RENEE CARR
Currently a paraprofessional @ Firgrove
EducationPosition/Representing - Title I

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
I look forward to being a part of a team of professionals that are dedicated to working with children. I see this as a tremendous opportunity to create a "model" remediation program that is driven by student needs. I think it’s exciting to make decisions for a new school because it will effect a generation of kids to come.

Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
I love spending time with my family. I have three children Noah (7), Isaiah (4), and Isabella (3). I’m not a Washington native, so my husband and I like to take them places to experience Washington’s beauty. We love to go the coast and on hikes.

Places I enjoy traveling to:
I went to the Oregon Coast for the first time this year and loved it. I would love to visit Italy and Spain. I also plan on traveling to Mexico to visit some of the families I’ve become close to throughout the years of working in education.

A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc):
Some of my favorite movies are the Notebook and Fools Rush In.
I love Italian and homemade Mexican food.
My favorite restaurant is Armondo's in Renton.

A book I would recommend:
Ron Clark's Essential 55. It’s an inspiring story about a teacher who teaches at an inner city school in New York City. His out-of-the box teaching style influenced at risk children to succeed and take pride in their education.

A quote that has personal meaning to me:
"No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true educator should be to unlock that treasure. "
-Emma Goldman ...This quote reminds me of why I work in education.

Something interesting that others may not know about me:
My close friend from high school works for an airline; so I usually travel for free and we take fun last minute trips. I’ve been to American Idol, Dr. Phil, and Last Comic Standing.

KEN COOK
Currently @ Brouillet teaching third grade
EducationPosition/Representing - Primary Teacher (third)

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
At Edgarton I'm looking forward to the electric excitment that comes with building a new staff and establishing a positive building climate! I look forward to working with the highly motivated teachers that tend to be drawn to a new school. The opportunities for using the latest technology and building a school program based on best practices appeals to me greatly.
Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
I enjoy my family, and almost anything outside: boating, hiking, skiing, camping, kayaking, as well as reading and music. As I get older, I find that art is becoming increasingly interesting. I think I'm beginning to understand the basics of home decorating....
Places I enjoy traveling (or want to travel) to:
My attitude to travel is "it doesn't matter where you go, but rather that you do go". I like doing anything outside, almost anywhere. Hawaii is nice (warm water), but my favorite places are Yellowstone, the Broken Islands on the west side of Vancouver Island (kayak camping), the San Juans, and just about anywhere else! I'd like to go to Italy to eat and look at art.
A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc.):
My dear wife and kids; fresh, light snow; salt water; mountain high country, the Seven Samurai, The Sound of Music, and Beauty and the Beast (movies), summer fruit and salmon, old Volkswagens.
A book I would recommend:
"Work" book: Best Practices
"Fun" Book: anything written for adults by Betty McDonald (old funny stories!), well-written accounts of travel, adventure, or life events.
A quote that has personal meaning to me:
"The impossible just takes a little longer" and "This is a little problem, not a big problem"
Something interesting that others may not know about me:
In the late 70's I earned fame (not fortune) as a "wild" Rainier (a 10 foot tall fiberglass beer bottle running around Pioneer Square in Seattle).

GREG FARIAS
Currently @ Hunt & Woodland teaching Physical Education
Position/Representing - Intermediate

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
Working on the "opening of a new building" (I have been involved with many different things in the PSD, but never a new building). I am also looking forward to meeting and greeting our first group of students when school opens.
Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
I enjoy coaching at ERHS (girls basketball), yard work of any nature, and just "relaxing" during my summer days in Hawaii.
Places I enjoy traveling (or want to travel) to:
Hawaii is #1! My wife (Diana) and I have made it for the last five summers, spending 17-20 days "just relaxing and floating out to sea". Someday it is off to Australia for a visit.
A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc.):
Movie: Hoosiers (always) - love the music, love the storyline and the love the "teamwork" idea.
Food: Mostly anything off the grill...Hawaiian/Chinese.
A book I would recommend:
Bob Night "His Own Story" and John Wooden "Just Call Me Coach" (great books about two basketball coaches with different approaches in their professions, but both "love teaching and working with their players". Also, Hilo Legends (a book about my "home town" in Hawaii).
A quote that has personal meaning to me:
"The time is always right to do what is right". - M.L. King
Something interesting that others may not know about me:
With me, "what you see is what you get"!

JULIE DENT
Currently @ Pope teaching Kindergarten
Position/Representing - Kindergarten

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
Building a first-class Kindergarten department from the ground up.
Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
Running (usually 20-25 miles per week), Hiking, Skiing, Scrapbooking, Spending time with my husband and girls, and Shopping.
Places I enjoy traveling (or want to travel) to:
Anywhere warmer than here! My husband and I take one big trip together each summer. Last year it was Cancun, this year Lake Tahoe. We are hoping for Southern Europe some day.
A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc.):
Diet Coke, M&Ms, Marathons with no hills, and my dogs Maggie & Buck
A book I would recommend:
"Parent Talk" by Chick Moorman. It is an awesome book about building a child's self-esteem.
A quote that has personal meaning to me:
After climbing to the summit of Mt. Rainier together (just the two of us) in 2002, my husband engraved a picture frame with this quote:
"Risk more than others think is safe, Dream more than others think is practical, Expect more than others think is possible." - Sir Edmond Hillary
Something interesting that others may not know about me:
I married my highschool sweetheart. We started dating at Rogers High School in 1987 and have been together ever since!

