FACULTY & STAFF
MICHELLE AGUILAR, Office Manager.
maguilar@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
JOSHUA ANDERT, Seventh Grade Science Teacher, is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. He is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington where he majored in History. After graduation he joined Teach for America and moved to New Orleans to teach science for two years. Upon leaving New Orleans, he and his wife traveled across the world, bicycling across Britain, eating baklava in Turkey, and hiking through the Himalaya in Nepal. Now days, when he is not in classroom, he is in the mountains with his wife and dog (Oscar) or in the kitchen making pizza and fermenting vegetables. jandert@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
RENEE BELISLE, Sixth Grade Science Teacher, grew up in a military family and moved to Colorado on her eleventh move. She is a graduate of Cornell University and majored in Human Development, and loves to push Cornellian Big Red Pride on her students. She was on the alpine ski team at Cornell, and still continues to ski throughout the winter. In her free time, she is an avid runner and enjoys coaching the Harvey Park soccer team. She enjoys making terrible puns and knows that reading while sunbathing will make you, well, red. rbelisle@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
ERNESTINA CARRILLO, Sixth Grade World Studies Teacher. ecarillo@westdenverprep.org.
CALEB COATS, Special Education Teacher.
ccoats@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
KARI CRAIG, Sixth Grade Writing Teacher, is a Colorado native. She graduated with distinction from the University of Colorado at Boulder with degrees in psychology and journalism. As a member of the Presidents Leadership Class at CU, Ms. Craig developed a deep appreciation for the transformative power of education. Prior to beginning her dream job at West Denver Prep, Ms. Craig coordinated a district-wide tutoring program for American Indian students in Boulder Valley Schools and reported for the Rocky Mountain News. kcraig@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
JENNIFER DEHERRERA, Sixth and Seventh Grade Special Education Teacher, is from Denver, Colorado. She earned her B.A. in Urban Ministry from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois and went on to study Special Education at Metropolitan State College of Denver. Prior to teaching at West Denver Prep, Mrs. DeHerrera taught on the warm and sunny island of Hispanola in the city of Santiago, Dominican Republic. Though Mrs. DeHerrera has enjoyed teaching in a variety of locations, she is thrilled to be back home in Colorado, where she enjoys bike riding, skiing, and taking photographs. jdeherrera@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880,
JAKE EATON, Eighth Grade Reading Teacher, is thrilled to be teaching at West Denver Prep as a current Teach for America corps member. Mr. Eaton hails from the granite state of New Hampshire where he grew up deep in the woods. He graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University with degrees in Anthropology and English and with a minor in Mass Communications. After his time abroad in East Africa, he completed his senior thesis on cultural tourism in Kenya and Tanzania. He enjoys the Boston Red Sox, his bicycle, and seltzer. jeaton@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
KATHLEEN ESPARZA, Eighth Grade Writing Teacher, is thrilled to call Colorado her new home and to join the West Denver Prepatory community. She graduated with honors from Northern Arizona University with a major in journalism and a minor in English. She began teaching in Phoenix as a 2005 Teach For America corps member and continued her career in Flagstataff, Arizona. When she isn't in the classroom, she's spending time with her husband and her amazing two sons. kesparza@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
KATIE GLYNN, Seventh Grade Pre-Algebra Teacher. Ms. Glynn is originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts with a B.A. in Political Science. During her junior year of college she studied International Relations at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Prior to joining West Denver Prep Harvey Park, Ms. Glynn worked in the Financial Services industry in New York City. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, watching football, and exploring Colorado. kglynn@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
SABRINA HODGES, Director of Student Services.
