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Jacque Boyd, Director

Having come from a long-lineage of educators, choosing the teaching profession was a natural progression for me. I grew up in Hastings, Nebraska. I attended Hastings College (in my hometown,) a small liberal arts college which at that time specialized in music, art and education. My teaching career began in Grand Island, Nebraska; continued in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; then to Euless, Texas, to the University of North Texas and Texas Christian University.

Along the way I learned to fly. I combined the two loves of my life, education and aviation, when I earned my M.Ed. at Middle Tennessee State University in Aerospace Education. My Doctoral Dissertation explored the relationship between aviation education and science education while studying at the University of North Texas, in Denton, TX.

I took a ten-year-hiatus from the classroom when I began writing full-time. I continue write for several aviation publications and also write maternity policy with female pilots for airlines and corporations. In the midst of my writing 'career' I made the fulltime move to Angel Fire. NM from the Fort Worth/Dallas,TX area. The then-Director for Moreno Valley High School asked me if I'd like to teach an aviation class at the high school My classroom-hiatus came to an abrupt end. My one aviation class grew into two aviation classes and my part-time teaching at MVHS eventually turned into applying for the Director's position. I've been Director at the school for two years and have had the opportunity to work with the most talented faculty I've ever been with.

Linda Colenda, Spanish

Linda Colenda, the Spanish teacher here at Moreno Valley High School, is originally from Baltimore, Maryland. She lived in Washington DC, England, Oklahoma, California, Antigua, Bolivia and Virginia before finally settling in Angel Fire in 1995. Linda took Latin and French in high school and developed a fascination with languages. She got her BA in Russian Language and Literature from Dickinson College and her MA in Soviet Studies from the University of Oklahoma. Along the way, Linda completed course work at the University of Hawaii, the National Cryptologic School, George Washington University, Middlebury College and the Defense Language Institute.

After several years working as a Russian Linguist for the United States Department of Defense, Linda went over to defense contractors Rockwell and SAIC as a defense policy analyst. After a few years of that, she became a Jazzercise instructor and then a full-time mom.

Linda's international travel has taken her to the glaciers of New Zealand, the coast of Croatia, the theater district of London, the coral reefs of Bonaire, the tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, the canals of Venice and Amsterdam, the soccer fields of Sweden, the Norwegian fjords, the French Riviera, the Spanish Costa del Sol, the Bolivian yungas, the Brazilian Amazon, the mysterious Incan city of Machu Picchu, the onion domes of Moscow, and so on.

When she is not teaching or preparing to teach Spanish, Linda enjoys skiing in the winter and tennis in the summer.

JoAnne Fowler, English

JoAnne Fowler grew up in Eastern Canada and Texas. Both of her parents were/are educators and deciding to pursue an English degree with a teaching certification was a natural choice. JoAnne graduated from Southwest Texas State with a BA in English, a minor in art and a teaching certificate. She has taught seventh through twelfth grade in Texas, California, Alaska, Washington, and New Mexico. While in Alaska, JoAnne completed her master's in education with an emphasis in reading from the University of Alaska Southeast. Married with one daughter, JoAnne's extracurricular activities include snowboarding, swimming, ballet, yoga, hiking with the family dogs, and photography. JoAnne is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to the Sangre de Cristo Chronicle in Angel Fire, New Mexico. In her other lives, JoAnne has been a commercial fisher-women, family advocate for the Office of Children Services - State of Alaska, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, and waitress.

Dick Gemoets, Technology

Education: BS Math, New Mexico State University; MS Systems Management, University of Southern California; Post Graduate Studies, Career and Technology Education, Northern Arizona University
Occupation: 30+ years in the computer industry, including 8 years Software Development Manager at Apple Computer; 5 years teaching computer technology, Sedona Red Rock High, Sedona, AZ
Personal: Married 30+ years, 6 children, 4.5 grandchildren. Lived in Angel Fire 2 years

Steven Severance, Math

I was born in Wilmington Delaware and went to college at Stanford University. In 1986 I received my B.A. in painting and my B.S. in Mathematics from that institution. After graduation I pursued graduate studies in art at the University of Illinois, and the New York School for the Visual Arts. I have worked as a sculptor’s assistant in Washington D.C., A trout farmer in southeast Pennsylvania and a library assistant at Penn State University. My artwork has been shown in California, Italy, and Pennsylvania and has been published several times in Zingmagazine. I am licensed to teach both math and art in grades 7 through 12.

I teach mathematics more because it is beautiful than because it is useful. Although I try to give my students plenty of hands on experience and often give specific applications for mathematical concepts, I really love math because it is a profound and beautiful way of looking at our world. I am awed that the human mind has developed such powerful ideas for thinking about chaos and change. I’m astonished at the order the universe can display through the lens of mathematics.

