Hello, I’m Belle Newman and I am the ECE-PreK teacher here at Park Hill. I have been teaching for 15 years in DPS and I came here to Park Hill Elementary in the fall of
2017.I have lived just across the blvd for 24 years with both of my children graduating from East High. My goal as an educator is to provide a loving, safe, and respectful
environment for all students and their families. I believe that all cultures, life experiences, identities, and belief systems should be honored and cherished. I am
honored to and love teaching in such a wonderful and caring school community. When I’m not teaching I love to spend time with my family, dogs Emmylou and Bonnie, and our friends out in our beautiful state. We love to travel, camp, ski, and partake in all that our beautiful Rocky Mountains provide us.

Hello! My name is Emma Bourgain, and I’m excited to be joining the Park Hill community as a kindergarten teacher this school year. After spending the past two years teaching kindergarten in Fort Collins, I’m excited to return to my hometown of Denver and continue doing what I love. Kindergarten is such a special year. It’s a time of tremendous growth as children begin to develop the foundational skills for both learning and life. My goal each day is to help students grow in confidence and curiosity, and to leave the classroom with an excitement for learning. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this chapter in their journey and can’t wait to get started with our amazing students and families! Outside of school, I enjoy reading, spending time with friends and family, going on walks, and trying new restaurants around the city.

​Hello! I'm Gabrielle Hurley and I am a Kindergarten teacher at Park Hill Elementary! I have been a kindergarten teacher for 8 years! In my opinion, there is nothing better than that! My goal every year is to create a classroom of community, kindness, and to instill the love of learning. I am originally from Knoxville, Tennessee but moved to Denver 4 years ago with my husband, Cody! In my free time, I love to explore the beautiful mountains with my dog, riding bikes, or cooking a new meal! I am always up for all of the adventures! I am so excited and grateful to work at PHE and to invest in this incredible community! I can not wait for a very special Kindergarten year! 

​Hello! I’m Ms. Gulley. I have been teaching for 16 years, 8 of which have been in Kindergarten. I love teaching Kindergarten because it is a chance to grow a love of learning in my students as well as my families, who may be experiencing school as a parent for the first time. I see school and home as a fluid connection, a fruitful and constant interchange of learning. One of my passions is  inviting families  into my classroom to learn alongside their child.  Kindergarten is a magical year where children are at their purest. My role is to enhance each child’s unique gifts and ways of being so that they remain true to themselves throughout their educational experience. I am also bilingual (Spanish-English), and a Registered Yoga Instructor. In my spare time, you can find me at the gym lifting weights, on the ski slopes, hiking in the mountains, or painting and drawing the world around me. Some of my life goals include: publishing a children’s book, doing a pull up, contributing to  a strong and successful public education system for generations to come, and ensuring that your child has an amazing kindergarten experience. 

Hello!  I feel blessed to be a part of our school community and to live in the same community where I work. I have been an educator for 25 years, and this is my twelfth year at Park Hill Elementary. I love teaching kindergarten, watching the joy of learning, and utilizing each child’s individual gifts to help them be the best they can be. I have a M.Ed. in  Integrating Arts into Education and have also been trained as a classical singer.  My classroom is filled with lots of opportunities to make art, sing, and be creative. I believe that the arts are a powerful tool for learning, creating, and bringing our community together. In addition, I love learning about other cultures, creating an inclusive classroom and teaching students about the world around them.  In my spare time, I enjoy singing, cooking, hiking, and spending time with my husband and children.

Hi! I am Deb Peterson and this will be my 29th year teaching at Park Hill. I love teaching reading and writing to first grade students, and sharing my love of books with them. I enjoy building relationships with Park Hill students and families, and the strong sense of community at our school.  When I’m not reading, I like to hike, travel, watch movies and hang out with my husband Andy and our two chiweenies, Chloe and Stella!

Hi Panthers! This is my 18th year at Park Hill and my 24rd year in education. Whew! As a first grade math teacher, I encourage you to try to do the math on that one!

