Staff Bios 2009-2010
Elynn Colaianni - Fine Arts
Elynn.Colainni@prescottschools.com
Raised in the Phoenix area, I recently relocated to Prescott with my husband Alexander and our two children, Vincent and Isabella. I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in art education and sculptural metal smithing from Arizona State University and a Master of Arts degree from California State University at Long Beach. Formerly I held the position of Assistant Curator for Education at the Phoenix Art Museum and was a Collections Management Associate with the Heard Museum. I am an Arizona certified art educator in Secondary Education and held the position of art teacher at Madison Park School a K-8 school with the Madison School Designer District in Phoenix. I taught Painting and Drawing at Bradshaw Mountain High School East in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Accepted into the Northern Arizona University Distance Learning program, I will begin doctoral work through N.A.U. Fall 2007. I feel honored to be part of the Northpoint family and look forward to a successful and productive year.
Matt Dean - Social Studies (9th grade)
I am very excited about joining the Northpoint community. I believe Expeditionary Learning is an extremely valuable education model for our community and the world. I look forward to diving in and giving it my all this year and many more.
I was born in Prescott, Arizona in 1976 and lived all but three years here. The other three years I lived in Flagstaff where I completed my Bachelors degree in Political Science from NAU. I completed my Masters degree in Secondary Education at NAU in 2008. My wife and I continue to live in Prescott and have plans to stay a long time.
I have been lucky enough to do extensive travel in Arizona and the West. I love to be outside and thoroughly enjoy camping and backpacking trips. I have traveled to New Zealand to backpack and work on farms and I have also traveled in Italy. Between my education, travel and real world experience I hope to bring to the Northpoint community a valuable life aspect and energy that translates well into the Expeditionary Learning model.
Brendan Haggerty - Science
Brendan.Haggerty@prescottschools.com
Born and raised in a rural area of Eastern Connecticut, I moved to Prescott to attend Prescott College in 2001. The diversity and beauty of the Southwest’s ecosystems and landscapes inspired me to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies and Education. My passion for learning about the Earth’s history and it’s biological diversity has inspired me to do two things. First, it has lead me to travel extensively to places such as Ireland, France, New Zealand, Fiji, Thailand and Myanmar. In addition, it has motivated me to become a teacher so that I may share my passion and inspire others. I hold a deep belief that critical thought is the most indispensable quality of a self-governing society, and therefore public education must be recognized as the heart of a functioning democracy. I am truly honored by the opportunity to serve the students of this community along with the entire Northpoint staff.
Jen Hawley - Language Arts (11th & 12th grade)
Jen.Hawley@prescottschools.com
Born and raised in Southern California, I moved to Prescott with my family in 1994. I graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in History and a minor in Journalism in 2001. After a few years in the business world, I decided I really wanted to affect change and inspire others to be the best possible people they are capable of being. For me, that meant becoming a teacher so I obtained a Master’s degree in Secondary Education from Northern Arizona University and here I am at Northpoint.
I love spending time with my husband and my Great Dane puppy. My passions are my family, reading, writing, baseball, and the ocean!
I really enjoy discussing all the brilliant student ideas that stem from a rigorous, relevant curriculum. This is my first year at Northpoint and I cannot wait to dive into everything this school has to offer. I am thrilled to be a part of a team of educators and learners that is both committed to and passionate about their students and their community.
Ramie Liddle - Counselor
Ramie.Liddle@prescottschools.com
Originally from western Pennsylvania, I have extensively traveled our amazing country and abroad, finally calling Prescott home in 2007. I have spent a lifetime working to promote positive youth development, and I cannot imagine a more perfect place to practice my passion than at Northpoint.
I earned a BS degree in Parks and Recreation, an MA in Child and Youth Counseling, and received an EdS in School Counseling. A great deal of my value as a guidance counselor comes from working in several different employment sectors relating to youth, and taking away valuable life lessons with each move. I hope to use my insights to support our staff, parents, and most importantly our students, in their development.
This school is a dream come true for me, as it recognizes and builds on each student's assets, which prepares everyone for success. As NELA's first guidance counselor, I am committed to support and advocate for our students through their high school years, and post-secondary planning process.
When not working I enjoy kayaking, hiking, home renovations, swinging in a hammock, wonderful friendships, scrumptious food and hanging with my amazing husband and our sidekick, Ringo, the standard poodle.
The journey begins…
Linde Lisbona - Math
Linde.Lisbona@prescottschools.com
Hello. My name is Linde Lisbona. After working at a couple of schools in Prescott, I am honored and humbled to be joining the Northpoint community and continue as a practicing teacher with a group that challenges itself to seek relevant, experiential, creative means of coming to terms with our world.
A significant crossroads in my life was in 1997 when I worked for the Eagle Rock School in Estes Park, Colorado. I enjoyed being a part of a community of learners where relationship and personal growth were given equal weight in the curriculum with academic pursuit. My time at Eagle Rock inspired me to become a teacher. I also met my wife while working for the school.
I am naturally curious and always ready to learn something new. I have studied engineering, history, education and Spanish language at several universities and colleges over the years. I am a trail runner, swimmer and an energetic hack on the basketball court. In the past year I have been noodling around with a guitar, closer every session to mastering five chords and a couple of songs.
At the end of the day my favorite thing to do is relax in the presence of my wife, Tracey, and our 2 ½ year old son, Blue. If I aspire to anything as a teacher it is to hold space for the unconscious, joyful and spontaneous exploration of our surroundings that is role modeled by a toddler who feels safe with those responsible for facilitating his growth.
