Meet the 'We Bee Scientists' Teachers

Andrea Aamodt, 5th Grade Curriculum Writer

Andrea grew up in Boulder, Colorado where hiking, camping and the love and respect for the Rockies and nature were instilled by her parents. She moved to Tucson in 1979, and her journey of learning to love and appreciate the Sonoran Desert began. She earned her BA in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona in 1988. Andrea’s love for nature and children’s inherent love and curiosity for the world around them, set her on the path to obtain her Master’s in Environmental Education. After teaching grades 3rd through 5th for 31 years for the Flowing Wells District, she retired in 2021. Since then, she has served as a part-time librarian for the same District while also continuing her work writing science curriculum. Andrea believes that the objective of education should be knowledge and action, and if humans create a problem, humans can solve it. Andrea works to empower students to be active stewards by instilling a love of science and a perspective of optimism that will ultimately benefit the earth and all its magnificent creatures.

Catherine Bartlett, Associate Director of Education

As the Associate Director of Education for the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Catherine Bartlett is responsible for the development and implementation of the Desert Museum’s school, outreach, youth, camp, family, and virtual programs. Additionally, she’s a key science communicator as the chief editor of the Museum’s Desert Discovery newsletter, and an experienced interpreter, contributing to exhibit development, signage, and blogs. She’s developed and grown multiple educational partnerships in southern Arizona through strategic community engagement initiatives. She's a Board Member for Friends of Saguaro National Park and serves on the Leadership Team for Tucson Improv Movement. She’s an alumni of Greater Tucson Leadership, The OpEd Project, and is a Tucson “40 Under 40” awardee. She received her B.S. in Zoology from Northern Arizona University, M.S. in Entomology and M.Ed. in Teacher Education, both from the University of Arizona. She’s an avid wildlife watcher, often documenting sightings through photography and camera-trapping. As a native Tucsonan, Catherine has an ingrained appreciation for the Sonoran Desert and, of course, sunscreen.

Schreen Raboza Davis, 2nd Grade Teacher

Schreen Raboza Davis is a 2nd Grade Teacher in the Flowing Wells Unified School District. Her science background began when she became a STEMazing Teacher Leader for Flowing Wells. Through this program she was able to create standards-based lessons for second grade and lead professional development sessions to help other teachers implement new lessons using the 5E science model. Her experience teaching multiple grade levels and background with science curriculum writing and development has led her to take on a new role as a STEAM teacher at her school. This new position allows Schreen to continue to develop and write standards-based science lessons across multiple grade levels with an integration of technology, engineering, art and mathematics. She was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, where she attended the University of Arizona, received a BA in Elementary Education and was a Rodel Exemplary Student Teacher. After teaching for eight years, she was awarded Teacher of the Year for her school in 2022. Aside from being a classroom teacher, she is also an instructional coach and student teacher mentor because she loves to help others. Outside of the classroom, Schreen loves spending time with her wife and daughter. Together, they enjoy traveling, exploring, and looking for new adventures. Joining the We Be Scientists program and working with the Desert Museum has been a wonderful journey for Schreen. Through this program she has been able to become a student herself again, learning new information about native desert bees. She hopes to bring the love and beauty of the Sonoran Desert and its native bee population to learners all around through her science lessons and activities.

Anna Heyer, M.Ed., District Science Specialist

Anna is the District Science Specialist for the Flowing Wells Unified School District, where she has served for 20 years. Anna has extensive experience in teaching, curriculum development, and professional development, and has received numerous awards, including Tucson 40 under 40 and recognition as a Leader to Learn From by Education Weekly. She has developed community partnerships and led various science education initiatives across Arizona.

Sarah Hitchings, 2nd Grade Teacher

Sarah Hitchings is a 2nd grade teacher in the Flowing Wells School District. She began teaching in 2004 and this is where her love of science started and has grown deep. She became part of the science curriculum adoption committee over 10 years ago. This led to many opportunities to learn and teach inquiry and science. She has teamed up with U of A Professor, Anna Dornhaus, to develop science fair projects for teachers all over Tucson. In 2019 she was selected to be a STEMAZing leader in FW and got to work with esteemed colleagues and leaders in the Tucson Science community to create meaningful and engaging lessons and professional development opportunities for teachers. This work has meant so much to her and changed the way she looks at the world. One of her favorite things to do now is photograph desert plants, insects, and animals on walks, hikes, or while driving around town. Her mom would never believe how she picks up millipedes and moves them out of the street to save them (or brings them to her classroom) or how she inches closer and closer to javelina or bees to get a good photo. She thanks The Desert Museum, STEMAZing (all those involved), FW Science leaders, FW administration, her students, and family for helping her grow as a person and teacher. When Sarah is not teaching, she is with her husband Chris, daughter Olivia, son Harrison and good friends. They are her everything!