My favorite part of teaching is supporting kids to learn to persevere through hard things both in and out of the classroom.

Outside of school my life is full with traveling to visit my two older kids in college and keeping up with our 5th grader on the volleyball court.

Hello! My name is Anne Dankner, and I’m so excited to teach first grade at Park Hill Elementary! I have been a teacher for over ten years. I’m from upstate New York and come from a big family. I went to Syracuse University for elementary and special education. I also have a master's degree as a literacy specialist. I taught special education in New York and, soon after, first grade in the Washington, D.C. area. 

First grade stole my heart, and I loved every minute of it! My favorite part of teaching is working with children and getting to know each and every one of them! It’s so special to see your students grow academically and socially in first grade. They soak everything up and love learning. It’s truly a magical year! 

 After having my first daughter, we moved to Colorado for my husband's job, and I took time off to be a mom. I have two amazing girls, a nine-year-old and a twelve-year-old. They keep me busy driving all over Denver for swim team and gymnastics.  We love traveling as a family, spending time in Steamboat, CO, and going on adventures. When I’m not teaching, you can find me spending time with family, friends, reading, doing yoga, pilates, and taking walks all around the neighborhood. If you see me, make sure to say hi! 

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This will be my fifth year teaching, all of which have been at Park Hill! 

My favorite part of my job is spending my days with my students and seeing the joy of their learning. I also love making memories as a class to cherish forever. 

Outside of school I love to spend time with my husband and son. We usually spend our weekends outdoors - hiking, camping, rock climbing, or skiing! 

Hello! Let's get the burning question out of the way first: I'm 6'7" and yes, I played basketball in high school! Beyond that, I have been teaching first grade at Park Hill since 2010. My talents (if you ask my first graders) are shooting dried up markers in the trash can from across the room, touching the ceiling, punting a soccer ball to the clouds, and (most importantly) being the tallest person in the school. I am so fortunate to work at such a great school with such amazing, supportive families and staff! When I'm not shooting markers into trash cans I can be found hanging out with my family, writing music, playing basketball, working out, and eating Lamar's donuts (in no particular order).

I am excited to be starting my 20th year teaching and my 4th year on this amazing 1st grade team. I grew up in Colorado and went to Marquette University (I’m a huge MU basketball fan and my claim to fame is that I tutored Dwyane Wade!) I started my teaching career in Milwaukee, WI in 2004 then taught in Washington, D.C. before starting at Park Hill in 2007. The community here is so special to me, both personally and professionally, and I am constantly amazed at the magic that happens inside our school. Broadway musicals, walking my dog, public libraries, and cheering on my girls in all of their various sports and activities are a few of my favorite things.

Hi, I am Holly Castle. I have been teaching for 4 years and have been at Park Hill that whole time! I even did my student teaching here as well in 3rd grade. I really love being a part of a strong community and something I deeply love about this job is seeing the growth kids have from the start to end and having the opportunity to learn from them as well! Kids bring such a pure joy with them that is so special to be around.

Some things I enjoy doing outside of school are really anything outdoors. I enjoy camping. biking, climbing, hanging out with family and friends. I am so excited and grateful to have the opportunity to teach here at Park Hill!

This is my 15th year teaching and my 10th year teaching second grade at Park Hill. Before coming to Park Hill, I taught in Nashville (where I’m from) and Honolulu. I have been calling Denver home since I moved here in 2015. I enjoy working with children and seeing the world through their eyes; they are curious, enthusiastic, and confident. I have a passion for children's literature and believe there is a picture book for anything and everything. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my husband Daniel and our two sons, George and Sullivan. 

My name is Sharyn and I go by Ms Kline in the classroom.  This will be my 10th year teaching 2nd grade at Park Hill and my 25th year in DPS! 

I live in Denver with my family- my son is 17 and my daughter is 15. They are both DPS students.  I also have 2 dogs that I adore, Samson is a 12 year old black lab and Luna is a 5 year yellow lab.  