Charles Mentken - Social Studies
Charles.Mentken@prescottschools.com
Greetings Northpoint Community! I relocated to Prescott thirteen years ago to pursue my college education and in the midst of that journey I would find my life’s calling. For me, being an educator holds great responsibility, recognizing my potential to effect the development of our children. Yet, with great responsibility comes great opportunity, and for me the opportunity to share my passion for life and learning is what makes teaching so meaningful to me. Now in my third year teaching the social studies at Northpoint I continue to feel incredibly fortunate and grateful for the opportunity to help create a learning community that understands that high academic achievement is created by high expectations, as well as supporting a student’s emotional and social well-being. I am inspired by my colleagues’ commitment, our parents’ support, and our community’s willingness to support our future success. I look forward to this next year as I am confident that we are creating an educational experience that has the potential to foster in every student a life long commitment to learning.
Cyndi Reynolds - Special Education
Cyndi.Reynolds@prescottschools.com
My name is Cyndi Reynolds and this is my second year at Northpoint. As your Special Education Teacher, I truly believe that education in itself gives us each a chance to be special. I have been working with students who have specific needs for over 10 years. No matter what age or what ability, I have found that all anyone really needs is for someone to understand and believe in what an individual CAN do. Born and raised in California, I am a Prescott transfer and loving every minute of being in this beautiful place. I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Geneva Saint-Amour - Director
Geneva.Saint-Amour@prescottschools.com
As an Arizona native I consider myself a desert lizard. I enjoy the heat and the sand. I love to travel to Mexico and enjoy beaches, hiking, diving and eating delicious food. I have also been to most of Europe, Costa Rica, Phillipines, Australia, New Zealand and much of the USA. Travel opens the world up into a larger, more amazing place. I hope that our students will partake of every travel opportunity they have presented to them. My other interests include geocaching, walking with my dogs and relaxing with my terrific husband. My degrees are in Education, Counseling and Administration but my real qualifications come from a full life of teaching students in all grades from 6 to 12 and college as well as leading the direction of 4 different schools. Northpoint is another exciting challenge in the journey of life and I look forward to sharing it with new staff, students and families every year.
Sidney Shepherd - Science
Sidney.Shepherd@prescottschools.com
I am so happy to say that this is my 4th year at Northpoint! This year I will be teaching 10th grade Biology and 12th grade Anatomy & Physiology. Over the last 10 years, I have taught biology, integrated sciences, environmental studies, physics, and anatomy and physiology; however, my primary focus is in biological sciences.
I received my B.S. in Zoology from The Ohio State University and 2 years later received my M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning from OSU. I comment often that Northpoint is the hardest, most challenging job I have ever encountered, and yet, it is the most exciting and rewarding as well. That is what I love most about us, teachers and students alike. If you really put your effort into being here, it will be the hardest and best thing you have ever done. If you want to know more about me, you’ll just have to come to class (parents are welcome); see you there!
Melissa Wagoner - Language Arts (9th & 10th grade)
Melissa.Wagoner@prescottschools.com
I believe that lifelong learning is the key to building a better society, and that my primary purpose as a teacher is to provide opportunity for students to explore the world and think about how they will contribute.
I grew up in Arkansas, in an environmental education community. I graduated from high school in Tucson, and then completed my BA in English at Northern Arizona University in 1995. After that, I traveled for as long as my wallet and perseverance could stand.
In 1997, I went back to NAU to complete my secondary certification requirements, and then taught at a traditional high school for five years. Considering the time spent in the planning year for Northpoint, this is my fifth year invested in the fabulous community of Northpoint, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of this. I continue to be excited about bringing an experiential approach to high school education to the community of Prescott.
In the spring of 2008, I completed my MA in Education and Writing at Prescott College.
Alison Wiggers-Zych - Spanish Language
Alison.W-Zych@prescottschools.com
Saludos a Todos! I am so excited about this upcoming year and being a part of a learning community that extends service and compassion throughout our community. I am also thrilled about bringing you the importance and excitement of learning another language. While attending The Ohio State University, I had the opportunity to travel and live in Mexico on two different occasions. While studying in Cemenahuac and La Universidad de las Americas, I became immersed in a beautiful culture, adventure and a deeper understanding of human relationships. I graduated from the Buckeye state in 2000 and have been living in Prescott ever since with my husband, caring for our garden, chickens, bees, worms (yes we have a worm farm) and dogs. I absolutely love the community of people here and the bio-diversity of the southwest. I have also attended Prescott College to receive my teaching certification and a Dance degree. I am quite excited to bring this amazing art form to NELA students again this year. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this learning community and working again with this amazing group of inspiring teachers, students and parents.
Support Staff
Tony Biruetta - Custodian
Tony.Biruetta@prescottschools.com
My name is Antonio (Tony) Birrueta. I was born in the State of Michoacan, Mexico. I came to the U.S.A. in 1980, and my first residence was in San Fernando Valley, CA. I lived there for two years. Then I moved to Santa Ana, CA, where I met and married my wife Rosario in 1985. We have also lived in Anaheim for a while before moving to Corona, where we purchased and still have a home there. I have had various jobs from auto mechanic to making dog competition training equipment to window blinds, curtains, and accessories installation and everything in between. We decided to follow my brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Leonor Buss to this beautiful Prescott area. I am very excited to be working here at Northpoint.
Nancy Bolgers - Secretary
Nancy.Bolgers@prescottschools.com
I came to Prescott 15 years ago from the San Francisco Bay area. I've been married for 9 years to my wonderful husband, Tim, who's a Sergeant with the Department of Public Safety. My older son, Nick, is a junior at the U of A and Mike is a high school junior who's also taking courses at Yavapai. My step-daughter, Amanda, attends ASU. We have two dogs, three cats and a horse. I'm looking forward to working with everyone at Northpoint! I have owned two successful business's and have a background in the legal field and medical office management.