Mark Blickenstaff
My name is Mark Blickenstaff and I am excited to be a part of the team at June Creek Elementary School. I have taught Physical Education for the past nine years within Eagle County Schools. I have lived in the "valley" for two decades and still thouroghly enjoy the benefits of our mountain community. With all of the outdoor activities within our reach I find it accessible and fulfilling to live the life of which I teach, healthy living. I enjoy many types of activities in the rockies such as hiking with our dog, mountain biking, skiing, camping, fishing, and kayaking, "Walking the Walk" is simple for me as I do enjoy helping kids learn about healthy living along with being healthy myself.

Gemma Thorpe
Hello to all! I hope that you are all as excited about JCES as I am!!! :) I am originally from Matlock, England. I moved to the United States when I was five years old. Before I moved to beautiful Colorado, I lived in Chesapeake, Virginia for 20 years. I obtained my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Elementary Education from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. This will be my fifth year of teaching, fourth in Kindergarten. In my free time I like to learn new things. This year I plan to take some classes in Spanish. I am looking forward to seeing your smiling faces soon! Have a fantastic summer!

Suzanne Fast- 2nd Grade
Hello! My name is Suzanne Fast, “Miss Fast”. I am so excited to be apart of the June Creek Elementary team. I grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, which is also where I had my first experience in 2nd grade. Of course then I was on the other side of the teacher’s desk! From then to now I have been a learner every step of the way and I plan to be for the rest of my life. My educational philosophy is to create a safe environment for my students to learn. In our classroom-culture learners are challenged at their own level to take risks and be successful. Our classroom walls extend beyond the physical boundaries of June Creek. We are world-learners. I incorporate relevant technology into our lessons that support students as global thinkers. Perhaps, most important to me is parent/teacher communication. Parents are a student’s first teacher and by working together we can ensure the success of all our learners.

Maggie Sandoval- 3rd Grade
Hi, my name is Maggie Sandoval. I am very excited about teaching third grade at June Creek and being a mentor teacher. I currently teach fifth grade at Edwards Elementary and I am a mentor teacher at EES. I have been teaching in Colorado for 12 years. I have taught in Grand Junction, Leadville and Edwards. I have taught second through fifth grade, as well as, gifted and talented students. I am excited to be a part of an excellent team at June Creek and I am even more excited about building a strong learning community with parents, students and staff members at JCES. I live outside of Leadville, CO at about 11,000 feet. In my spare time I enjoy hiking, climbing, and kayaking. I am currently working on my second Masters in TESOL (Teaching English to Students of Other Languages). My first Masters is in Educational Technology. I am eager to begin the 2007-2008 school year at June Creek.


Molly McGalliard - 5th Grade
Hello, my name is Molly McGalliard and I am a 5th grade teacher at JCES. I am super excited about being a part of this new school! I have taught for six years, four of which were in Denver and two here in Eagle County. I graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington with a degree in Sociology and Elementary Education. After graduating, I quickly decided that Colorado was where I wanted to live and work as a teacher. The Vail Valley is where I grew up, so it has been great being a teacher back in the place that I love the most. When I am not teaching, you can catch me on my mountain bike, exploring new places in Colorado, enjoying music, trying new recipes or hanging out with my husband, James. I can’t wait to start the year and meet all of you – we have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming year!

Marilyn Earle- Technology and Group Facilitator
Hello, my name is Marilyn Earle. I have taught in Eagle County Schools for 19 years. I have lived in this area for thirty-two years and I definitely call this wonderful valley my home. My family in Massachusetts would rather have me refer to myself as an Easterner rather than a Westerner! I live in Eagle with my husband Greg or 26 years, dog Riley and cats Nermal, Mia and Max. We have two sons Matthew and David who both attended Eagle schools starting at kindergarten and graduated from Eagle Valley High. Matthew just graduated from UCCS. David is a sophomore at Denver University studying business. I love the mountains and outdoors, my outside interests are always outside: biking, hiking, skiing, snow shoeing, backpacking or just walking and enjoying the great views. I am presently working on my Master’s in Counseling and will be doing my internship at JCES as a group facilitator. I have been teaching Technology for 12 years, so I am looking forward to JCES being a leader in technology. I am thrilled that we will all have access to the latest technology tools. I am especially excited to meet new students, families and staff members. I look forward to all of us putting our efforts together in making June Creek Elementary School a great place for kids, the community and staff!

