Dr Shari Popen

SKY ISLANDS FOUNDER AND SCHOOL DIRECTOR

A long time ago, I sat with my high school students in upstate NY and we designed our dream high school together.  Of course much has changed, but not that dream.  Sky Islands is in so many ways better than we hoped to imagine.  Since that time I have worked to get a Masters degree in Educational Foundations at Kent State University and a PhD in Educational Philosophy at SUNY Albany.  I have owned a bookstore in Berkeley and I ran the Central Receiving operation at UC Berkeley—complete with forklift and trucks.  I have tried to live my life as a combination of hands-on and heads-on.  You can expect to see that at Sky Islands in the integrated, project-based program of study.

I was a faculty member at Western Washington University for 8 years, taught at Prescott College/Tucson and at NAU/Tucson in the graduate Educational Leadership program.  Prior to opening Sky Islands, I taught undergraduate and graduate courses at U of A in the College of Education for 10 years, and simultaneously taught in Political Science for 2 years. I continue to advise graduate students at U of A.

It is a thrill for me to welcome you to Sky Islands.  Our staff is experienced and smart and we work well together as a team.  Also, we laugh a lot.  When you come to Sky Islands, you can expect to see a bit of creative disorder at any time of the school day.  At least we hope so.  But also people working together quietly in small groups, on projects, or off-campus in the desert, at any museum, or service work.  Together we have to make the world that we want to live in.

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Sandi Rosado

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

I am a native of Puerto Rico and fluent Spanish speaker.  Although I was born on the island I became a world traveler at the early age of two. Over the course of my life I have traveled extensively acquiring a wide range of education and work experiences. Both have given me an expansive look at life and deep appreciation for its twists and turns.  I am an experienced school office manager and take pride in working well with both students and parents.  I make it hard to get anything past me, but I’ll be right there when you need me. As most of our students have learned over the past two years, I keep power/granola bars in my desk to help answer that sudden hunger pang.

I believe in the youth of today and have confidence that, if given the opportunity to make a difference in the environmental challenges they face, they will rise to the occasion. We at Sky Islands are committed to providing young people with the knowledge and opportunity to make choices that will improve the environment they live in, regardless of where their path takes them.

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Lucas Bogard

SCIENCE

Lucas is a founding teacher at Sky Islands and has been instrumental in developing the science curriculum and the overall integrated educational program. He has degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder in American Studies and Ethnic Studies, and is a Highly Qualified science teacher. He is a graduate of a 35-year old alternative school in Denver, and taught integrated science classes in charter schools in Tucson for 4 years prior to joining Sky Islands. Lucas is responsible for developing the astrobiology, enthnobotany, ecology and earth science courses, as well as the school garden and the working relationship with the Tucson Village Farm.

Lucas is a proficient speaker of Japanese, conversational Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and he speaks various African dialects. He is a master gardener and has introduced students to organic, healthful foods. Expect his classes to go outside and bring the outside in— science at Sky Islands will open your eyes and minds to our living world, and especially the Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

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Simon Wickens

MATHEMATICS

Simon has been teaching mathematics, including AIMS math, at Sabino and Palo Verde high schools since 2004.  He is an award-winning math teacher, recognized by the State of Arizona as one of the highest performing math teachers.  His students regularly pass the math AIMS under his practical instruction.  Simon also brings strong IT experience with computer software, skills that will be crucial as we implement the ALEKS on-line math program this year.  He has a BA in Environmental Education from Prescott College, and a post-graduate teacher certification in mathematics from Pima Community College.

Simon is originally from the UK, and commissioned with rank of Flight Lieutenant (Captain) in the Royal Air Force/RAF.  He has commanded the RAF Stafford Mountain Rescue Team and captained the RAF hockey team.  He has been responsible for outdoor education in wilderness settings, including rock climbing and rappelling, hiking and camping.  In the Tucson area, Simon developed the VisonQuest wilderness program as part of the environmental education curriculum, and he has been a crew leader with the Youth Corps of Southern Arizona/YCOSA.  Simon is looking forward to bringing math alive in and out of the classroom, helping students tame their mathematical monsters, and disproving the existence of a math gene.

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Whitman Bolles

LANGUAGE ARTS

Whitman joins Sky Islands for the 2011-12 school year most recently from North Carolina, where he has been teaching at Alamance Community College.  He holds two Masters Degrees, an M.Ed. and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, both from North Carolina State University.  Prior to North Carolina, Whitman received a B.A. with Distinction in English, with an Anthropology minor, from the University of New Mexico, and a second B.A. at the College of Santa Fe in Secondary Education.  In Tucson, he has been teaching developmental writing at Pima Community College.

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Nina Conrad

SOCIAL STUDIES

Nina is a native of Seattle and joins Sky Islands for the 2011-12 school year. She attended the University of Arizona on a National Merit Scholarship and received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Art History with a minor in modern dance. Nina worked at the Arizona Daily Wildcat as a reporter, photographer, and copy editor, and was the recipient of the Wildcat Alumni Award and William Hattich Award for Journalism Professionalism.

Nina was a student teacher at Safford Magnet School and earned her Arizona teacher’s certification in History and Social Studies. She has volunteered with Camp Wildcat and as an intern for 826LA West, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center in Venice, CA. She is personally committed to living sustainably and keeps a raised-bed vegetable garden. Nina is looking forward to creating Sky Islands’ garden on-site and developing our first Photojournalism course. Her classes will foster inquiry and exploration, study current events and historical developments, and integrate environmental thinking.

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Twila Bates

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Twila holds a Masters Degree in Special Education from Boston University, with additional coursework at University of San Diego and University of Maryland. She was employed for 27 years by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) as a Special Education and Reading Recovery teacher, working internationally in Germany, Japan, and Italy.

Twila now makes her home in Tucson, and Sky Islands is indeed fortunate to have her join our staff.  She has been heard to say “The power of understanding, being understood, believing and being believed, is significant to the success of many, many students.” At Sky Islands we take those words to heart, and welcome Twila to our educational community.

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Chris Nischan

BOOKKEEPING

Chris is responsible for all aspects of financial records and bookkeeping in preparation for the annual audit. She is experienced in QuickBooks, bank account reconciliations, formulating budgets and reports, and spreadsheet applications. Chris has studied business at the College of Lake County in Illinois, and has a BA degree from Chapman University in Orange, California. She has been an accountant and bookkeeper in Tucson since 1999. Prior to that time, Chris was the Academic Center Director at Chapman University in Illinois.