Q: What is your background? Where are you from? What’s your educational background?

I was born and raised in Texas and moved to Florida at 16.  I finished out my last two years of high school in Brooksville Florida at Central High School where I was a varsity cheerleader and played varsity tennis.  I attended my first two years of college at PHCC in Brooksville, FL where I earned my AA degree.  After spending some time at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, I transferred to the University of South Florida where I graduated with my B.S. in Elementary Education.  After graduating, I started to teach 5th grade in Tampa, FL.  I taught in Hillsborough County for two years before I took a 10-year hiatus from teaching and used my skills in the business world.  I worked as a corporate sales trainer for 5 years and returned back into the education arena where I worked as a Center Director for two Sylvan Learning Centers in the Brandon and Riverview area.  I returned to teaching in Pasco County in 2010 where I worked at Connerton Elementary School as a 4th-grade teacher.  I have been working at Watergrass Elementary School, first as a 3rd-grade teacher for 4 years, and currently, as a 5th-grade gifted inclusion teacher for the past 3 years.

Q: How do you feel you will improve school spirit?

School spirit is so important.  It builds pride in your school, cooperation within teams, and a sense of belonging to all the students that walk on campus each day.  With enthusiasm and passion, I feel that, along with my new cheer team, we can build upon the school spirit that started during the charter year at Cypress Creek and continue to create a culture of acceptance, pride, excitement and Coyote fever!  Through campus engagement of all students, faculty, and staff during spirit weeks, pep rallies, and athletic events,  I have no doubt that Coyote Nation is about to explode!

Q: What are your goals for the team?

Really and truly, my goals are simple for this team.  I want to create a team of cheerleaders who exemplify what it means to be a coyote.  My hopes are to strengthen the team’s skills and to bring something new and fresh for the upcoming year.

Q: Why are you a cheer coach? What motivates and inspires you?

For me, coaching cheer is an opportunity to pass on something that I enjoyed so much as a high schooler.  Cheerleading was more than throwing stunts and cheering for the home team for me.  It was a chance to bond with a very special group of girls.  It was a way for me to, literally, find my voice and become more confident in myself as a youth.  I want to be able to provide the same opportunity to other students who are interested in being a Coyote cheerleader.
To pick one thing that inspires me is tough.  My children inspire me to always put my best foot forward and to look at the bright side of life.  My students inspire me to be a better teacher and to have faith in what our future holds.  My family inspires me to always be myself and to be confident in the person that I have become.

Q: What’s going to get more people to try out?

I am hoping to meet as many prospects for cheerleader as I can tomorrow at the meet and greet. I am hoping that we have a fantastic turnout for tryouts that the end of this month. Flyers have been displayed around the campus and are also posted on the cheer site on the main school page.

Q: How will you make the cheer environment a positive and encouraging place?

I hope to keep our cheer environment positive and encouraging by establishing and abiding by specifics expectations of my squad.  I feel like if the bar is set at a certain level, everyone has the same opportunity to rise to the expectations set for them.  I believe in setting my expectations high and keeping them at that level.  I expect all the members of my squad to abide by the expectations set for them.  I also believe that everyone has room to grow and this is my primary focus; for everyone on the squad to improve.  I want cheer to be a sport that is rigorous and challenging, yet fun and enriching.

Q: What are your Hobbies?

My hobbies include refurbishing old furniture,  playing fantasy football,  attending baseball games, binge-watching murder documentaries on Netflix, and sleeping!!

Q: Anything else you would like to share?
I have two children.  My daughter, Faith, will be a freshman at Cypress Creek in the fall and my son, Keegan, will be a 1st grader at Watergrass Elementary.  They are my pride and joy and being their mother is the most important job that I have.  I couldn’t be more excited about joining the staff at Cypress Creek and I look forward to growing our cheer program!  Go Coyotes!!