KRISTI THOMPSON
Currently @ Wildwood as the Library Media Specialist
Position/Representing - Specialist

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
I believe a team dedicated to opening a school will have a positive energy and outlook. It will be exciting to create a new learning environment with a group of professionals dedicated to education. I am looking forward to the new technology which will challenge and enable us to work with our “digital-natives.” And, of course, LOTS of new books =)
Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
Spending time with my family, camping, reading and golf. Bob is the sales manager for Miles Sand & Gravel, Alex is 14 and attending Stahl Jr. High, Hannah & Jessica are 11 and attending Pope @ ERHS. We love to camp “Down Home” on the Columbia River every summer where I have time to read all twenty Sasquatch and Young Reader’s Choice Nominees for the year. I enjoy my monthly book club where I get to read a book for big people, but I also like to try to read the “latest and greatest” in the 4th-6th grade fiction. Golf is something I think I’d be good at if I played more than once or twice a year----maybe in retirement?
Places I enjoy traveling (or want to travel) to:
Hawaii or anywhere warm. I also have enjoyed going to Ashland, Oregon for the Shakespeare Festival with friends. I look forward to someday traveling to Europe. I would especially like to go to France, Italy and Greece.
A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc.):
Music: jazz/blues
Favorite food: Italian, authentic Mexican
Favorite restaurants: From the Bayou, Marzanos, Beach House
Favorite TV shows: Lost, ER, CSI Las Vegas, The Daily Show
A book I would recommend:
Book for adults: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Kids books: Artemis Fowl series by Owen Colfer
A quote that has personal meaning to me:
“We shouldn’t teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.” B.F. Skinner
“Knowledge is knowing --- or knowing where to find out.” Alvin Toffler
“Those who don’t read have no advantage over those who can’t.” Mark Twain
Something interesting that others may not know about me:
I hiked over the Cascade Mountains for the first time when I was 8 years old and climbed Mt. Adams when I was 12.

TRICIA McCANDLESS
Currently @ Sunrise teaching developmental pre-school
Position/Representing - Special Education

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
I am most looking forward to help plan from the ground up. I see this as a perfect opportunity to get preschool and special education into the school as a true, equal part of the school. I think there is misconception and misunderstanding about what our preschool is all about. I'm excited to share information on how kids qualify and about the spectrum of disabilities we see. I have a lot of experience with autism, and as the numbers rise more and more integration will be happening. I'd like to help others understand, as well as provide and help implement classroom strategies that will help make kiddos successful in the mainstream.
Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
I most enjoy my family. I have had the best summer on record! My kids (Claire 5, Jack 4) are amazing and a blast to hang out with. Andy (my husband) took a lot of vacation time this summer so we had a ton of family outings that we don't manage to do during the school year.
I also love to run! I run with 3 friends 4 times a week and it is as much of a social "bonding with the girls" time as it is physical fitness. We have run races from 5k to ½ marathons to a 150 mile relay this summer. My family knows that "a running mom is a happy mom!"
Places I enjoy traveling (or want to travel) to:
Any place with an ocean to view and walk on. Warm, cold...I'll take it all.
A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc.):
Food...one of my favorite subjects. COFFEE! Does that count as a food? Love the taste, love the smell, love the ritual. I LOVE Thai food and a big salad with just about anything under the sun put into it. Anything with garlic and anything chocolate. Also seafood...my favorite restaurant being The Crab Pot on the Seattle waterfront.
As for movies, I love a good really pointless comedy that just makes my sides hurt from laughing. Sleepless in Seattle-I'm always a sucker for a sappy love story.
A book I would recommend:
I am currently reading "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell for my book club. It's an interesting theory on society. I also really liked "The Namesake" by Jumpir Lahiri
A quote that has personal meaning to me:
"We are all about as happy as we make up our minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln
I think it's pretty self explanitory.
Something interesting that others may not know about me:
I am a closet organization freak. I LOVE it when everything has a "home" and it's even better when it all fits in the same, color coordinated containers with labels. Interesting or just plain scary??