In my art courses I try to focus on the individual. Although techniques and skills are taught, I want the students to focus on finding what is important for them to express. Why make art? What is worth saying? There is a strong literacy component to my art courses. We read and write about art in addition to making it. We think about art’s role in our society and our lives. But I strongly believe in learning through play. The best way to learn to take photographs is to get out there and do it (and hopefully have lots of fun doing so.)!

Occasionally I have time to engage in hobbies. Most rewarding for me have been hiking, reading (Chinese poetry, Greek plays, American novels) and listening to music (John Coltrane, Sonic Youth, and Bela Bartok).

Alexandra Sternhagen, English

A native of northeastern Montana or the Hi-line, Alexandra Sternhagen has lived in eleven states and 2 foreign countries. Originally slated for pre-med with a psychology minor, Alexandra had one of those ‘changes of heart’ and declared English with a minor in Education at the University of Iowa. A lifelong devotee of horsemanship, she finally had the chance to ride dressage after watching a US Olympic gold medal winner Hilda Gurney give a demonstration ride in California. “That was it for me. I fell in love with the sport and have ridden and competed ever since. Dressage is an art and a science. Like a well-constructed essay. You work one step at a time and after a lot of labor, you have something (hopefully) gorgeous.” She has taught at MVHS for 4 years and is a published poet and short story writer. Currently she is working on a seemingly “never-ending” novel.

Beth Tafoya, American Sign Language & Theatre Arts

I come to MVHS with a background in Theatre and American Sign Language. My introduction to theatre and sign were practically simultaneous. I had the great privilege of being cast as Sara (the Deaf character) in my high school’s production of Mark Medoff’s play, “Children of a Lesser God”. From High School I went on to attend the College of Santa Fe on a theatre arts scholarship, graduating from there with a double BFA in Costume and Scene Design in 1995. In 1996 I discovered a theatre company based out of Cleveland, Ohio that incorporated American Sign Language with the performing arts. That year they were looking to launch a new children’s touring division of their theatre company that would incorporate deaf and hearing actors together on stage performing every show simultaneously in spoken English and American Sign Language. Cleveland Signstage Theatre also expected us to conduct cultural awareness workshops helping to bridge gaps between the Deaf and the Hearing cultures. This experience allowed me to tour the United States bringing theatre and American Sign Language to many audiences. Although I thoroughly enjoyed working for this company, after touring most of the continental United States, I realized that New Mexico is where I wanted to make my home. My personal life took over from there, so now ten years into married life and five children later, I am able to share my passion for theatre and American Sign Language with my family, friends, and community here in Angel Fire.

Malcolm Webb, Special Education & Testing

Malcolm enjoys teaching, learning, exploring ideas and living. He found his way into Paideia education through his desire to bring these passions together and help encourage them in young adults. By 27, Malcolm had lived, worked and studied on 4 continents, having already finished a short-lived career in foreign language interpretation and analysis. Malcolm received his teaching certificate from Northern New Mexico College. His degree is in International / Cultural Studies from the University of Hawaii, with a language and history emphasis and an eye toward the interactions between colonizing and indigenous cultures. It was this focus that piqued his interest in the often-misunderstood and overlooked, and valuable contributions of marginalized peoples; and led him toward counseling at-risk youth in treatment centers and later to teaching. Malcolm has been with MVHS since the beginning as a founding staff and faculty member, working both in the office and the classroom. His current responsibilities include the special education and standardized testing programs, where he enjoys encouraging young people to have confidence and belief in themselves and to give them tools that will help them step confidently into the life of their choice.

Gary Yamane, Music

Originally from Oakland, California, Gary Yamane has been a student of the creative process for 40+ years, ever since he picked up the saxophone at age 8. He has studied music extensively with teachers such as Rudy Tapiro, Gary Gray, John Handy, and Joe Viola. He has attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Berklee College of Music, Boston, and San Francisco State University where he graduated with a B.A. degree in Creative Arts. He has performed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as well as the east coast and southwest. His music, though structured and deeply harmonic, is highly improvisational and spontaneous in nature. When describing his music, he said, "I am really a be-bopper with large ears". Not satisfied with the typical jazz genre, his music is as diverse as life itself and crosses many genres. "I take my inspiration from Nature and current social events", he said when asked what inspires his compositions. His compositions reflect his interest in and the influences of world music. "Access to the world has never been greater and I want to incorporate the sounds of the world into my music. Music is a language of creativity and when we are in touch with our inner selves can we express the flow of our thoughts and feelings through music".

On staff at MVHS since 2002, he currently teaches rock band, beginning and intermediate guitar, and world music.