Welcome to CSS: A Hiring Update for 2017-2018

Dear Parents and Students of The Colorado Springs School,

It is my pleasure to officially introduce our new faculty and staff for the 2017-2018 school year. Great teaching is the heart of what we do at The Colorado Springs School, and our expert faculty and staff are second to none. Our new faculty and staff members come from far and wide, and their accomplishments and care for students set them apart from their peers!

Please click here to see my previous announcement of the appointments of Joy Maguire-Parsons as our new Director of Admission, Maggie Beltrami as our new Children’s School Division Lead, Vicki Vaughan as our new Athletic Director, and Anne Taylor as the Director of our new Senior Capstone program.

Please read on to learn more about the newest members of our Faculty/Staff and Board of Trustees:

Admission Officer: Jacqueline Zingsheim, a former coach at CSS in our Middle School Cross Country and Basketball programs, began her work this spring in the CSS Admission Office. Ms. Zingsheim is a graduate of Ohio State University and Northwestern University, and she brings a wide range of customer service, marketing, and business skills to this important role.

Children’s School and Middle School Drama Teacher: Melissa Law (our part time Children’s School Drama teacher in 2016-2017 will take an expanded role next year, teaching Children’s School Creative Dramatics and several Middle School theatre courses and directing Dessert Theatre. Ms. Law holds a Master’s degree in Educational Theatre from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre with a minor in Music from Lawrence University. Mrs. Sandy Bray will continue to support all of our drama programs and productions and manage the Louisa Performing Arts Center.

Children’s School Spanish Teacher: Natalie Cabrera will teach Children’s School Spanish. Ms. Cabrera is both a native Spanish speaker and an experienced independent school educator. This summer, she completed her Master’s degree in Spanish Language Education from Nova Southeastern University. (UPDATE: Elaine Humphries will no longer teach Spanish and will not return for the 2017-2018 as the Children’s School Counselor).

K-2 Art Teacher and part-time ECC Administrative Assistant: Diane Farrell holds a Master’s Degree in Art Education from Arizona State University, is a 30-year veteran teacher of elementary school visual arts, and has been a long-time substitute teacher at CSS. She will teach Kindergarten - 2nd grade Art and will serve as a part-time administrative assistant in the Early Childhood Center (in tandem with current ECC administrative assistant, Twyla Surritte).

Middle School Spanish Teacher: Jose Arguello, a native speaker and experienced Spanish teacher, most recently from the Latin School of Chicago, will teach Middle School Spanish next year. Mr. Arguello holds dual Bachelor degrees in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of New Mexico and a Master’s degree in Spanish Literature from the University of Wisconsin.

Middle School Math Teacher: Thalley (pronounced Tally) Lindeman, joining us from Atlanta, Georgia, will teach Middle School Mathematics. Ms. Lindeman previously served The Galloway School for 29 years as a Middle School Math teacher. Her commitment to student-centered learning made her a natural fit for our teaching and learning environment and outdoor education programs.

Physical Education Teacher: Robin Jacober, an experienced Physical Education teacher from Carbondale, CO, will be teach Physical Education in the Tutt Field House next year. Ms. Jacober recently completed a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from UCCS and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. She brings a wide variety of PE and outdoor education leadership and experience to CSS.

Upper School French Teacher: Amanda Abrahams (our Children’s School Spanish teacher in 2016-2017) will teach Upper School French next year. Ms. Abrahams earned her undergraduate degree in French Language and Literature from California State University at Chico and holds a Master’s degree in Teaching International Languages with an emphasis in French. Ms. Abrahams speaks three languages fluently, and we are fortunate to have her versatile skill set.

Upper School Math Teacher: Adele DuBay will join The Colorado Springs School from Austin, Texas. She is a licensed high school teacher with experience teaching AP Statistics, Geometry, and Advanced Geometry. Ms. Debay has also led professional development workshops for her colleagues. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from Texas State University.

Vocal Ensemble Teacher: We are still in the process of hiring a vocal ensemble teacher for the 2017-2018 school year.

For a complete listing of faculty/staff, please visit our Directory.

Congratulations to Pio Hocate for his election as President of the Board and to Morane Kerek for her reelection as Treasurer of the Board. Dean Boschert will serve as Secretary, New trustees include Tia Ferguson, Lorraine Leist ‘88, Mike McGrath, Kevin Patterson, Diane Smith, Eva Stefanac ‘00, and ex-officio faculty/staff member Nadja Hunter ‘99.

I invite you to meet our new teachers and staff at the New Family Welcome events and at the Ice Cream Social on Friday, August 18! In early August, I will communicate some of our recent upgrades to CSS program and facilities.