ERIN TAVERN
Currently @ Firgrove teaching first grade
Position/Representing - Primary Teacher

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
Meeting new families. Having a new building. Being in on the decision making! Having the best staff in the district!
Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
I love reading, running, biking and watching movies! I love spending the day with my husband, Chris, and our cat Quincy.
Places I enjoy traveling (or want to travel) to:
I loved backpacking through Europe two summers ago! We would go back in a heartbeat (if we could afford it!). I especially loved Scotland, London and Italy!
We enjoy traveling to Ashland, Oregon too for the Shakespeare Festivals!
A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc.):
Movie - Love Actually, Moulin Rouge and Anne of Green Gables
Food - ice-cream and goldfish crackers (but NOT together!)
Restaurants - Olive Garden and Reyna's Mexican (on Garfield Street near PLU)
Sports I love to watch/follow - Soccer (especially English Premier League), Hockey and the Tour de France!
TV shows - Grey's Anatomy!!! CSI, The Dead Zone and Without a Trace
A book I would recommend:
Professional - The Essentials of Teaching Reading, Primal Leadership, First Six Weeks of School and Reading for Meaning
Leisure - Shopaholic series, Broken For You, Good Grief, the Harry Potter books and the da Vinci Code
A quote that has personal meaning to me:
"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." - Lance Armstrong
"No one automatically gives you respect just because you show up. You have to earn it." - Lance Armstrong
Something interesting that others may not know about me:
I have been to 10 midnight movie premier showings (2 Star Wars, 3 Lord of the Rings, 2 Matrix, 2 Harry Potter and 1 X-Men) and I taught school the next morning for all but one show!

AMANDA KRAFT Currently @ Firgrove teaching fourth grade Position/Representing - Intermediate Teacher

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
The change...... Experience a new beginning and creating a "new" history for the future.
Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
Reading, traveling, climbing mountains, and coaching basketball!
Places I enjoy traveling (or want to travel) to:
3rd world countries and climbing trails that very few people go on.
A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc.):
Food- Seafood (lobster)
Movie- Hoosiers/Coach Carter, Dirty Dancing, and Top Gun
A book I would recommend:
The Notebook and The Wedding
A quote that has personal meaning to me:
"Sports do not build character, they reveal character." ~ John Wooden
Something interesting that others may not know about me:
I was a competitive speed skater (Inline), at Tiffany's Skate Inn, growing up.

DAVID SUNICH

Currently @ Pope as the assistant principal
Position - Assistant Principal at Edgerton Elementary

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
I am most excited about working with a team of teachers who we KNOW are committed to working as a professional learning community. I think we will be able to be the "flagship" for the district both as a structure and as a learning community.
Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
When I'm not at work I enjoy golfing, fishing, boating, watching movies, playing with my kids, watching sports and eating.
Places I enjoy traveling (or want to travel) to:
I enjoy traveling to Mexico and any warm tropical spot. I would really like to travel to China, Thailand, Italy, and Spain.

A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc.):
Movies- Anchorman, Old School, Talladega Nights, Napoleon Dynamite
Foods- Fajitas, Pad Thai (Spelling?),
Restaurants- Ayothaya, East-West Cafe, Mazatlan,
Other favorites: Cougars, Seahawks, Mariners, Sonics
A book I would recommend:
The Tipping Point; Blink both by Malcolm Gladwell
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
A Million Little Pieces (Formerly recommended by Oprah) still interesting even though it's not all true
Results Now by Schmoker
A quote that has personal meaning to me:
"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can always build our youth for the future"-- Franklin D. Roosevelt
Something interesting that others may not know about me:
I worked on a cruise ship in the Caribbean for a month after college.

GUY A. KOVACS
Currently @ ESC/Cubicle
Position - Planning Principal for Edgerton Elementary

What am I most looking forward to at Edgerton?
The opportunity to start a school (physically, philosophically and in terms of creating the climate) is very exciting to me. I also believe that bringing on an entire staff that is committed to common goals and paths to success is going to to go a long way in making a positive impact with our students. I have to admit that I have only worked in older buidings, so the newness-factor puts a smile on my face as well.
Activities I enjoy when not spending time with work:
I simply enjoy hanging out with my family. I like to go for walks with my wife, play board games with the kids, and spend time together at the YMCA. I also like camping, hiking, movies and sports.
Places I enjoy traveling (or want to travel) to:
My annual favorite is Lake Chelan. I have been to Australia and have that marked as my next major family trip. Las Vegas, camping on the Cowlitz river, visiting friends in Sequim and heading to Hoopfest in Spokane are also regular favorites. I absolutely love to traveling. I have lived in China, backpacked throughout SE Asia, took a group of JH kids to Italy and Greece, and played football in the South Pacific.
A few of my favorites (movies, food, restaurants, etc.):
Being a movie nut, I have a lot of favorites. Some of them include Memento, Chasing Amy, anything Star Wars, and I most recently watched Schindler's List. Food-wise, I am a fan of From the Bayou, the spinach salad at The Ram, my mother-in-law's fried chicken (as well as Popeye's), the salad bar at Roundtable Pizza, anything off of the BBQ, and my wife's pasta salad. A book I would recommend:
I just read Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code...loved them both. I am currently reading a book about potential future travels and I have begun the A Whole New Mind (by Daniel Pink) that Ian Jukes, and many others, recommended.
A quote that has personal meaning to me:
"The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to make money nor find much fun in life." - Charles Schwab
Something interesting that others may not know about me:
With my year at the Air Force Academy came a tattoo. I am just not sharing were!