaching art at Queen Anne Elementary and to work alongside an amazing staff, leading our students in their journey to be creative and innovative life-long learners.

Born and raised in Iowa, it is a simplified childhood in this agricultural state I owe to my pursuance of art. When you spend your summers on the farm and have sticks for entertainment, you quickly develop curiosity and creativity to add excitement throughout the day. Therefore, it wasn’t until the ripe age of 10 that I decided to be an art teacher.

Much later, I received a Bachelors and Masters of Arts Degree in Art Education from the University of Northern Iowa. In 2008, I packed up my husband, golden retriever and anything else we could cram into our car and drove to Seattle. Since my move I have been fortunate to teach art in multiple venues including; The Children’s Museum Seattle, UW Children’s Center, Seattle Country Day School and Queen Anne Elementary. I am eager to share with QAE my energy for encouraging our students to be creative problem solvers, using a process oriented teaching approach.

I am a kindergarten teacher here at Queen Anne Elementary, and I was one of the first teachers to start this exciting journey in 2010.  I have to pinch myself whenever I think about working at QAE.  I never imagined that I would be fortunate enough to work with such passionate and inspiring colleagues who share a common vision about what we want our school to be.   In addition, I am thankful to be in a community that is able to be such a big part of their students’ education.

As a kindergarten teacher, I get the exciting job of welcoming kids to their first year of elementary school and laying the foundation for the years to come.  I believe that kindergarten should be an exciting adventure.  My job is to make each child feel safe, comfortable, and confident so they can learn and grow daily.  I believe that it is not only my job to help my students grow academically but also to help them grow into compassionate people who love to learn.

On a personal level, I grew up in Mukilteo, although my family is all from New York.  I graduated with a psych degree from UW, left to Europe, and caught the travel bug. Six months later I came back and completed the UW Bothell teaching program.  I travel as much as possible as I love the excitement of learning about new places and new people.  Most recently, I went to Indonesia and Thailand on my honeymoon with my wonderful husband Greg.  I love to read, run, play soccer and just keep moving, learning and growing. 

I am so excited to be a founding member of the evolving Queen Anne Elementary community! What an honor it is to help develop a learning community that is founded on a common commitment to innovation, collaboration and growth.

I love to teach and I love our youngest learners, so I am thrilled to be joining the kindergarten teaching team at Queen Anne this year! In this new role, I will continue to develop caring and nurturing relationships with my students and provide a safe and exciting learning environment that will allow my students to become strong and eager readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, thinkers, problem solvers and life-long learners. I have a passion for infusing a global perspective throughout the curriculum, and hope to help the students at Queen Anne become global citizens that will help make our world a better place. 

Last year, I taught 2nd grade at QAE. The growth I made as a teacher in the area of technology infusion was exciting, as was the growth this innovative technology use allowed my students to experience. I look forward to expanding my growth in this area, as well as that of my students again this year!

Before teaching second grade at QAE last year, I had most recently held administrative positions in Seattle Public Schools, at the elementary, middle and K-8 levels. Before coming to Seattle ten years ago, I taught for seven years in the Edmonds School District. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Washington State University, K-8 Teaching Credentials from University of Washington, and a Master of Education Administration from Western Washington University. 

When I am not at school, I enjoy reading, traveling, playing soccer and spending time in the mountains with my husband and six-year-old son, Jack.