Get to know Ms. Ellis
I was born with an innate love of two things – the sea and soccer. I have followed both most of my life. I played college soccer for Division II Columbus State University while getting my bachelor’s in biology and treasure my memories there. Soccer has taught me that teamwork and giving your best effort will never let you down. I am a proud Manchester United fan and I will definitely be checking out the Sounders now that I am here.
courtesy of www.istockphoto.com
The sea has always called me as it does for many others. I was lucky to intern researching sharks in South Africa and later researching the whales in Maui. It’s hard to see the humpback whales in Maui and not wonder what they’re like in Alaska, so I spent a summer up in Juneau working for whale watching boats as well (which has prepared me for Seattle rain…I hope!) I have even been lucky enough to go to the Galapagos Islands and experience a living, breathing science. Even my teaching certificate was close to the sea – at the University of Sunshine Coast in Sippy Downs, Australia. I was lucky enough there to get to swim with whale sharks and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, which are experiences I use to bring science to life for my students.
While I obviously have a love for the ocean and marine biology, fear not because I do not discriminate against science! I’ve even spent time interning at a Space and Science Center in Georgia, so I’ve got a fair amount of our universe covered. I love and appreciate all science because they are all interconnected and I hope to make the students understand and engage with it as well. Let’s get going!
Science Program
We use the Next Generation Science Standards here at OLG. The Next Generation guidelines are very good because they allow science teachers to take their time and go more in-depth into the most important core areas for each subject. This means more time for such things as research papers and engaging hands-on projects and labs.
Next Generation Science Standards
