Teachers

  • Aimee Fischer

    I graduated from UNM in May 2010 with a degree in elementary education. I became an EA at AKCS in September 2010. This will be my first year teaching in my own classroom. I am very excited for the school year! My EA is Donna Runyan. She has a degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Tulsa. She has two daughters that currently attend AKCS. She is native to Albuquerque and enjoys traveling, gardening, and hiking.

    Dayna McLean

    This will be my second year teaching a 2/3 at Alice King Community School. I recently moved to New Mexico from Massachusetts, where I taught third grade at a school for students with language-based learning disabilities. I have a Masters of Education from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA and a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a Sociology minor from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. I love to do anything outdoors, especially hiking, camping and snowboarding and I love to travel. I am excited to be getting married next summer to my supportive fiance, Sam. I am looking forward to an awesome year this year at AKCS. My EA is Cathy Martin. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education. She is married and has two wonderful children, ages 13 and 11.

    Governing Council

    Jessi Doering

    I graduated with a Bachelors in Education from the University of New Mexico in 2009. I received endorsements in Teaching English as a Second Language and Language Arts. I am currently pursuing a gifted endorsement at CNM. I have previously taught first grade in APS. I started as a Kindergarten long term sub. I just recently got married in June! I enjoy time with my husband, family, friends, traveling, and my two cats. I'm looking forward to a wonderful school year! My EA is Ms. Michelle (Baca). She has worked as an EA at AKCS for 6 years and has been with the K-1 for all but one of those years. She is married and has 3 beautiful children, ages 21, 18, and 15. She is looking forward to spending the next school year with you and your wonderful children.

    Kelly Powers

    Thank you for letting me be a part of your child's life and education. This will be my eighth year teaching and my first year at AKCS.I have a Bachelors of Science in Education and a Master of Arts in Elementary Education both from the University of New Mexico. I have a passion for teaching to the multiage philosophy. Meeting individual needs while providing efficient support and challenging every learner based on his or her level is the foundation of this philosophy. Every child needs to feel safe and comfortable in order to learn. I strive to build a safe, caring and consistent environment where students feel that they can advocate for themselves and others and also work together to problem solve. My wonderful husband and I have an amazing one-year old little boy. We enjoy traveling and volunteering for any cause involving children and animals. This year Ms. Lana-Rae Anaya will be joining our class as a student teacher. She is very excited to be at AKCS and to learn from your children. She will graduate from UNM in May 2012. She has a beautiful two-year old little boy.

    Kelsey Anderson

    This will be my 4th year teaching K/1 at AKCS. I graduated from New Mexico Highlands with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in history. I also had a collegiate volleyballs scholarship there as well. I am currently working on my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Reading. I love the philosophy and project based learning that happen at AKCS. I also continue to play and coach volleyball. My other passion is traveling. This is a picture of me in Ireland last summer. Denielle Gallegos is my educational assistant (EA). She just graduated from UNM with a degree in both elementary and special education. She grew up in Espanola and this is her first year at AKCS. Her hobbies include gardening, watching movies, spending time with family, working out, and biking.

    Kristi Collins

    Hi! I am Kristi Collins and I teach 4th and 5th grades. I have been at AKCS since the 2010-2011 school year. Prior to that, I was at an APS school for ten years where I taught fifth grade for six years (five of which were in an inclusion setting). Afterwards, I worked as a parent liaison and math interventionist for four years. I also served as the school’s math leader for nine years, working very closely with the staff to develop a school-wide math assessment program. I am trained in AddVantage Math and the balanced literacy framework. Currently, I serve as a curriculum leader and co-chair of the leadership team at AKCS. My hobbies include reading, watching movies, and camping. Denielle Gallegos is our instructional assistant. She just graduated from UNM with a degree in both elementary and special education. She grew up in Espanola and this is her first year at AKCS. Her hobbies include gardening, watching movies, spending time with family, working out, and biking.

    MaryKay Ready

    This is my fourth year of teaching K-1 at AKCS and my 23rd year of teaching. I graduated from Lamar University and received my masters degree from UNM. My areas of specialization are early childhood and reading. I love working with young children and teaching at AKCS. I strongly believe in our multi-age program and philosophy of treating each child as an individual. I have 2 sons and a daughter. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. My hobbies are reading and cooking and I reluctantly garden. Cathy Rubin has been my EA for the last 2 years, and she is an amazing and wonderful resource to our program. Cathy also has 2 sons and a daughter! We have an academically strong program with a gentle, nurturing climate. We both love the energy and excitement that these little ones bring to school each day.

