Meet our GCCS staff...

Cindy Hoovel, Director cindy.hoovel@gardencityschool.org

Being a part of such an innovative school as Garden City Community School is a very gratifying and exciting adventure! We truly believe children learn best through interactive, experiential processes. My educational background includes 18 years as a visual arts teacher at Kuna Middle School, 4-H leader, youth summer camp director for the University of Idaho Extension system and facilitating various adult courses throughout the NW in the areas of art and leadership.

I grew up in Lewiston and received both my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture and my Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Idaho. Since I obtained my Arts Education K-12 Specialist Certification from Boise State University, though – I cheer for both Idaho teams! In addition to education, I have owned several businesses, including a purebred cattle ranch and a graphic design company. Sage (26) and Remington (23) are my two fantastic sons. They are successful business entrepreneurs in addition to being avid hunters and fishermen while continuing to run their cattle ranch. A special honor was receiving the National Art Education Association’s state art teacher of the year. When I can find spare time I love to paint, garden, travel, bicycle, read, white water raft, and explore as many new places and activities as possible. My favorite adventure to date was parapenting off the Southern Alps in New Zealand!

As the GCCS director, I am a member of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce and am now serving as secretary for the Idaho Charter School Network. I enjoy participating in every educational opportunity possible - especially if it will help continuously improve our school and get the word out about what a fantastic place we are creating for children!

We welcome you to our incredible school and staff!

Elizabeth Sackman, Kindergarten Teacher

Megan Jones, Kindergarten Teacher

I am a parent of a GCCS parent and excited to be assisting in the kindergarten and first grade classrooms. I came to GCCS from both teaching and directing in accredited preschool programs and have taught infants through second graders and conducted workshops for both teachers and parents. I have a Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood and have finished coursework for an M.A. in Education, Early Childhood.

I have four and seven year old boys and am married to a potter, David Scott who teaches art at Boise High. I enjoy spending time with my family and visiting our mountain cabin in Lowman and am currently

Marin Ramey, 1^st – 2nd Combination Class Teacher marin.ramey@gardencityschool.org

I am incredibly excited to be teaching First Grade at Garden City Community School. When I read the vision of GCCS, I was thrilled to know that something so innovative was happening in education here in the Treasure Valley. This will be my second year teaching. I taught Kindergarten in Gresham, Oregon last year. I received my Master of Arts in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College, in Portland, the year before that. My Bachelor’s degree is from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, the town I grew up in.

I’m really excited about integrating the arts throughout the entire curriculum. I especially love learning and teaching with music; I’ve played the piano since I was 8 years old. Throughout college I taught music lessons and accompanied a choir. I am lucky to have a wonderful husband, Bill, and an incredible dog, named Harvey. We like to go running, and last year we joined a curling club. I also enjoy knitting, reading, listening to music and NPR, and playing the piano.

Marti Hinckley, 1^st – 2^nd Combination Class Teacher

Lisa Link Courchane, 3rd-4th Combination Class Teacher lisacourchane@yahoo.com

    I have been working with children –newborns to college students - for about seven years now. I enjoy children’s curiosity, honesty and natural love of learning and continue to seek out opportunities to discover ways of helping kids learn and grow. I graduated from BSU with honors as a Bilingual/ESL Education major with an endorsement as a Reading Specialist and I’m now pursuing graduate studies in curriculum and instruction. My hobbies are painting, drawing, gardening, jogging, reading and spending time with my husband, our four children and all our pets.

    My belief about how kids learn was greatly influenced by working at a Montessori school. The independence and sense of true accomplishment fostered by this kind of specially prepared environment is truly remarkable. I strive to create a similar environment in which teaching is for deep understanding and where, in addition to a commitment to academic excellence, students honestly enjoy school and feel good about themselves as learners. This is possible because together we continually foster relationships based on mutual respect, caring, and partnership. When students feel safe and feel like they matter, they do their best learning. This will be an especially exciting year since I will be team-teaching with Tawnia Santos, a partner teacher that shares similar passions and views of teaching and learning. We are all invigorated by the dynamic leadership of our new Director Cindy and our dedication to building a strong curriculum and compassionate school culture.

    Our hope is that all our students will be enthusiastic about learning, gain lasting knowledge, have a sound sense of self-confidence, and feel closely bonded to their teachers and classmates. It will be an honor to have your child in our classroom family!

