Meet the STAR Staff!

If you joined us for parent night, you know that our STAR teachers are deticated to this program, every single teacher has worked with the program for many years.  This year, our STAR staff interviewed one another and wrote a bio about their coworker.  We hope you enjoy learning a little bit about who will be working with your student's this summer. 

Susie Sosa is an 8^th grade Science teacher at Pueblo Middle School.  She has been teaching in Kyrene for 7 years and this is her 6^th year with the STAR program.  She learned about STAR after working with students at a camp in Prescott called Minitown.  It was there she realized her  passion for teaching can help make a difference in the lives of children.  For fun she loves hiking, traveling and spending time with her daughter.  She is looking forward to discovering lots of great things about this year’s STAR students.

Jessey Johnson is an Arizona native, born right here in the Valley of the Sun. He completed his undergraduate work at Arizona State University where he earned a Bachelor’s in Education and quickly went to work for Kyrene.  He has been working in the district for the past eleven years, spending time as a Middle School Math teacher, a district level administrator, and now a Student Advisor at Kyrene Middle School. In his personal life he enjoys spending time with his two kids that keep him busy all the time: Andrew 3 and Cecilia 6. When he's not with his kids he enjoys mountain biking, reading, or writing screen plays. This summer will he be returning to the STAR program and he cannot be happier! He enjoys guiding kids through Project Adventure activities, working on real life math activities, and helping the kids build strong understanding of how their decisions affect their future.

This is Caleb Ballatore's  5^th year teaching the STAR program.  Mr. “B” as he is called by his students, enjoys teaching STAR because he likes  seeing the students grow as a group and become successful during the team building activities.  Mr. Ballatore has taught 4^th grade for 6 years at Kyrene De la Mariposa.  He recently got married in October; his wife teaches 8^th grade Science in the Scottsdale School District.   Mr. B and his wife enjoy attending the Cardinals and Suns games.  They are big fans.  Go AZ Cardinals and Suns!!

Nancy Zimmerman is a 7^th grade science teacher at Pueblo middle school.  Nancy has fun each day that she goes to school because she gets to interact with the kids and see how they change over the course of a year.  Although there can be many challenges in the classroom she enjoys the community and camaraderie she is able to build with her students.  Nancy enjoys working with this age group because she is able to hold a conversation with the students and uses her humor to help them become more comfortable so that she can help them to learn and grow through the year.  Nancy has worked the STAR program for the past two years and she likes getting to know the participants.  She appreciates that she gets to do different activities in STAR than during the year and connect with students.

Kristi Kinnison has been teaching language arts in the Kyrene School District for 16 years. Her favorite part of teaching is the personal connections that she makes with her students. Ms. Kinnison has been teaching with the S.T.A.R. Program for 8 years and loves having fun with the kids and watching them learn new things. She has taken 2 summers off to get her landscape certification through Desert Botanical Garden and travel to Montana. Ms. Kinnison loves working with 5^th-8^th graders because they are not yet set in their ways and she can watch them come into their own person. In her fun time, Ms. Kinnison can be found riding her bike, swimming, reading, hiking, making jewelry, hanging out with friends, and learning new things. We are excited to have her back in the STAR program this summer.

Stephanie Cupp has been teaching in the Kyrene School District for 7 years. When asked what she enjoys most about teaching, Mrs. Cupp replies, “Working with kids because each day is different.” Mrs. Cupp feels S.T.A.R. is a continuation of the A.C.E. program, it is a fun, summer program. This is Mrs. Cupp’s 5^th year in the S.T.A.R. program. Last summer Mrs. Cupp took the summer off and headed to Pasadena for her wedding. We’re excited to have her back with us in the S.T.A.R. program. Mrs. Cupp is looking forward to having fun with the students, taking pleasure in their unique personalities, and seeing each day as a new experience. When she’s not in the classroom sharing her wonderful skills, you might find her hiking South Mountain, biking or funning along the canal, playing with Cooper (her dog) at the dog park, reading , traveling, or spending quality time with friends. In addition to her amazing math skills and radiant personality, Mrs. Cupp is quite creative with scrapbooking and card making.

Khalid Jenkins is excited to be working with STAR again this summer.   He is originally from New York and has been living in Arizona for the past 6 years.   This is his 6^th summer working in the STAR program and he enjoys the ability to assist children with making positive decisions that affect their lives.  He has been doing social work in Kyrene for 6 years which gives him a unique opportunity to make a positive connection with both students and parents all year long.  When he has free time, he enjoys hiking, reading, and playing with his 2 year old son.  Golfing is considered one of his 2^nd passions and you will find him at Fiddlesticks & Tokasticks whenever he gets the chance.  Mr. K is looking forward to meeting you this summer and getting to know your students!

Olivia Parry is a Behavior Interventionist in the Kyrene School District.  She has been teaching in Kyrene for 9 years.  This summer is Olivia's third year with the program, and she loves coming back each summer to work with the STAR students.  Her favorite part of the program is watching the students grow and learn strategies to deal with life in a positive way.  During the school year, she works with multiple schools and helps teachers.  She really loves being back in the classroom teaching and working with students each summer. 

Jennifer Dennis has been teaching for 7 years in Kyrene.  She taught for 6 years at Lomas Elementary and is now currently the prevention specialist at Centennial Middle School.  She has worked with the STAR program for 8 years.  She loves working with kids to help them identify problem solving skills and learn to support other students.  She said she works with the STAR program because she enjoys watching the children grow and be successful in their personal goals. For fun, Ms. Dennis loves horseback riding, hiking with her dog, spending time with friends, traveling and watching ASU football!!  Go Devils!

Robert Harding has been teaching for 16 years.  He  enjoys teaching by bringing real-life experiences into the classroom to help students make a connection to their learning.  Teaching is his passion and because of this passion he co-founded the STAR program in 1999.  What he likes most about working with 5-8^th graders is his ability to impact their learning by helping them believe in themselves and in their abilities.  He enjoys spending time with his family traveling and experiencing the great outdoors.  He looks forward to working with the students in STAR this summer and watching them discover new things.

Amanda Hamm is the Prevention Manager for the Kyrene School District and loves working with the many different prevention programs that Kyrene has to offer.  Amanda is a former middle and high school teacher, and has been working in Prevention Services in Kyrene since 2004.  The STAR Summer Program is one of her favorite programs!  She enjoys working with students one-on-one, and participating in the Project Adventure activities.  The field trip to the high ropes course is her favorite part of STAR.  "It is so fun to see students challenge themselves!  I love seeing the students encourage one another, you can see such a feeling of accomplishment when the students have completed the day at ropes.  They are so proud of each other and themselves."