I am originally from Minnesota.  SKOL!  I started Kindergarten and graduated from college in my hometown.  My mom still lives in the house I grew up in.  I moved to Colorado the day after I graduated from college and haven't looked back.  I enjoy doing just about anything outside, but I don't love water sports.  I had some pretty traumatic boating/ water skiing/tubing/canoeing incidents as a child and prefer to stay away from freshwater.   Ha!

I love working with the students and families at Park Hill.  I am honored to be a part of such a strong community.  

I have been teaching in DPS for 22 years and this is my sixth year at Park Hill.  Teaching has been my passion ever since I was a kid.  I love watching the students grow as learners, foster deep and meaningful connections, and maintain a sense of community as we grow together. When I'm not teaching, traveling and getting outdoors are some of the things that I value and try to do as much as possible. I also enjoy camping, hiking, attending music festivals, and spending time with my 3 kids and dogs. 

I have over 20 years of experience in education.  I was a Paraprofessional at Park Hill for 2 years then went to get my teaching license.  I taught in Aurora for 10 years, and then finally came "home" to Park Hill Elementary in 2015.  I live in the neighborhood and am excited to be a part of this amazing community.  My favorite part of my job is creating meaningful and trusting relationships with our students.  Also, I always tell the students that if I didn't make them laugh that day, then I didn't do my job. Before teaching I had a 15-year career in the music business.  I worked in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Jersey and Colorado in publicity, marketing, artist relations, talent buying, radio DJ, and concert promotion. Music will always be a big part of my life. I love to go to as many concerts as I can around Colorado. In the late 1990s,  I was also able to be a stay-at-home mom (who somehow never stayed at home) to my son who attended Park Hill, Polaris, Morey, East High, and CU Boulder.

Hi, I'm Katie Main; I teach reading and writing.  I love seeing students be creative and meet their goals.  My passion is in reading instruction, so students have the tools they need to accomplish anything they dream of.  With the gift of literacy, the sky's the limit. 

Before working in the Denver Public Schools, I was a children's ski instructor in Steamboat Springs, CO. I still love going to the mountains every chance I can, especially with my dog Libby.  I also love traveling to new and exciting places.

"The more you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go" - Dr. Seuss

I’m looking forward to a wonderful school year ahead! This is my 28th year teaching and my 14th year at Park Hill. I love being part of this amazing community. This year my son, Kiran, will be a 10th grader at Northfield High School.  Some of my favorite hobbies include biking, running, snowboarding, and cooking. My favorite aspects of teaching are developing positive relationships with students and their families as well as working together to help all students succeed!  

Hello! My name is Heather Brulet, and I’m thrilled to be joining the Park Hill community as a new third grade teacher! I recently earned my Master’s in Education with a specialization in reading, and I had the wonderful opportunity to complete both my student teaching and reading intervention internship right here at Park Hill. I’m so excited to continue my journey with this amazing school and can’t wait to dive into a fantastic year of learning with my third graders!

I absolutely love living in Denver with my husband and our son, who’s heading into sixth grade. I earned my undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University—Go Pack!—and while most of my family still lives in North Carolina, Colorado has truly become home.

Outside the classroom, I’m passionate about the outdoors and enjoy hiking, backpacking, camping, international travel, and gardening. I’m committed to creating a warm, inclusive, and engaging classroom where every student feels supported, valued, and excited to learn each day.

I’m so happy to be part of the Park Hill team and look forward to a wonderful school year ahead!

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I'm Meredith Strumor and this is my 9th year teaching at Park Hill Elementary. I will be teaching 3rd grade math and science this year. I have been teaching for 16 years and feel so grateful to be a part of the Park Hill community.

I love working with students and strive to support them in reaching their goals and aspirations. Outside of school I like to read and travel!

