(1) Develops mutually respectful and productive relationships with colleagues
Since I started working at EPS in January of 2013, the relationships with my colleagues has been one of the driving forces that has kept me working here in the 12 years since. I have been blessed to work with a fantastic group of people, many of whom have become my closest friends and chosen family.
One such friendship was truly life-changing, as it ultimately led to the most important part of my life: my family. Brittany Williams and I were hired the same year, so we spent a lot of time together in new employee events as part of the same cohort.
We quickly became close friends, bonding over being among the younger staff members and sharing interests like the Seahawks, The Walking Dead, and true crime. For years, she and her husband, Dave, told me about Dave’s best friend, Marc, and how much he and I had in common. In the spring of 2017, I finally agreed to meet him—and to my surprise, we immediately hit it off.
Things progressed quickly: we bought a house together in 2018, got married in 2019, and welcomed our first child in 2021 and our second in 2023. I owe all of that to working at EPS and forming a meaningful relationship with Brittany back in 2012.
Another such friendship that developed as a result of my job at EPS is with Katie Dodd.
I was first hired at EPS in fall of 2012 when she was pregnant with her child, Henry, and needed maternity leave coverage. At the time, I was a science teacher feeling ready for a new opportunity at a new school. When the parent of a former student, Lauren Pichard, emailed me to say that EPS would need coverage for Katie, I jumped at the chance. I immediately reached out to Tina Hadden, set up an interview, and prepared a guest lesson for my visit. On the day of the interview, I taught a lesson on the evolution of creatures on different planets in the Star Wars universe. This, I believe, immediately created a bond with both Katie and Sam Uzwack, who both share my love of Star Wars and science, and led to a wonderful friendship once I was hired full time in the fall of 2013.
Since then, Katie has become a true mentor and a trusted sounding board—whether I’m working through a professional challenge or something more personal. We also share a love of all things nerdy and often attend fun events together, like theater showings of Labyrinth and The Linguini Incident (thanks to our mutual admiration for David Bowie), or Brick Con, where we happily nerd out over Legos. I’ve also grown close with her child, Henry, and Katie and her family have embraced my children like cousins.
Another close friendship developed with Nikki Wallace, our former chemistry teacher, which began with our coaching the first ever FLL robotics team at EPS.
Nikki had coached in South Africa for 10 years prior to coming to EPS. She helped show me the ropes and we built a great program together.
We also shared a commitment to fighting for women’s rights, even traveling to Washington D.C. in January of 2017 to attend the first ever Women’s March. Other local marches were also attended in subsequent years, as the fight for equal rights continues.
Additionally, I had the honor of her officiating my wedding in 2019, as she is licensed in the state of Washington.
My closest friendship, however, developed with Katie Nikkel, who worked in admissions at EPS until she ABANDONED me in 2021.
She and I first met when Brittany and I had a double date planned with her husband, Dave, and my then boyfriend, Marc. Brittany told me that another cool person had been hired that year and asked if she and her partner could come with us. “The more the merrier!” was my response, and the 6 of us had dinner at The Slip and dominated trivia at Flatstick. Katie and I hit it off right away, and my now husband even became close friends with Katie’s partner, Andrew.
We were inseparable after that, spending almost every weekend at one event or another. I also helped out with admissions tasks a lot to spend more time with Katie, and she became my assistant coach for robotics the year that our team, Key Lime Spies, advanced to state. Katie moved to Bend in 2020, but we remain best friends and she is an auntie to my kids.
Beyond these friendships, I have also built relationships with a cohort of folks who have small children like I do. We share stories, ask questions, and support one another in this crazy journey of parenthood.
Jamie Andrus’ daughter, Becca, was born one month after my son, Milo, and both our kids are neurodivergent so we discuss that frequently together. Amy Sanchez’s son, Manny, is also in this cohort of 2021 babies and he and Milo shared a very cute moment at the employee family BBQ in 2022. And Manny, Milo is very sorry about the poke in the eye at the end!
Malcolm Yates’ daughter, Beatrice, was born the same day as my daughter, Millie, so we were able to share that pregnancy and birth journey as a lot of the key appointments happened on the same days. Our kids have also played together on a few occasions.
I could write a specific shout-out to so many of you, but this would be a never-ending story of adoration for my colleagues and I have to stop somewhere! But I can’t resist including more fun photos of the times I’ve spent with my colleagues, so enjoy those below!