shodges@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
MARSHALL HOUSTON, Seventh Grade Math Advanced Problem Solving Teacher, is a seventh generation Alabamian, born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated summa cum laude from The University of Alabama with degrees in Economics and English, and as a 2011 Teach For America corps member, is extremely excited to work with the leaders and scholars at Harvey Park. Mr. Houston enjoys sports (especially college football), reading nearly anything, and watching TED.com videos. Roll Tide! mhouston@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
SUSAN LANDFRIED, Seventh Grade Reading Teacher is originally from Sumter, South Carolina. Ms. Landfried graduated from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia with a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations. Upon graduating college, she lived in Japan for nearly two years teaching conversational English to teens and adults. Ms. Landfried thoroughly enjoys cooking and trying new foods, playing tennis, and traveling. slandfried@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
SHELBY LAZAROFF, Sixth Grade Math Procedures Teacher, is originally from Michigan. She went to college at Miami University (the one in Ohio!), where she majored in Business. Realizing this was not the route for her, she went on to graduate school at Loyola College in Maryland, and earned a Master’s of Education degree while gaining urban classroom experience in Baltimore. Prior to coming to West Denver Prep, she taught in Chicago and Aurora, CO. She enjoys spending time with her three younger sisters, traveling and skiing. slazaroff@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
SARA LEVIN, Eighth Grade Reading Teacher, is loving her new home in Denver Colorado. After graduating from Stephen F. Austin State University with a degree in Education, she moved to the Texas Hill country to start her teaching career. She has been teaching English Language Arts for the last nine years in Austin, Texas. She loves to read, run, and be outside. slevin@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
JOANNE LIU, Assistant Principal, is a native of Boston, MA and moved to Colorado in July 2010. She attained her B.A. in English/American Literature and Secondary Education from Brandeis University in 2003 and spent two years teaching middle school students with special needs in Washington, D.C. as a Teach For America Corps Member. For the past four years, she has been the Special Education Director for the MATCH Charter Public High School in Boston, MA, but is now excited to be in Colorado in her new role at West Denver Prep. In addition, she enjoys committing her time to the Asian community. She has been active with the National Association of Asian American Professionals since 2006 as a NAAAP Boston member and Community Service Committee Co-Chair and now as a member of the Community Relations Committee of NAAAP Colorado. She also has a passion for Chinese lion dancing and has been trained in this form of art for eight years. jliu@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
MARINA MAGYAR, Sixth Grade Reading Teacher, loves to read and enjoys sharing her passion for literacy with students. She graduated from Metropolitan State College here in Denver with a B.A. in English and a minor in Elementary Education. One of her most prized possessions is a 5,000 piece personal classroom library that she enjoys sharing with her students. Prior to coming to West Denver Prep, Ms. Magyar taught 5th grade in Aurora for six years. Besides reading, she likes spending her free time taking her dog on long walks, spending time with family and friends, and discovering more fabulous books for her students to read! mmagyar@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
KATHRYN MARBLE, Eighth Grade Algebra Teacher. This is Ms. Marble's fourth year teaching Math at West Denver Prep. She graduated from Regis University in 2007 with a degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education. Mrs. Marble is a Denver native, and has never lived in another state! While she loves doing math just for fun, she really likes to study applied math (probability, statistics, data analysis, geometry and so on). When she’s not teaching or playing with her calculator, Mrs. Marble LOVES to cook and bake as well as hike and fish. kmarble@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
KATIE MAST, Eighth Grade Science Teacher, really loves Science! She has a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.A. in Psychology from Denison University. Ms. Mast began teaching middle school science through Teach for America in Baltimore, Maryland, where she earned her M.A.T. from The Johns Hopkins University. In addition to classroom teaching, she has experience working with injured animals and using them in various educational settings, and has an M.S. in Environmental Education from the Audubon Expedition Institute. kmast@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
LILLIAN PATIL, Sixth Grade Reading Teacher, is originally from the sunny city of San Jose, California, and is now thrilled to be living in the also-sunny city of Denver, Colorado. She graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island with a B.A. degree in International Relations. She also studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she did research on Argentine-Brazilian nuclear relations. In her free time, she enjoys salsa dancing, adding Indian spices to everything she cooks, and reading wherever and whenever she can. lpatil@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
JENNIE RIPOLI, Sixth Grade Math Problem Solving Teacher.