I started teaching in 2019 at Park Hill.  Teaching has so many perks and joys, and I believe that the students can be so inspirational for us as adults. They have creative thoughts, can work hard, and are able to be flexible when needed. I love to teach and live for those "Ah-Ha" moments. The moments in which the learning clicks for the students and they know they have grasped the material. The joy on their faces make it worth it! I love being a part of a close knit community such as Park Hill and find happiness each day I am at the school. One other thing I love is building relationships, not only with my current students, but their families and siblings too! Outside of teaching, I love to attend concerts, enjoy arts and crafts, reading, and when the weather is nice, a good little hike to enjoy our beautiful state. I am so happy for another year at Park Hill, and know it will be great!

Greetings! I’m so excited to be joining the Park Hill Elementary community this year. While it’s my first year at Park Hill, I bring 17 years of teaching experience with me—including several years supporting students with special needs in both the Bay Area and Denver. Most recently, I taught 3rd grade at Teller Elementary, and I’m thrilled to now be working with the 4th grade team!

I earned my Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Literacy from the University of Colorado, and I’m especially passionate about helping students build confidence, embrace challenges, and grow into resilient learners.

Outside of school, I love spending time with my wife, Hilary, and our two boys, Jack and Will—both proud (current and future) Park Hill Panthers!

Graduated with a BS in Education/Psy in 1999

Started teaching at Park Hill in 2001

My favorite part of my job is working with such great people and seeing the older kids come back to visit.

I love 9/10-year-olds!!!

Outside of school, I love to snowboard and roller skate.  I'm back on a Derby team!!!

14th year in education, all at PH. Started in 2012

- I love building a classroom community that works and plays well together. I love teaching math and introducing students to new concepts. The staff at PH is fun, silly, and a group of extremely talented, passionate teachers.

- I love that my students from previous years still give me all the hugs and love when they did when they were in my class. These little humans are exactly the reason I come to work every day. 

- I love watching my son and daughter compete in gymnastics, playing with my feisty dog Kane, camping and playing outdoors, and snowboarding with the whole family! Freshie pow pow bro brah!

With thirty years of education under my belt, twenty of which have been at Park Hill as a 5th-grade teacher, I am a true member of the Park Hill community.  Astronomy/Astrology are my passions along with birding. Although I still use a chalkboard, I am proficient in White Board. As assistant to the team lead, I am always looking for new avenues of exploration to keep the students engaged. When I am not teaching, I enjoy fishing, gardening, skiing, and spending time with my two awesome kids. I look forward to partnering with you and although I prefer carrier pigeon or a handwritten note, emails work as well.

14 years in education/Started at Park Hill in 2017

My favorite subject to teach is math and I am always trying to improve my practice in restorative justice. I love building students' confidence in themselves and building a great classroom community. My favorite part of the job is partnering with my 5th grade team and parents to make sure that every student thrives.

My family and I spend a lot of time in our backyard enjoying the Colorado weather and watching the NFL and scary movies. Also, I recently started playing hockey again and really enjoy playing a round of golf at City Park. 

I have enjoyed 24 years working as an educator. This is my 7th year at Park Hill, although I also taught for two years here 17 years ago.

Lucky to be working with such an amazing, supportive Park Hill community.  Love building a class that values creativity, critical thinking and inquiry.  Favorite part of my job is getting kids out into the community to see all the amazing opportunities we have in Denver, and Colorado.

Outside of school you will find me hanging out with my family, taking advantage of the Colorado mountains by camping, mountain biking, fishing and hiking.  If not, I'm home reading, cooking or trying somewhere new and delicious for a meal out.

Teaching for 10+ years at Park Hill Elementary continues to fill my soul. With 23 years of education under my belt, I could think of no better place to add to my notches. The families, students, community, and fellow educators make this elementary school the BEST place to work! Whether, working, dancing, collaborating, or actively listening, my students and I fill our days with active learning. Although math tops the charts, I also enjoy teaching reading, writing, and mindfulness. When not teaching I thoroughly enjoy, reading, gardening, traveling, photography, and hanging out with my three awesome kids!