    Mike Verble

    This is my 2nd full year of teaching at Alice King after joining the team in March of 2010. Originally from St. Louis, MO, I moved to Albuquerque in 1995 where I graduated from UNM with a degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing and a film studies minor. I did my teaching graduate studies at Western Governors University. I love the 4/5 grade level! I enjoy the journey that we all take in my classroom. This book by Greg Taylor is our current read-a-loud book in class! It is a the tale of three kids who must work as a team to not only make great pizzas but also much more that they soon find out!

    Shay Rothstein

    My name is Shay Rothstein. This is my first year at Alice King Community School. I grew up in Indiana and graduated with my Bachelor's in Elementary Education from Purdue University. After college, I married my wonderfully supportive husband, Mac. We moved moved to Albuquerque in January and feel so fortunate to have been chosen to teach at such an outstanding school. Outside of school I enjoy watching and playing sports. I am a huge Colts fan. I also enjoy scrapbooking, traveling and spending time with family and friends. Here is a picture of puppy, Manny, and me!

    Shay Van der Mey

    In 2001, I began coaching and working with children in recreational and school environments after moving from Albuquerque to Phoenix. Throughout these experiences, I found a love of teaching and wanted to continue to inspire children. In order to continue my desire to make a positive impact on the children I interacted with, I began taking classes to be a teacher. I graduated in 2004 with my Bachelor's Degree and began my first position as a 1st grade teacher. Two years later, I was able to move into a 6th grade position as my principal knew my true passion was with children at that age. Throughout my years teaching 6th grade, I knew how important it was to influence these children to become lifelong learners and readers and completed my Master's in Curriculum and Instruction in Reading in the summer of 2010. My professional development and education over the years has focused on SIOP, Backward Design Planning, ELL instruction in self-contained and multi-age classrooms, cooperative learning, curriculum planning, Thinking Maps, guided reading instruction, and robust vocabulary instruction. Now being back in my hometown of Albuquerque and teaching at Alice King, I will use my previous experiences and collaborate with my colleagues and parents to ensure the success of the students here at our school.

    Tara Bishop

    Hello. I'm Tara Bishop. 4/5 teacher at Alice King Community School. I began teaching fifth grade in 1987 after graduating from the University of New Mexico with BA in art education. I am a level 3 New Mexico State Certified Instructional Leader with endorsements in Elementary Education, Visual Arts, and TESOL (Teacher of English as a Second Language). I have a Master's degree from the University of New Mexico in Reflective Educational Practice. I have taught grades 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 1/2, 4/5, as well as, reading and math interventions. In years past, I have designed and implemented art programs for children at Dolores Gonzales Elementary School, the City of Albuquerque, and the Explora Children's Museum. I created the Children's Art Studio in 1989 which offered art classes to children ages 4 through 14. I have worked many years within Albuquerque Public Schools, overseas for International School Services, and in Texas. As a teacher, I will 1) create a true community of learning, 2) guide my learners to be empowered by the use of language, and 3) instill in my learners the ability to connect the lessons in the classroom to life’s realities by using a curriculum that emphasizes language, the arts, time and space, groups and institutions, and existentialism. Briana Christo is our Educational Assistant this year. She brings an easy going balance to our classroom. She has ample experience in the film and media industry, as well as, screenwriting. Briana is an asset to our classroom.

    Tiara Dominguez

    This will be my fourth year at Alice King. I graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in mathematics. I am married and have two children, ages 3 and 1. I love to run and play soccer. I hope to become an expert gardener with my class this year! Kelly Finch is working on her Masters Degree in Education at the University of New Mexico. She will be completing her student teaching this year in our classroom.

    Val Apodaca

    Hi, I'm Ms. Val and this is my 6th year at Alice King Community School. I started as an Educational Assistant in 2006 while completing my BA in Elementary Education (with a minor in Special Education) at New Mexico Highlands University. I have taught grades K-3. I tend to keep a very structured classroom incorporating multiple intelligences, differentiated instruction and developmentally appropriate practices. I currently hold a position on the School Leadership Team and Curriculum Design Team. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our three dogs. My Educational Assistant this year is Annie Gant. She has been at AKCS for 5 years. We have had the pleasure of working together for 3 years in the past and I believe we make a really strong team. Ms. Annie enjoys spending time with her recently married son and daughter-in-law in her spare time.