About Us
Michelle is a Colorado licensed teacher, has taught in public schools for more than 20 years, lead educational teams to improve teaching practices, lead individual and school-wide SAT/ACT prep, has taught IB Chemistry and IB Biology for many years and is currently pursuing certification in READ and supporting students with dyslexia. She has received the rare decree of "Distinguished" for her teaching three times while working in Denver Public Schools.
She is the owner and founder of Ignite The Mind, with a goal to provide educational enrichment and support for all children, particularly after pandemic left so many of them behind in their milestones. Our mission is to ignite and fan the flame of young minds to get excited about science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) so that their futures are as bright as they can possibly be.
Michelle graduated from Texas A&M University (College Station) with a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science from the College of Veterinary Medicine. She worked as a Radio Frequency Engineer for AT&T Wireless for several years before returning to college to get a Masters in the Art of Teaching from the University of Maine (Orono) prior to becoming a public school teacher. While she is very active in her community, she finds time to ride horses, train her two dogs and spend time with her family, including a new granddaughter!
Our summer teachers include Arlene Friend, an amazing science teacher in Denver who currently collaborates, writes and designs state curriculum for Open Sci Ed as well as working with BSCS Science learning providing professional development to all DPS science teachers. Her experience is extensive, having taught Earth Science, Biology, IB Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology. She has a masters of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado Denver. We also have Heidi Clark again this summer, a graduate from Conifer High School and an intern in last-year's STEAM camps. She is looking forward to starting her studies this fall to become a mathematics educator. We're so blessed to have both of these ladies!