Hello! My name is Jesse Bott and I’m excited to join the Park Hill team! This will be my 13th year teaching elementary visual art. Over the years I have developed a philosophy that centers on the student’s and their amazing ability to communicate ideas and experiences in various expressive forms. I believe that art begins with finding a good problem to solve, then trusting the process to develop a response. Within the creating space, students engage with contemporary art and focus on the conceptual to highlight their own unique evolution of thought through the art making process, which over time yields meaningful works of art. I am extremely excited and eager to begin the year and to be a part of the Park Hill community!

Hi, I am Mrs. Horeis (pronounced “Hor-ice”)! I have taught PE for 22 years in Denver Public Schools and 13 of those at Park Hill. I love to be teaching only 10 blocks from home in my own community.  I have a Master of Science: Sport Pedagogy and a National Board Certification for teaching. I love to be active and have participated in a wide variety of sports and physical activities over the years. Current interests are skiing, paddle boarding, hiking and biking. My husband is the STEAM teacher at Montclair Elementary and I have one son attending Park Hill Elementary and one son at McAuliffe.  I love to travel and spent 17 months working for the U.S. Antarctic program (played in a sweet dodgeball league down there) and spent 5 months at sea, crewing on a sailboat. I also worked a ski season at Breckenridge ski resort, which caused me to uproot and leave my home state of Oklahoma to move to Colorado!

This is my 21th year teaching music in the Park Hill neighborhood. I'm very excited to start my ninth year at Park Hill Elementary School and I look forward to creating music with all of you! I am an Orff-Schulwerk certified teacher through the University of Northern Colorado and Metro State University, which means I will teach music in a way that is fun and natural for children.  This approach seamlessly integrates music, movement, drama, speech, play, and collaboration in Music instruction.  My primary instrument is the piano which I studied at Butler University in Indianapolis. My love for the arts goes far beyond music, inspiring my master's degree in arts integration in instruction from Lesley University.  I am a mother of 2 beautiful boys and 2 crazy dogs.  My husband and I enjoy doing fun activities as a family, especially if it involves sports or the mountains.  I'm looking forward to a musical year with all of you!

I have been teaching for 21 years (I was an elementary school classroom teacher before I started teaching Dance and Drama.  My first teaching job was teaching fifth grade in India!)

8th year at Park Hill 

Interests in Teaching:  Dance, Drama, Yoga, Cultural Competence and learning about World Arts and Cultures, Healthy Lifestyle

Favorite part of my job is that I get to teach creativity, storytelling and movement.  I love working at Park Hill.  The staff, students and parent community are just the best!  The building is also beautiful!  I especially love the stage and the auditorium!

Interests outside of school:  East Indian Classical Dance (Odissi), singing, sewing, yoga, being in nature, traveling

This is my 11th year at Park Hill, 15th year of teaching.

I  love the spirit and collaboration at Park Hill and my favorite part of my GT role is time spent directly with my students/teaching my pull out groups.

My interests apart from school are spending time with my family, being outdoors and sunshine.

Hello!  My name is Maggie McCaffrey and I am thrilled to be joining Park Hill as a Special Education teacher.  I have been teaching for 18 years, with 9 of those years in Special Education.  I am proud to be a part of the Park Hill community!

I grew up in Ithaca, NY, a beautiful, small town in upstate New York.  I have wanted to be a teacher since I can remember and still feel that it is the best job in the world.  I have taught in Charlotte, NC and Austin, TX, and Denver where I have lived for a little over 3 years. I strive to create a learning environment that makes my students feel empowered and valued.  My favorite part of teaching is seeing the academic and social growth in all students, especially in students with diverse learning needs.

When I am not at school, you can find me hanging out with friends and family, enjoying the beautiful parks Denver has to offer, exploring the mountains, and spending time with my 13 year old Boxer mix, Gatsby.  

This will be my 19 year of teaching, 5th year at Park Hill Elementary. I enjoy teaching as it is fun and rewarding to be part of the learning journey with students.

