2019 Summer Institute
June 24 - 28, 2019
2019 Teacher Leaders
Grades K-1 Teacher Leaders
Michelle Lourenco, M.Ed.
Michelle Lourenco is a First Grade teacher from Santa Paula Unified School District. She has been a grade level lead teacher for her school site, a mentor teacher, and has served on her district CCSS ELA leadership team. She also served as a member of her district’s first technology cohort. She has taught first grade for 15 years. Her passion is to infuse science into all parts of the school day. After attending the past three STEMposia and serving as a teacher leader at the 2017 summer institute, she is enthusiastic about sharing what she has learned about the NGSS with other primary teachers! |
Kristin Majda, M.S., M.B.A.
Kristin Majda is a STEM educator currently serving as a STEAM Literacy Coach for Santa Paula Unified School District. Kristin has classroom experience at all levels, from kindergarten through college, and enjoys collaborating with others to develop hands-on STEM curricula. She earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Professional Communications from U.C. Santa Barbara, and an M.S. in Biotechnology and M.B.A. from C.S.U. Channel Islands. She has also completed graduate coursework in K-5 common core math and English language arts instruction. Kristin has delivered professional development to K-12 teachers through her involvement in the NGSS statewide rollout symposia, as a lead teacher for the annual CSU STEMposium summer institute, as a presenter at local and national STEM education conferences, and in her roles as a STEAM Literacy Coach and professional consultant. She has also led multiple schools in aligning their science curriculum to the state standards. She currently serves on the board of Gold Coast Science Network, Ventura County's local chapter of the California Science Teachers Association (CSTA), and is the Immediate Past President. She also serves as the Santa Paula Family Science Night Coordinator and co-coordinator of the Santa Paula Dinner with a Scientist program. Kristin and her STEAM partner at SPUSD Terria Duran have been methodically training the K-5 teachers in their district and presenting 6-day sample 5E lesson sequences aligned to the NGSS in all K-5 classrooms for the past two years. Their focus has been on demonstrating scaffolded learning of the Science and Engineering Practices and they have been working with teacher leader colleagues on strategies for developing guidelines for instruction of the SEP's at each grade-level. |
Grades 2-3 Teacher Leaders
Caroline Hardeman
Caroline Hardeman is a 6th grade teacher from Simi Valley Unified School District. She has taught 6th grade at the elementary level for 17 years, and currently teaches Science, History and a technology elective to 90 sixth graders at Hollow Hills Fundamental Elementary, a K-6 school with an emphasis on STEAM and citizenship. She has been grade level lead and technology chair for 10 years, as well as the teacher in charge of Family STEAM Nights and is the go to for NGSS at Hollow Hills. She complete a Masters of Science in Educational Technology from Cal State Fullerton last year. Caroline has participated in the VC STEMposium for the past 3 years and is excited to be a teacher leader this year. She is also a member of the CLU/Amgen NGSS Life Science Circles and a member of the Exploratorium Teacher Leader Network. A lifelong Disney fan, she grew up near Orange County and her first job was in costuming at Disneyland. When not teaching, she can be found visiting Disneyland, Walt Disney World, or traveling with her family. |
Jennifer Johnston
TBD |
Grades 4-5 Teacher Leaders
Lauren Reynolds
Lauren Reynolds has been teaching since 2008 and is currently a 4th grade teacher at University Preparation Charter School. She earned her Masters in Educational Leadership from California Lutheran University and loves the fact that each day is different in the world of teaching. She is currently a member of the Foundations team for Safe and Civil Schools as well as being the 4th/5th grade representative on the UPCS Science Leadership Team. She also enjoys working with students outside of the classroom as a dedicated Speech coach for the Camarillo Academic Olympics and an honorary member of the 2017 National Nominating Committee for the National Youth Leadership Forum Pathways to STEM. In the classroom, Lauren enjoys having students explore the world through scientific investigations. “We are constantly growing and evolving as teachers, it wasn’t until I really delved into the NGSS standards and learned how to use them to design lessons that I actually had kids saying science was their favorite subject. They look forward to the hands-on experience of discovering the world around them.” Prior to entering the teaching profession, Lauren was heavily involved in sports where she learned many of life’s most important lessons. As a lover of sports, Lauren stresses the importance of teamwork and collaboration in her classroom. In college, Lauren played for California Lutheran’s women’s basketball team and still holds the rank of their all-time high scorer. She now focuses her personal time on her husband Chad, and two wonderful children, Jackson and Hailey. |
