L to R: Rebecca, Ethan, Amy, & Luke. Mabel arrives next week!
Our new educators are here and getting ready to begin their new adventure at Watershed! We’re thrilled to welcome them onto our staff and can’t wait for our families and students to meet them on August 18.
As you’ll read below, our newest educators are a talented, engaged, and curious group of teaching professionals.
Here’s a little bit about Amy, Ethan, Luke, Mabel, and Rebecca:
Amy Robbins, Ph.D.- Humanities Educator
Amy received her BA in anthropology from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo and her MA and PhD in anthropology from Binghamton University. Her dissertation research focused on the intersection of art, science, and industry in glassmaking, and the impact of such crafts on makers and local economies. Her teaching career began during graduate school at Binghamton, where she TA'd a variety of undergraduate anthropology courses and developed her own courses. She transitioned to middle school teaching while writing her dissertation, first as a substitute, then as a sixth and seventh grade social studies teacher at the Alternative School for Math and Science in Corning, NY.
Amy grew up in upstate New York near the Finger Lakes region, and is excited to now call Boulder home with her husband, Luke (a new middle school math teacher at Watershed), and cat, Marcel. She loves being outdoors - particularly running trails and ultramarathons, hiking, and camping - and also enjoys glassblowing, reading, ghost stories, museums, and traveling. A fan of cold weather, a couple of her favorite places she’s visited include Alaska and Sweden.
Ethan Burns- Science Educator
Ethan earned a Bachelor's Degree in Geology and Watershed Sciences from the University of the South before spending time teaching ecology to teens in Nicaragua. He then taught middle school science for 3 years at Georgetown Day School where he also served as high school cross country and rock climbing coach. Prior to joining Watershed Ethan came to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado, Boulder where he studied ecohydrology and received a Master's Degree in Geography.
Originally from the mountains of Tennessee, Ethan has spent countless summers traveling around the Western US on long camping trips enjoying the lack of humidity. Ethan is an avid mountain biker who also enjoys rock climbing and trail running but considers a good cup of coffee at sunrise to be the best part of any day.
Luke Robbins- Math Educator, Technology Coordinator
Luke earned a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a Master’s of Science in Education from the State University of New York at Oswego. Before joining Watershed, he taught 9th, 10th, and 11th-grade math in the Syracuse City School District and then 6th-grade math and technology at the Alternative School for Math and Science in Corning, NY. While in Corning, he also served as the school technology leader.
Luke loves creating and building things. He is relatively agnostic of mediums and has experience creating in the digital and physical realms. Some of his favorite materials to work with are wood, glass, and cotton. He also enjoys playing competitive and cooperative games. While outdoors, he enjoys trail running with his wife Amy, open-water swimming, and gardening. He’s grateful to have had opportunities to travel to Norway, Sweden, France, Canada, and Alaska and is looking forward to expanding on that list.
Mabel Gardner- Spanish Educator, Teaching Intern
Mabel graduated from Colorado College with a BA in Political Science and Romance Languages with a focus in Spanish and French. She began her language education at a young age, attending a bilingual Spanish immersion school throughout her childhood. Mabel is passionate about linguistic studies and is aware of the benefits that come from being a multilingual learner. She aims to create an immersive Spanish speaking environment in the classroom where every student can achieve proficiency.
Prior to her position at Watershed, Mabel worked with a variety of organizations centered around supporting kids. She co-managed summer youth programs for a refugee support agency, provided translation services and assistance to an immigration law firm representing unaccompanied minors, and worked at a high school summer program in Carbondale, CO called High School, High Scholars.
Born and raised in Missoula, Montana, Mabel feels at home in the mountains. She is a lover of the outdoors and enjoys skiing, running, backpacking, and most recently, mountain biking. With a passion for sports, Mabel competed for the Colorado College track and field team as a pole vaulter. She challenges any student to a handstand competition and will bring a treat of choice for everyone who beats her.
Rebecca Gaillot- Math Educator
Rebecca Gaillot has a degree in Communications and a Master’s degree in Education with a math specialty, both from University of New Orleans. She has been teaching math and STEM courses for the past 17 years– first at Metairie Park Country Day School and then at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans.
Rebecca loves both middle and high school and believes math can be real, useful, and fun for all students. She has traveled with students to France and China. She also shares her experiences with other teachers, presenting at NCTM and NCSSS conferences. She has been published in LATM journal and Stem Edge magazine.
Rebecca plays violin and was in the New Orleans Civic Symphony for years. She enjoys hiking in the mountains the most, as well as traveling in her vintage trailer with her dog Eugie. Her bucket list is to hike in all of the National Parks in the U.S., and she is almost halfway done.