jripoli@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
KATHERINE SAUL, Seventh Grade Writing Teacher, is acclimating to the altitude after four years teaching in Virginia and D.C. She has a BA in English from The College of William and Mary (Tribe Pride!) and a Masters in Education from The University of Virginia (Wah-hoo-wah!). Prior to embarking on her teaching career, Ms. Saul has been, among other things, a social worker, Special Olympics coach, adaptive ski instructor, waitress, landscaper, camp counselor, marine science lab tech, and a chocolate factory worker. ksaul@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
ANN SCHARF, Special Education Teacher, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in English Literature. She also holds a teaching license in English and Special Education. Before coming to West Denver Prep, Mrs. Scharf taught in a 6th-12th grade charter school for 9 years. Mrs. Scharf enjoys reading, hiking, cooking, listening to music, photography and traveling. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and two small children. ascharf@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
COLIN SHAW, Director of Student Life, is originally from Indiana. After graduating with honors from West Virginia University with a B.A. in History, Mr. Shaw took over as director of a Middle School after school program for at-risk students in Washington, D.C. After two rewarding years in Washington, Mr. Shaw moved home to Indiana to complete his student teaching. In 2006, Mr. Shaw accepted a 6th Grade Social Studies teaching position in Charleston, South Carolina. He has taught 6th Ancient History and 7th Grade Modern History. Mr. Shaw has a strong belief that every child can achieve in an academic setting through hard work and discipline. cshaw@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
JOSHUA SMITH, Principal. Mr. Smith is the founding Principal of West Denver Prep's Harvey Park Campus. Mr. Smith was a Teach for America corps member in the Rio Grande Valley from 2001 to 2004, where he was recognized as Campus Teacher of the Year (2003-2004) and Wal-Mart Community Teacher of the Year (2003-2004). Prior to re-locating to Colorado, Mr. Smith spent several years conducting research and policy advocacy in Washington, DC, with think-tanks such as Third Way, the Stimson Center, and the Woodrow Wilson Center, and was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2006. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Master's degree from Georgetown University. He is intensely proud of the extraordinarily dedicated and hard-working students, teachers, and families of the Harvey Park school community. jsmith@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
RAMIRO VACA, Program Manager, is from Quito, Ecuador. He has been living in Denver for two years and loves the city and the people who live here. He went to college in Quito, and finished his studies in Agricultural Engineering in 2002 at the Army Polytechnic Institute. In 2005, he had the opportunity to join a new educational project in his hometown and since then he has been working in the administrative area of schools. Currently he has an administrative position where he gets to work with teachers, parents, and students. He loves being part of the WDP team, for he believes 100% in WDP’s vision for the students of Denver. rvaca@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
CLAIRE MONNE VAHO, Eighth Grade World Studies Teacher, received her Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University. Before coming to West Denver Prep, she taught literature and social studies to students in grades 9-12 at P.S.1 Charter School. cvaho@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
JESSE WHITE, Sixth Grade World Studies Teacher, is excited to be returning to his home state of Colorado! He moved to South Carolina with his family in 1993 where he went to the College of Charleston and received a B.A. in Elementary Education. He taught South Carolina History in Eighth Grade for seven years before returning to Denver to teach at the Harvey Park Campus. Mr. White enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and mountain biking as well as competitive fencing and Kyudo, Japanese archery. jwhite@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
ERIN WILLIAMS, Seventh Grade Reading Teacher, grew up in Colorado and is happy to be back after nine years of missing the Rocky Mountains. After earning her degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder, she joined Teach For America, moved to California and taught sixth and seventh grade in South Los Angeles and Watts. In 2006, she was lucky enough to take a trip to Ghana, Togo, and Benin in West Africa with fourth and fifth graders. She earned her Master’s from Loyola Marymount University. She loves READING, music, traveling, eating delicious food, and spending time with her family.ewilliams@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880.