(2) Partners consistently with colleagues on projects (i.e., integration, service learning, advisory)
Partnering with colleagues on different projects is genuinely one of my favorite parts of the job. Working in my little corner of the Middle School can feel isolating at times, so I truly value any opportunity to collaborate—whether it’s for class-related work or personal projects. I’m always eager to jump in and contribute whenever collaboration is on the table!
One example of this comes from 2019, when Karen Mills approached me about a collaboration that combined Makerspace skills with literary thinking for her Ender’s Game final project. Students were tasked with creating board games that demonstrated their understanding of the book’s themes. They spent several class periods in the Makerspace learning to use tools like the 3D printers, laser cutter, cardboard cutters, hot glue guns, and sewing machines to bring their game ideas to life.
You can read about more projects that integrate the Makerspace with subject area classes in Curricular Design/Course Design/(3).
In this same vein, one idea I’ve been developing is a “makerspace to-go” kit—a collection of tools and materials that teachers can check out and bring into their classrooms for project work. This would be especially helpful when the schedule doesn’t allow students to access the Makerspace while I’m teaching a tech class. I piloted this concept with the 8th grade Literary Thinking course during their Life of Pi unit. Sarah Hallman-Luhn brought me the project idea, and together we assembled a set of supplies and tools. She then brought the kit into her classroom, where students used it to build their Pi’s Lifeboat Creation as a follow-up to their reading. The project was a success, and I’m excited to continue refining this idea in the coming school year.
Beyond collaborating across subjects and classes, I’ve also been working closely with Ellie Ciot since she joined EPS in the spring of 2024. I helped her learn how to use Illustrator to convert her hand-drawn designs into laser-cut-ready files and brought her up to speed with how the Makerspace operates. In turn, she has supported me with 3D printer maintenance and has shared her expertise in advanced design techniques. Ellie runs a small 3D printing business in her free time and has brought many exciting ideas for increasing the complexity of 3D printing projects in middle school. Together, we’re planning to develop a series of ready-made projects and tutorials—using programs like Blender—that we hope to launch next year.
Finally, participating in service learning—whether with faculty and staff or alongside students in grade-level and advisory groups—has been a meaningful way for me to connect with our community and contribute to causes that matter. I’ve bagged green beans with colleagues to stock a food bank in Seattle, shoveled mulch with students to restore areas at Watershed Park and Cochran Springs after removing invasive plants, and helped supervise 6th grade advisories on a trip to Bob’s Pumpkin Patch to support fellow teachers. Representing EPS in these broader community efforts has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my role.
From interdisciplinary classroom projects to service learning and peer mentorship, collaborating with colleagues fuels my creativity, strengthens our community, and enriches the student experience. These partnerships remind me that while I may sometimes work in an isolated corner of the school, I’m always part of a vibrant, interconnected team working toward shared goals.
(3) Engages in collegial activities hosted by the school
I’m lucky to work with a truly stellar group of people, and EPS offers a wide variety of opportunities for us to gather and connect outside of the regular school day. Attending these events has led to some of my favorite memories with colleagues. See the photos below for a few snapshots of those moments!
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
Photo booth fun at the 2017 holiday party!
2018-2019
2019-2020
Holiday party
This is where you will see my first gap in socializing with my colleagues, thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic and having my first baby, Milo, on June 11, 2021.
2021-2022
2022-2023
2023-2024
2023 Holiday Party
In addition to formal events hosted by the school, I also love engaging with colleagues during spirit days—and especially on Halloween! For the past several years, we’ve chosen group costume themes by proposing ideas and voting as a team, which has made the tradition even more fun. And if it wasn’t already obvious that I’m a nerd, cosplay and costume design are passions of mine! See below for some of the amazing themes and costumes we’ve pulled off over the years.
2013-2017 Halloween Costumes
We weren’t doing group costumes as a whole faculty/staff yet, but I still participated! Here are my costumes from the years prior.
2018 – The Muppets
2019 – Terry Macaluso
2020 – Game Shows
I didn’t participate this year, as we were remote after the pandemic, and was sick as a dog since I had just found out I was pregnant. So here’s my costume from that year!
2021 – Where’s Waldo
I was on maternity leave this year, so no group costume participation. But here’s a cute photo of Milo dressed up for Halloween!
2022 – Unicorns & Rainbows
2023 – Villians
I was again on maternity leave with my daughter this year, so no group costume participation. But shameless photos of my kids dressed up below 🙂
2024 – Snails
These collegial moments, whether big events or silly costume days, have helped cultivate a deep sense of camaraderie and belonging at EPS. They remind me how lucky I am to work in a community that values connection, creativity, and joy both inside and outside the classroom.