Welcome students and parents to the start of a school year like no other.  This is my 15 year teaching, 13th in Minneapolis Public Schools and my 6th year at Southwest.  I graduated from Bemidji State University (GO BEAVERS!!) with BS in Environmental Science then attended the University of Minnesota where I earned my teaching licenses in biology and chemistry. From a young age was always fascinated by the natural history and science. As much as I loved Saturday morning cartoons (ask your parents about it) as kid I also loved  watching NOVA, Nature and Wild America on PBS. All students are curious about the world around them and the reality is many of the answers to these questions can be explained by science, and more specifically chemistry.  While I'm not trying to create futures chemical engineers, doctors and scientists I challenge all my students to discover what I like to call their "inner nerd".  Students often ask "why do I have to take chemistry?", which in all honesty is a fair question. The truth is I don't care if in 10 years they remember anything specific about chemistry. Every facet of modern life is the result of discoveries and advancements in STEM fields. I want students to leave my class with enough scientific literacy to make informed decisions which is a skill we need now more then ever.