Tyler Kiecolt, 1st Grade Teacher

Tyler is a 1st Grade Teacher in the Flowing Wells Unified School District, where she has had the opportunity to develop science curriculum, lead professional development, and represent her school as 2022 Teacher of the Year. She moved to Tucson as a child and is proud to call the desert her home! She attended the University of Arizona, receiving a BA in Elementary Education with an Endorsement in English as a Second Language as well as additional training through the Rodel Exemplary Student Teaching Program. Tyler enjoys reading, painting, walking with her dogs, and enjoying the desert we call home. She also loves pouring into her classroom and Flowing Wells community, supporting rising teachers through the U of A, and teaching dance and cheer to elementary aged students. Working with the Desert Museum to develop curriculum has been a highlight of her career so far, and she hopes these resources inspire Arizona kids to love, understand, and protect the desert while growing their curiosity and love for science, too!

Robin Kropp, Education Specialist

Robin Kropp (she/her) is a proud Sonoran Desert rat, shaped from birth by this amazing land. Childhood desert explorations led her to study the natural world and our connections with it. She received her B.A. from the University of Arizona in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Latin American Studies, and Spanish in 1990, and completed her Master’s in Education with a focus on Environmental Learning in 2003. She has been an Education Specialist at the Desert Museum since 1998 where she is grateful to always learn more and to be able to share her love of nature with a wide variety of students. In addition to camps, she teaches on-site and outreach programs with our animal teachers, develops curriculum, and coordinates the Museum's Coati Kids Club program.

Jennifer Stretton, Kindergarten Teacher

Jennifer Stretton is a Kindergarten Teacher in the Flowing Wells Unified School District. In 2019, she was selected as a STEMAZing Teacher Leader for her district. As a Teacher Leader, she obtained professional growth and knowledge in STEM education to develop curriculum. She gained experience and leadership skills to create and facilitate professional development workshops. These workshops help teachers acquire and implement new instructional strategies to be used in the classroom specific to science instruction. In 2022, she received a unique opportunity to partner with the Arizona- Sonora Desert Museum in creating life science units that are attached to the Next Generation Science Standards. That year, Jennifer was also chosen to be an ASU Arizona STEM Acceleration Project Fellow. She obtained professional development through the STEMAZing Systems Thinking Program and incorporated the learnings into her lessons. As part of the fellowship, she also launched four STEM lessons that are for the ASU STEM program. In 2023 Jennifer was awarded the ASTA Arizona Science Teacher of the Year. Her goal is to change the stigma around teaching science in a K-2 setting. She is a proud wife, mother, and grandmother. She enjoys reading, hiking, and crafting and can be found on weekends and long breaks camping in our beautiful Sonoran Desert.

Danielle Van Derlaske, 3rd Grade Teacher

Danielle Van Derlaske is a National Board Certified 3rd Grade Teacher in the Flowing Wells Unified School District. She has worked to develop standard aligned science curriculum for all third grade students in the Flowing Wells district with the Flowing Wells STEMAZing Leadership Program, leads professional development for science and writing to teachers in the district, has presented her science units at the ASTA conference in Phoenix, and worked with the Pima County STEAMAZing program to develop The Real Primary Colors and lead workshops in Tucson. Danielle has also been a 2 year ASU Arizona STEM Acceleration Project Fellow and wrote 8 in-depth, student centered lesson for Arizona Teachers. She attended the University of Arizona, received her BA in Elementary Education, and was a Rodel Exemplary Student Teacher. Danielle is a proud mom and wife and you can find her running around going to all her kids’ activities, while sneaking in time to enjoy reading, and biking and hiking with her husband in our beautiful Sonoran Desert. Being a part of the We Bee Scientists program and working with the Desert Museum has been an opportunity of a lifetime and she loves being able to share her love for the desert with her students and also creating lessons to share with teachers all over. She hopes to infect everyone she meets with the Sonoran Desert bug!

Jessice Wendt, 4th Grade Teacher

Jessica is a teacher in the Flowing Wells School District. She began her teaching career as a fifth grade teacher in the Sunnyside School District, but moved to the FWUSD in 2015. In her current teaching position, Jessica prides herself on fostering meaningful relationships with her students and families, and supports new teachers through instructional coaching and mentorship. In 2019, she was selected as a STEMAZing teacher leader. In this position, she furthered her own learning on the 3-dimensions of science instruction and created units that addressed fourth grade science standards. She also held professional developments and provided support to teachers who were implementing the science units she created. In 2023, she was awarded Teacher of the Year in the Flowing Wells School District and advanced to the state level. When she isn’t teaching, Jessica enjoys vacationing with her husband and three kids, reading, crafting and cooking new recipes.