Kathie Kazan is our November Volunteer of the month! Thanks for all your help around REMS!! My name is Kathie Kazan and I have a 3rd grader at REMS. I love to volunteer and give back. We came to this school this year because we really appreciate the values they represent here! I am so appreciative of everything REMS has done for my daughter, that I can’t help but want to sign up for every volunteer job. It’s my way of saying thank you. Meet Ms. Erin Chen, our school librarian! Why REMS? What about the philosophy, atmosphere, programming made you want to teach/work here? I was interested in expeditionary learning emphasis here at REMS. Tell us about one of your favorite things. Travel, hands down! I spent the last 5+ years living in Greece and exploring that part of the world with my family. My passion for travel and life overseas was sparked by a year I spent living and teaching in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Most people would be surprised to learn I... ...spent the last 5.5 years living in Greece. I never go a day without... ...coffee! Thanks for sharing a little bit about yourself, Ms. Erin! We're so grateful that you joined our Crew! Meet Ms. Hope Corrales, our school Registrar and Front Office Hero!! Why REMS? What about the philosophy, atmosphere, programming made you want to teach/work here? I'm very big on teams/teamwork so WE ARE CREW really speaks to me. Tell us about one of your favorite things. I love camping & concerts! Most people would be surprised to learn I... ...foster puppies. I never go a day without... ...coffee! Thanks for sharing a little bit about yourself, Ms. Hope! We're so grateful that you joined our Crew! Meet Ms. Lisa, our Assistant Principal! Why REMS? What about the philosophy, atmosphere, programming made you want to teach/work here? REMS embodies all that I believe about kids and education: I believe deeply in the power of Crew. I believe deeply in authentic learning experiences and am passionate about expedition and adventure learning and its impact on kids. I believe deeply that school shouldn't be about piles of worksheets and rote tasks, but about deep learning that prepares us (educators and students) for the future world we don't even know about yet. Even more, I believe that students don't have to wait for the future to impact the world now. I believe our greatest work and duty is to inspire kids to be question finders, problem solvers and innovators. Coming from an Expeditionary Learning background in the district, I had heard about REMS through the grapevine. Honestly, it was a perfect storm that allowed for just the right job to open up at just the right time in a school that happened to be working toward areas that support my passions and background! Tell us about one of your favorite things. I love to travel! I have had the opportunity to visit many amazing places around the world and have loved every minute of it, however, there are still so many places I need to go. Most people would be surprised to learn I... ... love to be artistic. I especially love to paint and make jewelry. I never go a day without... ... drinking A LOT of coffee!!! Thanks for sharing a little bit about yourself, Ms. Lisa! We're thrilled to have you in our Crew! Meet the Schmidts, our Parent Crew Volunteers of the Month:
I'm Jennifer! My husband Joe and I are parents to Mason in Ms. Sarah's 2nd grade crew and Haddie in Ms. Bethany's kindergarten crew. We're Colorado natives and commute each day to be a part of the REMS community. Renaissance is the ideal balance of community, adventure, and independence we strive to instill in our kids education. The big events like voyages and field trips and the small opportunities for community reading and connecting with buddies are what draws us to this school and its values. We're so glad to have you in our Parent Crew! Thanks for all you do! Please meet our September Volunteer spotlight: Natalie Wong!! A math-geek at heart, passionate about the educational world, with a deep love of the outdoors I am thrilled to be part of the REMS community. I was born in South Africa, and moved over to the States while a teenager, settling in Florida for a while. My family chose Florida because there was decent surfing and no earthquakes (apparently hurricanes weren’t a blip). Florida is also where I met my husband, David. He is an outstanding chef, and a tenacious engineer. We moved to Colorado a couple years ago, with the desire to get outside more often. And how serendipitous that our children landed in REMS! Lilian (4th grade) has discovered her passion for rock-hopping, and Jonah (1st grade) is in awe that dinosaurs roamed the very land we now live on. I taught high school and college mathematics for 12 years, before going part-time to allow for better balance within our family dynamics. Now I get to do things like design a science lab for elementary kids or belay for rock-climbing weeks. I am currently serving at the SAC chair, learning a lot (and being so appreciative) of what goes on behind the scenes of REMS. Volunteering at REMS has been revolutionary for us as a family. Why? Because it has provided the opportunity to rub shoulders with teachers, staff, and fellow volunteers who are