Rooms 1 & 2

Highlands Continuous Progress with Leah and Cara

About Leah

Leah grew up in northwestern Wisconsin on forty acres of woods and wetlands. Most days you could find her building forts, collecting creatures, teaching school in the basement to her younger siblings, and reading LOTS of books!She attended Gustavus Adolphus College where she graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. After college, she moved to Arizona, where she taught 1st grade for one year. She returned to Minnesota to Prior Lake-Savage Schools where she taught in a variety of grade levels for fourteen years (2nd grade, 3rd grade, 2nd/3rd grade multiage and Nature-based Kindergarten). During her time in Prior Lake, Leah found her love and passion for environmental education and worked at both the building and district level to provide opportunities for students to engage, explore, and learn about the natural world. Leah received her Master's in Teaching and Learning from St. Mary's University in 2006.Wanting the opportunity to spend a bit more time with her own children, Leah accepted a part-time teaching position at Gustavus Adolphus College where she taught elementary methods courses to pre-service teachers. Two years in, Leah knew she wanted to get back into the classroom and be with kids and was thrilled to accept a position at Highlands Elementary in 2019. Leah lives with her family in Prior Lake.

about cara

Cara grew up wanting to always be outdoors. As a kid, she grew up collecting critters and objects from the outdoors to study and question. It came as no surprise to her parents when Cara graduated from Iowa State with a degree in Animal Ecology and Environmental Science. After college, she worked full time at Camp Foley for six years. It was at Foley where she learned she could combine her passion for learning in the outdoors and working with kids. Cara returned to school and earned her Masters in Experiential Education and another Bachelor's in Elementary Education and Middle School Earth Science. From there, Cara worked in Prior Lake-Savage Schools for 10 years as a 6th grade classroom teacher, Naturalist and an Environmental Education Coordinator. Wanting to return to working more one-on-one with students, Cara shifted to Robbinsdale Area Schools where she helped open and create the School of Engineering and Arts as the STEAM Program Coordinator. During her time at SEA, Cara completed her Educational Doctorate with a focus on Educational Leadership. After eight years in Robbinsdale, Cara moved to Highlands Elementary in 2020.

ABOUT ALEA

Alea is our student teacher this year (in Classroom #2 with Cara) from the University of Minnesota (Go Gophs!). She graduated in May of 2021 with a degree in Elementary Education Foundations and minors in Racial Justice in Urban Schooling and Autism Spectrum Disorder. She will be with us all year while she is in graduate school earning her masters in Elementary Education. Alea grew up in southeastern Wisconsin cheering for the Packers and Bucks! If Alea isn’t teaching, you can find her hiking out west with family and friends or in the kitchen baking and cooking.

ABOUT EMILY

Emily is the new student teacher in Classroom #1 with Leah! She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education Foundations in May of 2021. Emily will be with us all year as she navigates her masters degree and fulfills the requirements to become a licensed teacher in the state of Minnesota. When not in the classroom, Emily can be found hiking, fourwheeling, or on the lake! Emily grew up in Northern Minnesota with her family who she is close with and enjoy a the great outdoors! She is excited to spend this upcoming year with you!

About PHil

You could find Phil exploring new places outside, spending time with friends, or testing out a new recipe when not at school. Phil is a forever faithful 49ers fan as he is from the Bay Area of California and loves to hike out in the mountains whenever he gets the chance. A fun fact is he is either a supertaster or has synesthesia. Not sure what this is...feel free to ask him! Phil's time as a summer counselor at Camp Knutson located in the scenic whitefish chain area solidified his passion for youth development and enrichment in outdoor exploration. Phil enjoys playing trumpet in his brass band and musical community interaction. He is currently finishing his requirements for a Master's in music therapy at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities - Go Gophers!

Page updated

Report abuse