I grew up in Incline Village, Nevada, a small town on the north shore of beautiful Lake Tahoe. I graduated from the University of Nevada in Reno and earned my masters degree from UNLV. I've taught in Nevada, Arizona and now Colorado. 

When I am not at school, you can find me coaching and watching sports of all sorts. I also love pulling weeds and working in my garden. I have a wonderful husband, James, a rambunctious 7 year old, Owen, a sassy  2 year old, Adeline, and two very active dogs who love to run.

I’m Monica Serianni and I am proud to be a Special Education teacher at Park Hill. For the past nine years here, I’ve watched the students in my small groups and in my classroom grow more confident, self-assured, and more courageous. Witnessing that transformation is why I became a teacher and I feel so lucky to be a part of my students’ journey. I try to make each day joyful, as well as an opportunity to learn and grow. When I’m not explaining to Ms. Natalie the difference between a numerator and a denominator, I coach our Girls on the Run team. You can also find me right here in the neighborhood chasing down my three kids, my husband, and our adorable pup. Sometimes all at once. We love to ski, play sports, go to concerts, frolic in the mountains, and travel. I love sushi, my favorite movie is The Goonies, and I am obsessed with crossword puzzles.

Hi I’m Jenny Higgins I am one of the special education teachers here at Park Hill. I am a native of Denver and have lived in this part of Denver for most of my life. I started teaching a little over 25 years ago and have had the privilege of working all over the Denver area. I started working as a special education teacher 12 years ago. This work brings me a lot of joy and happiness. I have twins who graduated from East High in 2023. Since then my husband and I keep ourselves busy with traveling, listening to music, hiking and walking the neighborhood with our dog Enda. This is my second year at Park Hill and I am so happy to be here.

Hola! My name is Lorena Otrera and I've been teaching in DPS since 2014. I have been the English Language Development (ELD) teacher here at Park Hill since 2018. Before moving to Denver, I worked for 7 years in North Carolina as an ESL teacher, and another 7 years as an English Teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I am originally from. 

What I love most about my job is connecting with our multilingual and multicultural students and families, and ensuring they are supported academically and that they can access all the resources they need. I am passionate about bilingual education and heritage language preservation!

In my free time I like to relax by going on walks and traveling, but I also enjoy staying at home and playing board games and video games with my kids. I love doing jigsaw puzzles and collecting indoor plants, too!

My name is Mary Hanisch and this will be my 7th year at Park Hill as a reading teacher.  I am originally from Chicago, and have lived in Colorado now for 23 years.  I have three kids and love to bake, travel and spend time with my family.  

My name is Jenny Hekkers and I am a reading support teacher and a Senior Team Lead at Park Hill. This is my 14th year teaching, and my 10th at Park Hill. I am excited to support our students in reading, and to support our teachers to be the best teachers they can be! My favorite part of teaching is empowering students to master the tricky parts of the English language so they can read, write, and hopefully use their voices to advocate for themselves and others. In addition to teaching, I love to read, travel and am learning to play the guitar. 

Hello! Welcome to Park Hill. I am Dorsey Davenport and I'm hoping to inspire the next generation of bookworms! I am the Kindergarten Reading Teacher and a Senior Team Lead, coaching and supporting teachers. I love working with teachers and students to foster a love and confidence for reading in our youngest learners. I have been a teacher since 2008 and have been a part of the Park Hill team since 2013. I've taught ECE through 1st grade. My own two kiddos attend Park Hill and we are proud to call this neighborhood home!

I have been a teacher in DPS for 15 years now, spending the majority of my time in kindergarten, first, and second grade. This is my fourth year at Park Hill, and I feel so grateful for this supportive, caring community. I have the best job ever as a reading teacher for first grade.

When I'm not reading with PH first graders, you can find me chasing around my own second and fourth graders along with our two dogs. My husband and I control our chaos by taking advantage of all the wonderful things the Colorado outdoors has to offer.