Andrea Emmer- 1st Grade
Hello, my name is Andrea Emmer. I hope you are as excited as I am to be part of June Creek Elementary. I graduated in 2003 with a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. I have been in the profession of teaching since I was sixteen years old. I began this career as a bilingual teacher’s assistant and later advanced to classroom teacher. I have worked with pre-schoolers, kindergartners, K-1 and K-2 multi-age classrooms, and 1st grade. During my free time I enjoy hiking, camping, biking, baking, planting, painting, sewing, listening and making music with my daughter. Some of these elements are reflected in my teaching. Creating and finding new, exciting tools to enhance my students learning gives me joy.

Emily Delles- Media Center
Hello, I am Emily Delles, and I am pleased to introduce myself as a member of the June Creek Elementary School team! I have been a teacher in Eagle County since 1997 and have taught grade levels from preschool to fourth grade. I am looking forward to returning to teaching as the Media Specialist at JCES. I am originally from New York State, where I earned my undergraduate degree in Elementary and Special Education. I also have a Master’s of Science in Education with a focus in Reading and Literacy. My husband and I have lived in Eagle County for 11 years and we are proud to be raising our two young boys here in Colorado. I am anxious to return to teaching after a leave of absence to care for my children, and I look forward to fostering a love of reading and literacy in the children who attend JCES. Books and reading are a passion of mine, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to share that love with your children!

Jessica Crooks- 1st Grade
Hello! My name is Jessica Crooks and I am going to be a 1st grade teacher at JCES. I am so proud to be a part of the outstanding teaching staff at June Creek. This is my first year teaching in Eagle County. I recently moved to Colorado in August. I am from a small town in Vermont and graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington with a degree in Early Childhood/Special Education. I moved to Colorado for the beautiful weather and BIG mountains! I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet so many new students and parents. See you all very soon!

Mike Salomone - Art
My name is Michael Salomone. I have lived in the Eagle valley since 1992 and I began teaching in 1999. I have been the Art Teacher at Avon Elementary School during that entire time. I will be splitting my time between A.E.S. and June Creek. I am very excited about opening the doors of a new school. I have two daughters, Emily going into 2nd grade and Ella who is 3 years old. My wife Lori and I have been married over 10 years and we live on the river in Eagle. We also have 2 dogs a Brittany and a yellow Lab who love to hunt. I am an Orvis endorsed fly fishing guide for Fly Fishing Outfitters, where I started a kids program over 6 years ago. Please stop in to say “Hi”. Look for me in the Art room, and after school doing Art enrichment classes or taking kids fishing.

Jeanne Sagurton - Master Teacher
My name is Jeanne Sagurton, and I am grateful every day to be living and working in Eagle County. I grew up in New York City and attended New York University for two years, but when I traveled out west at age 19 I fell in love with what I found and basically never looked back! I am a graduate of CU Boulder and have spent most of my teaching career with Eagle County Schools, teaching second through sixth grades and working as a reading specialist and mentor teacher. My son is a sophomore at Battle Mountain High School and has attended Eagle County Schools since kindergarten. He takes after his parents and is already starting to think about how difficult it will be to leave his much loved mountains when he goes to college! Spending time outdoors - skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, camping – with family, friends, and my newest love Lucy (a red heeler) is what renews me. I will be the master teacher at June Creek Elementary and am very excited to be working with an exceptional staff that is committed to community and collaboration. I am honored to be part of a profession that every day brings new challenges and new rewards as we strive to meet the needs of every child, every day.

Debbie Jacox- Office Manager
My name is Debbie Jacox. I graduated from Eagle Valley High School when it was 6-12. I am married and have three children, Roy, Danellle, Jadd and two grandchildren, Syndey & Ashley. I have worked in Eagle County School District since November of 93 as office manager of GES. I began the 07-08 school year at RHES working with Cognitive Needs Children. I am excited to join JCES as office manager and look forward to blazing new trails with staff and students in the challenging world of education.