Roanne Bender
Roann is a southern California native who was born and raised in Torrance, California; she spent 17 years of her adult life living in New England in both Connecticut and Massachusetts. While she loved living in the Northeast, she relocated back to California in 2013 and is happy to call Port Hueneme home! Roann earned both her Bachelor of Arts degree as well as her Master of Science degree in Special Education at Bay Path University located in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Roann has been a classroom teacher for the past 12 years and is a teacher who enjoys creating fun, interactive, engaging, and meaningful lessons where her students can develop their skills both academically and socially, and have fun while doing so. She has elementary classroom experience from kindergarten through fifth grade however; a vast majority of her time in the classroom has been in 4th and/or 5th grade. Roann began her teaching career in Springfield, Massachusetts where she taught for 8 years; in addition to teaching elementary school in Massachusetts Roann was an adjunct professor at Bay Path University, her alma mater; where she taught methods courses addressing math as well as science and social studies integration to future teachers prior to their practicum. In 2013, after relocating back to California, Roann began teaching at UPCS where she continues to enjoy working with her students in the classroom as well as future teachers from the university, whether they are observers or student teachers. Roann loves working with her students in class but also thoroughly enjoys preparing and presenting PD for teachers. She was excited to take part as a teacher leader at the first STEMposium in 2015, she found it so rewarding she had to join in again this year for the fun! When Roann actually finds herself with free time she enjoys many activities including spending time with her family, going to Disneyland with her daughter, reading a good book, enjoying the beach, and doing a variety of arts and crafts. |
Middle School Teacher Leaders
Ray Clayton
TBD |
John Finch
TBD |
High School Teacher Leaders
Winnie Litten
Winnie Litten has been a science teacher for 29 years — 27 years at Oak Park High School. She primarily teaches Honors and AP Biology, is a technology mentor in her district, is the Science Department Chair, a member of the NGSS Leadership Network at VCOE and was recognized as the Ventura County Teacher of the Year in 2007. It is Winnie’s goal to engage students in authentic, hands-on, collaborative science. Recently, she co-developed and now teaches the introductory Physics and Earth Science Course which takes advantage of the 5E Model, embedded in HyperDocs. A typical day would find students working within collaborative, group-shared notes and documents, investigating a phenomena, or learning a song to support the course concepts, all within a safe, encouraging, organized digital classroom. Winnie is also a mother and a grandmother, a workout enthusiast and a golfer. She loves her students and strives to find new ways to engage them every day — through the tenets of STEAM, growth mindset, improvement learning, tech as a tool, and above all, relationship building. |
Wendy Hagan
Wendy Hagan is a high school biology and environmental science teacher at Granada Hills Charter High School. She has a passion for the environment and science education. With her family, she travels, backpacks, hikes, kayaks, rafts, plays in the snow, goes to the beach, and explores nature. Wendy received her undergraduate degree in Zoology and Art History at University of California, Santa Barbara and a masters in science education from California State University, Long Beach. She is a writer, lead presenter, and facilitator for the NGSS Statewide Rollouts, has served as a facilitator of NGSS life and earth and space sciences as well as the integration of engineering for K12 Alliance working with high school, middle school, and elementary school cadres and MSP grants. She is also the Region 3 Director for the CSTA Board of Directors and co-chair of the NGSS Committee. She is currently mentoring and coaching the Envirothon Academic team and hoping to inspire students to become environmental stewards and leaders. |