selfless, wise, and genuine. We need more of that in our lives. There is a known positive link between parents volunteering and school success. I’ve experienced this as a teacher and a parent. I cannot teach elementary subjects (that is not my gifting), but I can certainly lend my hand and support the experts who do the teaching day in and day out. I am utterly grateful for the chance to volunteer at my children’s school, and to do my part for the REMS Crew. Hello! I am Erin Kristensen, mom to a first grade bound kindergartener. My family has lived in the area since 2013 and we love everything about the beautiful place we all call home. We wanted to join the REMS crew because we strongly believe in the school's core values, outward bound learning model, and focus on social & emotional learning. Volunteering at REMS meant that I had a chance to directly support the mission that we so strongly believe in. When I learned about the opportunity to co-chair the annual auction fundraiser, I knew immediately this was a place I could help. It was a huge task, but I knew I was organized and motivated enough to pull it off. I was driven by how much it would help the school and fund the programs that make REMS such an amazing place to grow. It was an amazing experience and I am so proud of the end result, the rewards that will come to our children from the funding, and the relationships that I was able to build with the teachers and parents at the school. I look forward to volunteering more in the future because I want to contribute all I can to help our crew succeed! Thanks for all your support this year, Erin! We're so happy to have you and your family as part of our Parent Crew! Hello! My name is Colleen Scarola, mom to a kindergartener (soon to be first grade bound!). Originally born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, my family has called Castle Rock home since 2014. We knew REMS was the perfect choice for our daughter and family because of the school's core values, individualized and personalized instruction, outward bound learning model, and focus on social & emotional learning. It is not just a school; it is a community. By volunteering at REMS, I have had the opportunity to give back and directly support the mission that our family so strongly believe in. Alongside my dear friend and kindie parent, Erin Kristenson, we co-chaired the annual auction fundraiser. While it was a huge undertaking, it also allowed me to build and foster relationships not only with the greater Castle Rock community but also the teacher and parent crews at the school. I am proud of how our REMS community came together to make the event a success and raise the funds necessary for REMS to continue offering the wonderful and unique programming that it does. I would encourage every parent to find ways to volunteer at REMS and embrace the community. Thanks for all your hard work this year, Colleen! We're grateful for you and your family! This school year has been an amazing return to an (almost) normal year of volunteering and activities around Renaissance that wouldn't have been possible without our amazing Parent Crew.
We'd like to introduce you to the Arkfelds, who are parents of a kindergartener this year! Kendra and Kevin were able to find their footing right away as volunteers and have been an amazing support to several committees. This year has been an incredible first year at REMS! We were excited to jump right in and help wherever we good. We helped at the Back to School Carnival strapping down the tents, we participated in the Outdoor Area clean up and fix day, and chaperoned the spring kindergarten hike and kindergarten voyage. Kendra also volunteered to be the parent crew volunteer coordinator. All of these events introduced us to the amazing Kindie crew that our son is with but also all the parents and teachers that make the school a place we all want to be. We are honored that our boys get to go to Renaissance and hope in some small we contribute to what makes Renaissance special. Besides volunteering at REMS we love to be outdoors and we get there whenever we can. Thanks for supporting our Crews in so many ways! Ms. Stacy grew up in a small town in West Texas, and had a very close immediate and extended family. She grew up visiting her grandparents' farm, playing outside, catching horny toads, and watching Jacques Cousteau and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and she loved nature and animals for as long as she could remember. Her parents and her twin sister also traveled to the San Juan mountains almost every summer, and as a result, Ms. Stacy fell in love with the mountains. In high school, she had several teachers that influenced her, including two English/Language Arts teachers, and most notably, a Chemistry and Advanced Science teacher who was notoriously hard and strict, but also a phenomenal teacher. She attended Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, TX, for both her bachelor's and master's degrees. She started college as a biology major but switched to a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education after sophomore year. Both her mom and grandmother were teachers, and she decided that she wanted to teach biology as a way