Leslie co-founded RaynWater STEAM in 2016. And she loves supporting students while they participate in STEAM activities! When she first heard of STEAM education, she researched it relentlessly and realized how much she would have enjoyed learning via its active and inquiry-based ways when she was in school. She began to ask how STEAM was being taught in her children’s schools, and found that the hands-on component of STEAM was missing. So she, Niki Glen, and a few other community members began RaynWater STEAM to support STEM activities in our local community. They hosted family nights, after school enrichment, and in-school assemblies. Leslie watched as the students came alive during these learning experiences. This was not the first time she saw children act like this; she had seen it many times before, during PLAY! Starting at age 15, Leslie worked as a camp counselor, moved up to Camp Program Director by age 21, graduated with a bachelor's degree from Stonehill College, and then taught for 10 years in early childhood education. So, she has over 20 years of experience in the field of PLAY! As a mom of three, she devotes hours to her volunteer positions in the town of Raynham and in her children's classrooms. She has served 6 years on the Raynham school’s PTO boards, 4 years on the Raynham Association of Volunteers in Education (RAVE), and 3 years on the grassroots organization Diversity and Inclusion for Community Empowerment (DICE) board.

Niki co-founded RaynWater STEAM in 2016. And she loves science! Ever since she was a child, she has been curious about the world around her. In fact, she still has in her possession some of her science artifacts from when she was young, including a weather log that she kept for three summers, her 5th grade report on magnetism, and a set of science encyclopedias, among other things. She was elated when she found a college that allowed her to study science and teach children at the same time, her second love, and she graduated from SUNY Brockport, in western NY, with a B.S. in earth science and elementary education. After graduating, she taught 2nd grade at a small, rural school in western NY, and neuroscience for 5th and 6th grade at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. Because she loved both science and education so much, she went on to earn her master's degree and Ph.D. in the field of science education. She is now a full-time professor and chairperson of the Elementary & Early Childhood Education Department at Bridgewater State University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in science and engineering education, and provides STEM professional development to local schools and teachers. As a mom of three children in our local schools, she enjoys visiting their classrooms and can often be found leading one or more classes or entire evening family events in new and innovative STEAM activities that she creates herself.

Coming Soon! We are looking for an energetic adult who is interested in a position as teacher's assistant at RaynWater STEAM. Please send someone our way if you know anyone who might be interested in part-time work with children in STEAM.