Tawnia Santos, 3rd- 4th Combination Teacher tawniasue@msn.com

    Hi, my name is Tawnia Santos, and I had the good fortune of teaching at Garden City Community School when the school first opened. I taught a 2nd/3rd grade class and am doing the same this year. I delight in teaching Geography, Social Studies, and Linguistics, as I have traveled a good deal. I have lived in France and Sweden, as well as five states other than Idaho. I have also visited 25 other countries.

    GCCS is very close to my heart because I was raised in Garden City. I now live in Boise with my awesome husband of twenty years, Derek, and our wonderful son, Micah. Micah will be a sophomore at Centennial High School in the fall.

    Teaching at GCCS is such a natural for me because I am very enthusiastic about a hands-on approach to education. In addition to traveling, I have been a volunteer with Animals in Distress and Northwest Animal Companions. Therefore, animals, science, and the environment are a big part of my curriculum. I am also a Junior Master Gardner, which means I am trained to teach gardening to children.

    I am very proud of being part of the excellent staff at GCCS and look forward to another exciting year.

Benjamin Miller, 5^th-6^th Combination Teacher ben.miller@gardencityschool.org

Along long time ago, I was born to Bruce and Benita Miller in Bremerton, Washington then moved to Homedale, Idaho in third grade. I graduated from Homedale High School where I was an OK student and played football, wrestling and golf. After High School, I went to U of I to become a teacher. During my years at U of I, I participated in intramurals and was the vice president of my fraternity. I discovered my passion for teaching in high school while participating in a reading mentor program. In college I volunteered for many programs but the one that was the most rewarding was Moscow Reading Mentors.

This will be my second year teaching at GCCS. Iit has been challenging and rewarding at the same time. My teaching experience consists of student teaching in second and fourth grade, subbing throughout the Boise School District, and teaching a 3-4 combination class here last year. If you ever hear the Beatles rocking down the hallway, hear a class singing, or just plain old goofy you’ll know that Mr. B. and his students must be having a great time.

Rebecca Harris, Arts & Community Integration Coordinator rebhar@gmail.com

I grew up in Boise then went to school at University of Oregon, graduating with a degree in English. As an insufferable generalist, loving to get my hands into everything, I studied many subjects, mostly creative writing, visual arts, and performance arts. I moved to Maine to start an organic farm with Belgian draft horses. After living in Maine for nine years, I returned to Boise. I worked for two years at my daughters’ school as Art Parent Coordinator and also started the After School Circus Theater Workshop with one of the teachers. I am a certified yoga instructor and have been teaching Iyengar yoga at the YMCA for three years. I have always been interested in working within innovative educational environments with children and was thrilled to be hired at Garden City Community School.

I am now living with my daughters, my boyfriend, his daughter, two dogs, two cats, and three tree frogs. Life is full. I am never bored. My philosophy is that when a child acts bored, let them sit with it. Don’t rescue them. In no time, they’ll rescue themselves. Their mind will wander into the realm of creativity. All of us want to express ourselves, our deepest desires, our grandest ideas. I try to reach out to my students and offer them ways in which they can find this authentic voice that is uniquely theirs. As an Arts Integration Coordinator, I feel that my job is to listen to the students and hear what they are trying to express and to introduce them to tools, materials, and people who might help them. I encourage them to share their ideas and inspire each other, stepping forward into the world with the confidence that they are an integral part of their larger communities.

Valerie Aker, Special Services Co-Ordinator valerie.aker@gardencityschool.org

Traci Hopper, Secretary/Administrative Assistant traci.hopper@gardencityschool.org

Michele Roth, Paraprofessional & Federal/State Test Coordinator Michele.roth@gardencityschool.org

Paul Russell, Paraprofessional

I am a paraprofessional instruction assistant primarily assigned to facilitate learning & provide individual assistance in 2nd-4th grades. In addition I have had the wonderful opportunity to monitor, engage & interact with all grade levels at recess & special classes. I was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota attending the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology, majoring in Architecture. I am a Vietnam War veteran who served as a noncombatant, Medic/Medical Corpman. Post war my career direction changed & I received a Bachelors of Arts in Human Services from Mesa College in Grand Junction, Colorado.

My experiences have been very diverse. I have worked in alcohol & drug rehabilitation, chronic mental illness, community low income program, & several diverse disability services including special services for blind/visual impairment & developmental disabilities. The past 11 years I have had the privilege to assist in a Transition Program for young adults with developmental & behavioral challenges in the Boise School District. Some of my personal passions & avocations include dancing, music, rollerblading, creative visual arts i.e. interior decoration & fashion design, nature, friends & self awareness. I am literally thrilled to be a part of this cutting edge research-driven child-centered innovative education design!