to share her passion for science and nature with kids. Her experiences working during a summer at Lassen Volcanic National Park made her realize that she wanted to deepen her knowledge of ecology and environmental science and to work in a field to help protect the natural world. After teaching 7th grade biology for two years, she returned to TCU to get her Master's of Science in Environmental Science. Ms. Stacy met her husband while they were both working on separate environmental projects at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He is a landscape ecologist/statistician, and one of their first "dates" was for her to go with him and a small group of others to locate a female Louisiana black bear that he had previously radio-collared as part of his PhD work. After her (future) husband located the bear and her den and sedated her using a blow dart, they all got to hold the cubs! Awww! Ms. Stacy and her husband have one son, Zane, who attended REMS starting in kindergarten and who graduated from REMS in 2021. Her family loves REMS and are so happy that Zane was able to attend through all of his elementary school years. Zane is on a competitive climbing team, and he started his climbing career at REMS! Zane will go to Renaissance Secondary School next year, and they are excited to see what comes next. Their family also includes one fur baby, a Husky-Heeler mix named Tasha, who they adore. She is a very pretty girl, loves to talk, go for walks/runs, and get belly rubs, and is very attached to the family, especially Ms. Stacy, her human mom. If she could speak human, she would say, "Please do not go to work and leave me at home!" This will be Ms. Stacy's first year working at REMS. She grew to love the school while her son attended here and she volunteered at REMS in various capacities over the years, including lots of belaying, serving as chair of the OLE Committee for three years, and as a parent chaperone on several voyages. Many of the REMS parents and staff members became a central part of her community, and she is excited about becoming a part of the REMS community in a new way. In her "previous life," she taught 7th grade biology for two years, and some things she misses about teaching are getting to know and interact with the kids and the camaraderie among the staff. Her family moved to Castle Rock in 2012, and soon discovered REMS while searching for preschools and kindergartens. Ms. Stacy vividly remembers the first time she walked up to and into the building and saw the quotation from Kurt Hahn and the Circle of Courage. She recognized immediately that REMS was the perfect fit for her family. When her son received a spot at REMS through the lottery as a kindergartener, she literally did a happy dance. He graduated from REMS in June 2021, and the whole family has loved the school ever since! Ms. Stacy deeply values the mission and vision statements expressed by REMS, the way the school attempts to educate the whole child, and the opportunities for growth afforded to kids through the Outdoor Adventure Education program. One of her favorite quotes is the well-known passage from Kurt Hahn: “There is more in us than we know. If we could be made to see it; perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less.” This quote embodies much of what she loves about REMS, and it appears on a wall at her house and on a brick at Renaissance Secondary. She hopes that in some small way through teaching at REMS, she can help kids to see that there is more in them than they know. In 2016, as Ms. Stacy approached a milestone birthday, she wanted to challenge herself as REMS challenges kids, and learn to backpack. She took a backpacking course through NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. Her first ever backpacking trip. The real deal, 13 days, no toilet paper! It was hard, but she loved it and wants to do more. Earlier in life, after graduating with her bachelor's degree, she spent a summer living and doing ecological field work in Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California. That summer opened her eyes to other careers and ways of life. It was her first experience with reading a topographic map, working outside, hiking for long distances, "doing science," and much more. She met a wide variety of people who worked as Rangers and others who were traveling through the park. She realized she wanted to have a career in ecology/environmental science and to be a part of the environmental movement to help protect the natural world. Ms. Stacy is looking forward to being part of a team that is focused on a shared goal that she believes in. She is looking forward to getting to know the kids and staff members. And she is looking forward to some voyages! Ms. Stacy really is an introvert, but less so than she used to be. For better or worse, and in seeming contradiction to the fact that she is an introvert, she sometimes starts singing the lyrics to a song when a situation reminds her of the lyrics. Her son does not appreciate this habit. We're so happy to have Ms. Stacy joining the Staff Crew this year! Thanks for all you do! |
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May 2024
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